Formalin Overdose
- Thread starter baobao
- Start date
Rondelet
New member
The only thing you can really do is to put the fish in fresh water with lots of aeration. The dose rate seems about right (assuming you use full strength formalin (with 37% formaldehyde)). However, did you aerate the treatment vessel? Note that formalin consumes oxygen and this can choke your fish over time. Generally speaking formalin can be hard on fish, so you need to stay with them at all time during treatment and act accordingly when you see signs of stress/adverse reaction.
Hope you fish recovers.
Hope you fish recovers.
Fish was breathing heavy , stressed out before treatment. Unsure whether the fish had Brook., I thought it would make sense to conduct a prophylactic dip.
I would not add Formalin to the tank because it is toxic, jeopordizes the biological filtration.
You're right, I should have taken tang out of dip - but it started showing signs of stress after only 10 minutes, and I would have thought that a dip is supposed to be somewhat stressful? The question is, how do I know it's time to abort the dip and pull fish out? At what point is the treatment to stressful? In hindsight, I should have aborted treatment as soon as it showed stress and initiated treatment after some rest, albeit at half the dosage?
I am very upset at this mistake - PBT is lying on bottom of tank breathing heavy. Anything I can do??
I would not add Formalin to the tank because it is toxic, jeopordizes the biological filtration.
You're right, I should have taken tang out of dip - but it started showing signs of stress after only 10 minutes, and I would have thought that a dip is supposed to be somewhat stressful? The question is, how do I know it's time to abort the dip and pull fish out? At what point is the treatment to stressful? In hindsight, I should have aborted treatment as soon as it showed stress and initiated treatment after some rest, albeit at half the dosage?
I am very upset at this mistake - PBT is lying on bottom of tank breathing heavy. Anything I can do??
You can aerate the water and use a reduced salinity. Some StressGuard or Pro Tech Coat Marine may help. Did you aerate the dip during treatment? It is important to make a probable diagnosis BEFORE you treat fish with medications. I have my doubts that the fish has brooklynella. The wrong treatment can definately make things worse.
Terry B
Terry B
BTTRFLYGRL
New member
Powder Blue Tangs are not the hardiest of fish. Why would you think it had Brook? How long did you have the fish? What signs/symptoms did it have? These meds are toxic, if misused can kill the fish. At FIRST sign of stress that fish should have been removed from the dip!
I must say, You scare me. Seems like every time I come here you are medicating another fish..Don't be so quick to treat these fish, sounds like your panicking whenever you see strange behavior. Watch your fish, get proper diagnosis BEFORE you treat. Are you placing your fish in qt for 4 weeks before going in your main?
Are you still stocking your tank because it sounds like you need to slow down and get the fish you have now healthy before adding anymore
I hope your PBT makes it, they are one of my favorite fish.
Good luck
I must say, You scare me. Seems like every time I come here you are medicating another fish..Don't be so quick to treat these fish, sounds like your panicking whenever you see strange behavior. Watch your fish, get proper diagnosis BEFORE you treat. Are you placing your fish in qt for 4 weeks before going in your main?
Are you still stocking your tank because it sounds like you need to slow down and get the fish you have now healthy before adding anymore
I hope your PBT makes it, they are one of my favorite fish.
Good luck
Rondelet
New member
baobao,
So how is your fish doing? I just re-read my thread and it should have read - "ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦fresh salt waterââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦" - I'm hoping that you assumed this! As far as formalin dips/baths go, it is critical to ensure you aerate during the bath. As far as pulling the fish, it's a tough call. Duration time should be 30-60 min, depending on the fish, the disease you're treating for and how your fish reacts. With tropical marine fish, I would not extend the treatment beyond 30 minutes and a 10-20 minute bath can be effective.
When I'm using formalin, if I can get 10 minutes in then I would pull the fish any time after that if it was reacting negatively up to the 30-minute mark. Only rarely would I treat a fish longer. In your case, I probably would have pulled the fish after 15 minutes, as I would have watched it very closely after it started to react negatively at the 10-minute mark. If it looked like it was getting worse, then I would have pulled it.
The reaction of the fish depends on many factors: type and size of fish, the size of the treatment vessel, water temperature, pH and other parameters. Even lighting can be factor, as a dark vessel will keep most fish calmer during the bath. Because of this you need to stay with the fish and pull it if it gets too stressed. Knowing when the fish has reach its limit ultimately depends on using your best judgement and experience. If there are signs of stress, rapid swimming/jumping (to get out), loss of equilibrium, very slow or very fast ventilation - the fish needs to be put back into fresh sea water. If signs start to show up immediately, then it often indicates you have the dose wrong, or something else is wrong with the water chemistry (incorrectly matched pH for example). However, judgement and experience plays a big role. Often fish react wildly when it put into bath treatment container/vessels simply because the handling and change of environment freaks them out. After 5-10 minutes they usually settle down. If they don't you have to quickly assess the situation and remove them if they appear to be going down hill and getting worse (i.e., a progressive deterioration) - then the fish should be pulled.
Hope this helps.
So how is your fish doing? I just re-read my thread and it should have read - "ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦fresh salt waterââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦" - I'm hoping that you assumed this! As far as formalin dips/baths go, it is critical to ensure you aerate during the bath. As far as pulling the fish, it's a tough call. Duration time should be 30-60 min, depending on the fish, the disease you're treating for and how your fish reacts. With tropical marine fish, I would not extend the treatment beyond 30 minutes and a 10-20 minute bath can be effective.
When I'm using formalin, if I can get 10 minutes in then I would pull the fish any time after that if it was reacting negatively up to the 30-minute mark. Only rarely would I treat a fish longer. In your case, I probably would have pulled the fish after 15 minutes, as I would have watched it very closely after it started to react negatively at the 10-minute mark. If it looked like it was getting worse, then I would have pulled it.
The reaction of the fish depends on many factors: type and size of fish, the size of the treatment vessel, water temperature, pH and other parameters. Even lighting can be factor, as a dark vessel will keep most fish calmer during the bath. Because of this you need to stay with the fish and pull it if it gets too stressed. Knowing when the fish has reach its limit ultimately depends on using your best judgement and experience. If there are signs of stress, rapid swimming/jumping (to get out), loss of equilibrium, very slow or very fast ventilation - the fish needs to be put back into fresh sea water. If signs start to show up immediately, then it often indicates you have the dose wrong, or something else is wrong with the water chemistry (incorrectly matched pH for example). However, judgement and experience plays a big role. Often fish react wildly when it put into bath treatment container/vessels simply because the handling and change of environment freaks them out. After 5-10 minutes they usually settle down. If they don't you have to quickly assess the situation and remove them if they appear to be going down hill and getting worse (i.e., a progressive deterioration) - then the fish should be pulled.
Hope this helps.
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