Formalin treatment

[jason78]

Greetings fellow reefers.

Have a question about formalin. I like the idea of prolonged treatment. So I see it is 1ml per 10 gallons.

Can you confirm that is the correct dosage? And can you tell me is there a half life to it (do I have to redose ever so often") or do I just adjust for water changes?

 

[ThRoewer]

The dose recommendation I have for 37% Formalin is 1 mm per 100 liter (=26.4 US gallons). One ml of 37% Formalin per 10 gallons would be an overdose and likely be harmful, if not deadly to the fish.

Also, Formalin is a toxin and known carcinogen so I usually prefer to use it primarily in short term baths, especially with fish that have lifespan of 5 years or more.

Formalin shouldn't have a half-life and re-dosing shouldn't be required, though it may be consumed in reactions. There are no hobby test kits for formalin so it is hard to tell how much is present after e prolonged amount of time - another reason to preferably use it only as a bath.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

^agree. Are you trying to treat a disease or is this a prophylaxis?

 

[jason78]

Well I had an outbreak of ich and a secondary parasite. I don't want to put anything back into the fallow tank until I know for sure it is gone. Right now it looks as if my blue tang is showing some signs of it. But has been for weeks so I am wanting to treat the hole tank.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Formalin will not cure ich. Read the stickies on cryptocaryon. How many fish do you have?

 

[jason78]

I have 7 fish in the hospital tank from the main tank. The ich is gone. Used copper for that. Then had a secondary parasite show up. Only on one of the fish but if it's in the tank they all have it. So I am wanting to wipe it out before they go into the display.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Can you identify the "secondary parasite"?

 

[jason78]

No I can not. It is similar to ich but larger.

 

[jason78]

I will see if I can get a picture tomorrow.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Pics and observable behavior will help.