Formalin

[Allmost]

Hello,

what does formalin work against ?

Brook, Ich, Velvet, external parasites ?

does it also work on internal parasites ?

what dosage and product is recommended.

how effective is it against Brook and Ich ?

Just to confirm, Prime can be used with Furan 2 right ?

please share any info or links you may have.

Appreciate the help.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Formalin is the primary treatment for brooklynella. I have used it to eradicate flukes that Prazi would not cure. I think it is questionable against ich. There are more efficient treatments that are not as hazardous to you and the fish.
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...s/50755-formalin-treatment-marine-fishes.html
The University of Florida Aquaculture website has some great info on formalin.

 

[HumbleFish]

Formalin is the primary treatment for brooklynella. I have used it to eradicate flukes that Prazi would not cure. I think it is questionable against ich. There are more efficient treatments that are not as hazardous to you and the fish.
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...s/50755-formalin-treatment-marine-fishes.html
The University of Florida Aquaculture website has some great info on formalin.

+1 Formalin-MS is the weapon of choice for treating Brook, as it contains 37% formaldehyde. I've never figured out what % of formaldehyde "Quick Cure" has, but it's still better than nothing in a pinch. Formaldehyde is pretty nasty stuff and quickly robs the water of O2; so it's best to use it as a dip in a heavily aerated bowl/container. Using it in a QT, as an in-tank treatment, is pretty dicey IMO. I would never use it, under any circumstances, in a DT. Check out the link below for more info.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/vm/vm06100.pdf

 

[Allmost]

Using it in a QT, as an in-tank treatment, is pretty dicey IMO.

Can you Elaborate why ?

PS. thanks for the link ! great stuff.

Newsmyrna80 ... Appreciate the info and the link

 

[HumbleFish]

Can you Elaborate why ?

The link to the Univ of Fla pdf explains better than I can.

 

[Allmost]

The link to the Univ of Fla pdf explains better than I can.

show me which part ? only thing ure link sais is that it would be expensive to use in large ponds. is that what u mean by Dicey ?

to add : the reason I dont like dips, is that the fish can get secondary infections when back in QT. plus the stress of catching it and placing it in a bucket daily.

 

[Newsmyrna80]

Formalin is very dangerous. There are a few states in the U.S. you can not even buy it. It contains formaldehyde which is what is used in the embalming process. You do not want to use this in a main tank. It will kill your biological filter and every invert (worms, brittle stars, copepods, etc) in your tank.
A fish can get a secondary infection just as easily in a main tank as a QT. I've only used it as a dip and they were done every other day. I do know of someone that used it as a bath for flukes successfully.
You also have to be careful as to a fish/species sensitivity.
What are you trying to cure?

 

[Allmost]

trying to help a friend treat his fish .

if anyone can answer why Formalin should not be used in HOSPITAL tank, please let me know.

Hospital tank : a seperate tank, with just air stone, and power heads. and PVC pipes for fish to hide in.

also it would be great if someone can let me know if Tap water + prime is fine with Formalin.

 

[HumbleFish]

show me which part ? only thing ure link sais is that it would be expensive to use in large ponds. is that what u mean by Dicey ?

to add : the reason I dont like dips, is that the fish can get secondary infections when back in QT. plus the stress of catching it and placing it in a bucket daily.

Basically, I don't think most fish can take prolonged exposure to formaldehyde. For one, it's a known carcinogen. That means it's harsh on their skin, breathing - it basically poisons the water. Secondly, it "chemically removes oxygen from the aquatic environment" (as per the article). Most fish can take oxygen deprivation for 30-60 mins, but not indefinitely. The article also says Formalin should be "applied as a bath treatment", "never leave fish in the formalin bath for more than 60 minutes", and return the fish to "clean (untreated) water" after the bath.

Now I'm sure some have gotten away with using Formalin in-tank, but the odds say doing so is going to be detrimental to most fish. But there are always exceptions (clowns, damsels, etc. seem to live thru almost anything).

You also have your own health to think of. The article stresses using gloves whenever dealing with Formalin. Much easier to do when using it on a fish in a bucket vs. the entire tank.

 

[HumbleFish]

One more thing... If your friend is absolutely determined to use formalin in-tank, I would go with Quick Cure over Formalin-MS. You can find Quick Cure in the pet section of Walmart. I suspect it contains far less formaldehyde than Formalin-MS; which makes treating with it less effective, but also safer for the fish & your friend.

 

[Allmost]

thanks guys, great info, much appreciated.

I think he is dealing with brooks, and TBH I dont even think the fish would have much chance after being caught and placed in QT ... but will send him all info presented here for him to decide.

my loving GF, who is a mutual friend, thought it would be nice to help the clowns in his system out, and placed them in my main tank yea ... I think I also will be watching my fish stock die in the coming days I havent gone home since to see if the clowns placed in my tank have it or not, but since they came from the same system ...

Im gonna put a lock on the canopy !lol

 

[Newsmyrna80]

You'd be surprised what fish can endure. I had a Flame Angel that had brook so bad that I literally caught him with my hand. I did cut down on the amount of formalin and bath time for the first dip. When I put him back in the QT he hid for a few hours. Two days later he was ready for full treatment. He survived all dips and beat brook.
I agree with Humblefish about QuickCure. That is actually what I used for the Flame's dips. I used Formalin-MS for something else and I didn't think the fish was going to live.
Also, baths vs dips...the dosage for baths is a lot less than for the dips. Scientific studies have shown that there is a minimum dosage for treating parasites like brook. I did try the bath route on the Flame and it did nothing. The dosage just isn't high enough to eradicate brook. And like Humblefish said formalin does deplete oxygen.

 

[Allmost]

Thanks guys.

Ich-x has formaldehyde in it. 5%. Would using this 5 times the recommended dose be ok for a half hour long dip ? Any of the other ingredients could get lethal at that dosage ?

 

[Newsmyrna80]

I don't have any experience with it...sorry