Is it safe to treat a mandarin with formalin dips per the stickey? I have brook in my dt and need to treat all of my fish. He eats mysis and pellet food so I not too concerned about him eating. I have had him going on 4 yrs and would hate to loose him but don't see that I have much choice.
Treating Mandarin with formalin?
- Thread starter Seths Dad
- Start date
Remember the fish needs to return to water that is not infected.
touchingstoves
New member
Yes, will leave dt fallow for 8-10 weeks. Just want to be sure he can tolerate the formalin.
It's a parasite
Any thoughts?
I know that mandarins can contract brook and velvet even though they are resistant (although not immune from) to ich. I do not feel there is any choice. I have never tried it however because my quarantine protocol would tend to eliminate the chances of it happening.
I had ich about 4 years ago. I have been qt ing ever since and have not had any problems. Nothing new in my tank in almost a year, but it had to get there some how. You are right I don't have a choice.
Pretty sure, white powdery film over entire body and eyes that started to slough off my potters angel, loss of muscle mass, ragged fins. The potters died but so far the rest of my fish are surviving. I had to order the formalin so I am waiting on it and treating with rid-ich which I found locally. It only has 11% formalin but I thought it might buy me some time.
Deinonych
New member
Sounds like Brook...bummer. Hope things work out for you. Strange that it would appear all of a sudden with nothing new added for a year. You haven't added any inverts either? I know of at least on anecdote where someone got brook from an urchin.
The last thing I added was a pair of skunk clowns about 10 months ago. Put them in qt for 6 wks then in the tank. I went to Fiji a few months ago and have been slack on my maintenance since I got back, probably what brought it on. I guess I need to re-evaluate my qt routine.
I totally agree, just can't figure out what. I do not treat fish while they are going through qt unless I see something wrong. I did introduce an h. mag at the time I bought my clowns but I treated it with cypro for 6 days with daily 100% water changes and cleaning the spare tank with a bleach solution daily. I know cypro won't rid parasites but bleaching everything daily...it never occurred to me it would be a problem. I really didn't even think about it until now.
It's weird that they could get it. Unless the alkalinity reading is through the basement, they maintain a slime coat so very thick that very little can reach them. They do, because of that coating, pick up rock dust and bits of sand that sometimes panics people into believing they have spots (these sorts of spots do come and go), but I'm supposing the diagnosis is good, here.
The mandarin does not have brook that I can tell but I am assuming it would have to be treated because it has been exposed. He could still be a carrier correct?
So I believe I got the answer to my question by re-reading the treatment directions (treat daily if needed). But I have another question. If flagyl kills all protozoans why is it not recommended for treating ich?
Deinonych
New member
I wouldn't consider metro to be effective at eliminating all protozoa. It is certainly effective against luminal (internal) protozoa. Efficacy against ectoparasites (Brooklynella, Cryptocaryon etc.) appears to be hit or miss. Likely there is something about the pharmacological action of metro that is not effective against Cryptocaryon.
Personally, I would not use metro for Brooklynella. Formalin is a much more effective treatment.
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