Formalin dispose/neutralize?

[Reef4Silk]

Hi everyone,
I would love to get a couple of Chromis, but I am super hesitant due to being prone to Uronema. I would treat it in Formalin bath and QT for the required time! My question is, how do I neutralize and dispose of it, and with what? I researched and only a few recommendations came up to add powder or liquid (that I cannot purchase) and it will neutralize the formalin in a couple of days which can then be safely disposed of in your drain. Please help, I am lost Thanks.

 

[MnFish1]

Hi everyone,
I would love to get a couple of Chromis, but I am super hesitant due to being prone to Uronema. I would treat it in Formalin bath and QT for the required time! My question is, how do I neutralize and dispose of it, and with what? I researched and only a few recommendations came up to add powder or liquid (that I cannot purchase) and it will neutralize the formalin in a couple of days which can then be safely disposed of in your drain. Please help, I am lost Thanks.

There may be local regulations of how/where you can do it. I would check with your local waste disposal center. Perhaps @Jay Hemdal has some experience

 

[Cthulukelele]

What is the percentage of formalin your product is using? Under 10% formalin is disposed of down the drain in a lab setting, so if it's less than that pouring down the drain is standard practice in a lot of places.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi everyone,
I would love to get a couple of Chromis, but I am super hesitant due to being prone to Uronema. I would treat it in Formalin bath and QT for the required time! My question is, how do I neutralize and dispose of it, and with what? I researched and only a few recommendations came up to add powder or liquid (that I cannot purchase) and it will neutralize the formalin in a couple of days which can then be safely disposed of in your drain. Please help, I am lost Thanks.

The best that people can really do is to dilute it and send it down the drain. It will off-gas if you aerate it it long enough, but then, you have it in the air of your home and you do NOT want that. There is a commercial neutralizer:

Formalin Disposal: Formalex Green Neutralizing Solution

Formalin Disposal made easy! Just add Formalex Green to your formalin waste solution, allow for treatment time & safely dispose in lab sink!

www.newcomersupply.com

However, Formalin is ineffective against inter-cellular Uronema, the type that green chromis get. I know the lesions *seem* external, but they develop internally, and once you see them on the skin, it is too late to treat it effectively.

Why does formalin get suggested as a cure? Well, there is another type of Uronema infection seen in seahorses and seadragons. This is an external infection (starts on the outside of the fish). Public aquariums use formalin to treat that. The home aquarium people read that, and extrapolated it to the internal form - but it doesn't work. I even tried using DMSO to facilitate the transfer of formalin through the fish's skin, let's just say that was not a good idea.

If you can source pre quarantined green chromis, that is a good option (any Uronema losses would be on the vendor then). Also, green chromis from shorter supply chains like East Africa and Fiji seems to have less of an issue with Uronema.

Jay

 

[MnFish1]

What is the percentage of formalin your product is using? Under 10% formalin is disposed of down the drain in a lab setting, so if it's less than that pouring down the drain is standard practice in a lot of places.

This is different for different locations: for example the article below - states that de-activated formalin can be disposed of - however there are multiple other restrictions. https://www.phoenix.gov/waterservicessite/Documents/Formalin_Disposal.pdf

 

[Cthulukelele]

This is different for different locations: for example the article below - states that de-activated formalin can be disposed of - however there are multiple other restrictions. https://www.phoenix.gov/waterservicessite/Documents/Formalin_Disposal.pdf

Interesting I was unaware that the personal use guidelines were different! Thanks for the info.

 

[Reef4Silk]

The best that people can really do is to dilute it and send it down the drain. It will off-gas if you aerate it it long enough, but then, you have it in the air of your home and you do NOT want that. There is a commercial neutralizer:

Formalin Disposal: Formalex Green Neutralizing Solution

Formalin Disposal made easy! Just add Formalex Green to your formalin waste solution, allow for treatment time & safely dispose in lab sink!

www.newcomersupply.com

However, Formalin is ineffective against inter-cellular Uronema, the type that green chromis get. I know the lesions *seem* external, but they develop internally, and once you see them on the skin, it is too late to treat it effectively.

Why does formalin get suggested as a cure? Well, there is another type of Uronema infection seen in seahorses and seadragons. This is an external infection (starts on the outside of the fish). Public aquariums use formalin to treat that. The home aquarium people read that, and extrapolated it to the internal form - but it doesn't work. I even tried using DMSO to facilitate the transfer of formalin through the fish's skin, let's just say that was not a good idea.

If you can source pre quarantined green chromis, that is a good option (any Uronema losses would be on the vendor then). Also, green chromis from shorter supply chains like East Africa and Fiji seems to have less of an issue with Uronema.

Jay

Thank you Jay for your speedy response. I read your very appreciated article - https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/uronema-red-band-disease-hemdal.788/ and I am now even more discouraged to get a few Chromis. So if I understand correctly, even if I treat them with a Formalin bath (prevention externally), there is no medication (MetroPlex) that I can add to the food to treat possible internal motile ciliate protozoans? Also QT them for 40 days would that make it "bullet proof"? I follow BRS YouTube guys and saw one that was interesting because they specifically talked about Brook and Uronema. The guy from Marine Collector (Elliot) does this every day and has great success.
Could I do the formalin bath just outside if I place a heater in the tank for the 60 min bath?
It almost sounds like not worth it, considering they all survive the harsh treatment and in the end, they kill each other

 

[Reef4Silk]

There may be local regulations of how/where you can do it. I would check with your local waste disposal center. Perhaps @Jay Hemdal has some experience

Thank you so much

 

[MnFish1]

Thank you Jay for your speedy response. I read your very appreciated article - https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/uronema-red-band-disease-hemdal.788/ and I am now even more discouraged to get a few Chromis. So if I understand correctly, even if I treat them with a Formalin bath (prevention externally), there is no medication (MetroPlex) that I can add to the food to treat possible internal motile ciliate protozoans? Also QT them for 40 days would that make it "bullet proof"? I follow BRS YouTube guys and saw one that was interesting because they specifically talked about Brook and Uronema. The guy from Marine Collector (Elliot) does this every day and has great success.
Could I do the formalin bath just outside if I place a heater in the tank for the 60 min bath?
It almost sounds like not worth it, considering they all survive the harsh treatment and in the end, they kill each other

I think you need to source them appropriately. There are places - just not a random internet site.

 

[MnFish1]

OK - lets face it - we have all (I have) - in distant past thrown something down the drain - as the easiest option I would have certainly thrown formalin away. Now its different.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you Jay for your speedy response. I read your very appreciated article - https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/uronema-red-band-disease-hemdal.788/ and I am now even more discouraged to get a few Chromis. So if I understand correctly, even if I treat them with a Formalin bath (prevention externally), there is no medication (MetroPlex) that I can add to the food to treat possible internal motile ciliate protozoans? Also QT them for 40 days would that make it "bullet proof"? I follow BRS YouTube guys and saw one that was interesting because they specifically talked about Brook and Uronema. The guy from Marine Collector (Elliot) does this every day and has great success.
Could I do the formalin bath just outside if I place a heater in the tank for the 60 min bath?
It almost sounds like not worth it, considering they all survive the harsh treatment and in the end, they kill each other

Sorry - these videos are just too long for me to view. I scanned bits of it. They seem to miss the point that Uronema is an internal issue, so formalin dips won’t work. Brooklynella is external, so formalin works for that.

Metro *should* work, but it just doesn’t seem to - probably because by the time you see the symptoms, the fish have stopped feeding.

Jay