Formalin

[Coffee Soundboard]

I'm trying to buy some Formalin to have on hand, just in case I need it. I'm having trouble finding the correct stuff. It seems everything I've seen mentioned in the past is not being sold currently. That or I'm blind. Would this work for Uronema, brook, flukes, etc?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'm trying to buy some Formalin to have on hand, just in case I need it. I'm having trouble finding the correct stuff. It seems everything I've seen mentioned in the past is not being sold currently. That or I'm blind. Would this work for Uronema, brook, flukes, etc?

Check website - Aquanest.
Quick cure also contains formalin

 

[Coffee Soundboard]

Check website - Aquanest.
Quick cure also contains formalin

I didn't see any on Aquanest.
I also read quick cure contains a lower percentage of formaldehyde. Do you have any information on that?

 

[Miami Reef]

Please don’t buy formalin.

…And this is coming from who used to be the biggest superfan of formalin.

I followed all the rules. I followed the protocol outlined in Humblefish’s forum saying to dose 250ppm formalin to eradicate uronema from chromis.

Chromis were one of my dream fish. I would buy a big batch of them, and put them in a formalin bath. Each time, they died.

I tried again

And again.


Eventually I came to my senses and threw that toxin OUT. I would only do one bath on my new chromis and each time they finished the bath they would get black sores and marks and die within a day. Max 2 days.

Then, I tried a final batch of chromis. This time I just did cipro baths and Ruby reef rally baths. I only lost ONE chromis out of the 10 I purchased!!!!

And I still have those chromis in my tank.

Moral of the story, formalin at 250ppm for 1 hour is an absolute death sentence. I followed the “rules” but at the end I needed to trust my own gut. I hope my story and experience can save future chromis damsels.

 

[Miami Reef]

But to answer your question, that is the same amazon link I purchased and used.

I really don’t believe that formalin (an outside bath) can cure a fish which commonly deals with internal uronema.

And I do believe that established fish can survive even with uronema in the tank. Even chromis and anthias.

You’ll find people on a certain forum trying to dose peroxide just because an eDNA test told them they have a small percentage of uronema…seriously! It’s honestly ridiculous to a degree. But that’s just my opinion.

 

[Coffee Soundboard]

Please don’t buy formalin.

…And this is coming from who used to be the biggest superfan of formalin.

I followed all the rules. I followed the protocol outlined in Humblefish’s forum saying to dose 250ppm formalin to eradicate uronema from chromis.

Chromis were one of my dream fish. I would buy a big batch of them, and put them in a formalin bath. Each time, they died.

I tried again

And again.


Eventually I came to my senses and threw that toxin OUT. I would only do one bath on my new chromis and each time they finished the bath they would get black sores and marks and die within a day. Max 2 days.

Then, I tried a final batch of chromis. This time I just did cipro baths and Ruby reef rally baths. I only lost ONE chromis out of the 10 I purchased!!!!

And I still have those chromis in my tank.

Moral of the story, formalin at 250ppm for 1 hour is an absolute death sentence. I followed the “rules” but at the end I needed to trust my own gut. I hope my story and experience can save future chromis damsels.

Thanks for the heads up. How effective is Reef Rally? I honestly haven't done much research on it.

 

[Miami Reef]

Thanks for the heads up. How effective is Reef Rally? I honestly haven't done much research on it.

In all honesty I used reef rally because I had a pyramid butterfly in the QT with the chromis that had some type of fungal infection. I treated all the fish in the bath just to prevent the possible transmission.

I have no idea if the Ruby reef rally had an effect. Or if it was the cipro. Or both? Or maybe I was just lucky?

I don’t know, I bought all my chromis (even the ones I killed with formalin) from the same LFS from the same tank.

All I know is that my results dramatically increased since stopping the high amount of formalin.

PSA: Ruby Reef Rally has a tiny amount of formalin, but it’s so small I doubt it had any effect on uronema.

 

[Spare time]

Paraguard is an alternative but I would still treat it as highly toxic. I know humblefish recommended metroplex or chloroquin phosphate. @Jay Hemdal are those two still considered viable for uronema?

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I didn't see any on Aquanest.
I also read quick cure contains a lower percentage of formaldehyde. Do you have any information on that?

Edit. Didn't read fully.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Please don’t buy formalin.

…And this is coming from who used to be the biggest superfan of formalin.

I followed all the rules. I followed the protocol outlined in Humblefish’s forum saying to dose 250ppm formalin to eradicate uronema from chromis.

Chromis were one of my dream fish. I would buy a big batch of them, and put them in a formalin bath. Each time, they died.

I tried again

And again.


Eventually I came to my senses and threw that toxin OUT. I would only do one bath on my new chromis and each time they finished the bath they would get black sores and marks and die within a day. Max 2 days.

Then, I tried a final batch of chromis. This time I just did cipro baths and Ruby reef rally baths. I only lost ONE chromis out of the 10 I purchased!!!!

And I still have those chromis in my tank.

Moral of the story, formalin at 250ppm for 1 hour is an absolute death sentence. I followed the “rules” but at the end I needed to trust my own gut. I hope my story and experience can save future chromis damsels.

That formalin dose is too high. It was designed for coldwater marine fish and then apparently got misapplied to tropicals. The standard highest dose at tropical temperatures is 166 ppm. Even that can be rough on some species, I've personally backed down to 150 ppm with good aeration for 45 minutes.

That said, formalin will not cure internal Uronema (nothing will IMO). It also has human health consequences. I only use it for Brooklynella now, and I control that mostly by not buying wild caught clownfish.

I also never buy SE Asian green chromis - I source them from E. Africa or Oceania or just skip them altogether.


Jay

 

[MnFish1]

Please don’t buy formalin.

…And this is coming from who used to be the biggest superfan of formalin.

I followed all the rules. I followed the protocol outlined in Humblefish’s forum saying to dose 250ppm formalin to eradicate uronema from chromis.

Chromis were one of my dream fish. I would buy a big batch of them, and put them in a formalin bath. Each time, they died.

I tried again

And again.


Eventually I came to my senses and threw that toxin OUT. I would only do one bath on my new chromis and each time they finished the bath they would get black sores and marks and die within a day. Max 2 days.

Then, I tried a final batch of chromis. This time I just did cipro baths and Ruby reef rally baths. I only lost ONE chromis out of the 10 I purchased!!!!

And I still have those chromis in my tank.

Moral of the story, formalin at 250ppm for 1 hour is an absolute death sentence. I followed the “rules” but at the end I needed to trust my own gut. I hope my story and experience can save future chromis damsels.

FYI Ruby Reef Rally contains formatlin - and perhaps it's a better alternative than trying to dose pure formalin to the correct concentration.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

FYI Ruby Reef Rally contains formatlin - and perhaps it's a better alternative than trying to dose pure formalin to the correct concentration.

Isn't the concentration in this product REALLY low though? Did they reduce the level recently or am I confusing it with another product?

Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I'm trying to buy some Formalin to have on hand, just in case I need it. I'm having trouble finding the correct stuff. It seems everything I've seen mentioned in the past is not being sold currently. That or I'm blind. Would this work for Uronema, brook, flukes, etc?

I've not used that exact product, but the label indicates that it is the formalin you can use for aquariums - low methanol, pure formalin, no buffers. Don't be fooled by the 37% figure, you need to calculate this product as 100% formalin. I've had some people think they need to triple the dose, but that isn't the case, 100% formalin is 37% formaldehyde gas in water.

Jay

 

[LeftyReefer]

The only formalin I use is the Step #1 in the Safety Stop 2-part dips. the green part A is formalin, but it's pretty weak.
(manufacturer says it has to be, to be able to ship it freely, with no hazmat shipping)

if you mix (1) part A pouch with 1/2 gallon of water, you get 50 ppm formalin bath.
mixing (2) pouches with 1/2 gallon of water gets you 100 ppm formalin bath.
1 pouch into 1 gallon gets you 25 ppm bath.

its pretty weak, but easy to handle and dose up if needed.

 

[MnFish1]

Isn't the concentration in this product REALLY low though? Did they reduce the level recently or am I confusing it with another product?

Jay

jay - I do not know. my recollection is that they recommend that people use it in a non- invert tank (i.e. a hospital tank).