Beth, formalin bath question

[pontius]

I have to do a formalin bath on the yellow tang I got Friday. It has developed black spots which I assume are black ich. is black ich a true form of ich, or is it something totally different?
anyway, I have Formalin (37% formaldehyde). on the package, it says use 2 drops per gallon. on the FAQ forum, you say use 20 drops per gallon. which is correct? and also, how long should the procedure be done before the tang is out of the woods, 2 weeks etc?
thanks, merry Christmas

 

[beth]

Originally posted by Pontius
on the package, it says use 2 drops per gallon. on the FAQ forum, you say use 20 drops per gallon. which is correct? and also, how long should the procedure be done before the tang is out of the woods, 2 weeks etc?
thanks, merry Christmas

Which is correct? You ask me which is correct?

Why me, of course...... No, its not a typo. The procedure outlined in the FAQ thread has a specific duration which is why you have the much higher dose. You must do short term bathes, every other day for 3 to 5 procedures. Be sure to aerate the bathwater during the procedure.

 

[pontius]

ok, thanks for all your help. what about the first question, is "black ich" a true form of ich?

 

[pontius]

one more thing, like a fool, I had the lymphocystis coral beauty (previously discussed) in with the YT. should I treat the angel with the formalin too? he is not currently showing spots.

 

[beth]

Don't treat the angel yet, but keep an eye out.
Ich or ick is really kinda of a slang that has come to mean Cryptocaryon irritans or the disease that is knowns as white spot disease. Black ich is a a totally different parasite. It is actually a flatworm. That is why the treatment is very different.

 

[pontius]

well, treatment #1 is completed. upon returning to the tank, the tang took the most ungodly sized bowel movement (he's the biggest aquarium fish I've ever had), and he's swimming around and ate some spirulina. so far so good, knock on wood.
thanks.

 

[beth]

You have pictures? Not of the bm, but the diseased fish.

 

[pontius]

no, I don't have a digital camera. he's only about 3.5 inches long, but I've only been keeping fish for about 5 months, so it doesn't take much to be "my biggest fish". he makes my coral beauty (which is full grown) look small.
he looks exactly like the tang with black ich in the disease thread. he seems to know that he's sick too, he would go up to the cleaner shrimp and try to get the shrimp to clean him, to no avail. the shrimp always does his claw swinging thing to try to get fishes' attention, and now that one is finally taking him up on the offer, he doesn't do anything. the shrimp is a tease.