mogget Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Hey Guys! First post, so be gentle with me :lol: White spot has appeared a week or so after the introduction of store bought fish to one of my tanks. Maybe I should have avoided stressing the fish, but it appeared anyway. The problem: Instructions on a bottle of 5% formalin suggest dosing, and repeating on the third day if necessary. How do I know on the third day if a further dose is necessary? I am confused also when I read on the internet that the free swimming part of the white spot cycle is the only time when treatment is effective, and that dosing should continue for up to a week to ensure all hatchlings from dropped cysts are destroyed. Should I treat at least three times at three day intervals? I have raised the temp to 27.5C to speed up the life cycle of these pests. Any advice much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 what type of fish do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogget Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 In the affected tank? 400 ltr Rio with two female swords, six juvenile discus, seven neons and three juvenile corys. Tank is planted and has a medium gravel sub along with bogwood and basalt stones. Weekly tests for pH gH and NH3/4 are all within acceptable limits, and 1/3 water changes twice weekly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 formalin is one of those chemicals you need to use in synergy.. meaning its best used in conjunction with wither meth green or acriflavine. Acriflavine is what I'd recommend. (We use that in a commercial environment) in most cases.... Tonic is what most people use at home. can also be used with formaldehyde... but u dont have to. I'm a bit etchy when using formalin... carcinogen and all.... tonic and salt is a good combination. do daily water changes, and top up the water with a mix of tonic and salt as appropriate. you need to remove any carbon from your filter cause it'll get rid of any medication, and you can keep the temp where it is or even at 28. neons do not like high temps in my experience though. But you have discus in the tank, so no matter what remedy you choose to select to get rid of white spot - stick with it, and dont combine a whole lot of stuff.. a chemical concoction will not go down too well with them :lol: HTH! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I don't think formalin is all that flash to use anymore as phoenix said it can be quite nasty.. What about the white spot cure you can already buy from the petshops? Or plain old rock salt? Also I am worried that you "raised your temp to 27.5" what temperature were you keeping your discus at? They should be kept at 28minimum even upto 30 everyday, maybe this stressed them making them more susceptible to white spot? Whatever you treat with you need to keep treating after the spots disappear to kill any the whitespot spores in the water are killed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Tonic has enough stuff in it ( meth blue, malachite green, acriflavine & quinine. All of which can treat whitespot to a greater or lesser degree) without adding formalin. The actual white spots are resistant to treatment and raising the temperature speeds up the life cycle of the parasite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogget Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Hey Guys! Thanks very much for taking the time to answer. After re reading my initial query, I award myself a swift kick in the pants for not checking for typos... Yup... it should have read 29.5, up 1.5 from where I had it set. Please excuse a two finger keyboarder! I will tweak the temp to 30C in favour of the juvenile discus, and introduce rock salt as well. (checked again the internet for recommended salt dose). Daily water changes have been implemented, and the carbon was removed from the filter the other day. Again, thanks for your input! fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.