You are in a tough spot...
I'd guess the snails and conch are out since they don't molt. Catching the Tiger Pistol will be impossible anyway without taking the tank appart. Maybe eDNA test is the best route first and then just roll the dice with the in-tank experiment based on what it finds. I suppose saving the Halloween Hermit would be the only thing I can easily do and do both in-tank and eDNA at the same time.
Would you take the snails, conch, halloween hermit out and risk reinfection putting them back in after or just roll the dice and hope they live through the formalin? Just to get other opinions on that option.
I am blessed with many tanks so it would be extremely easy to pull all my inverts out if need be. You could very easily setup a bucket or food safe plastic tote with a sponge filter or hob with seeded media from the DT to qt them.
What about the reintroduction of them once the formalin is done? Wouldn't they reintroduce Uronema if that's what it is? The seeded media from my DT could have Uronema on it was well maybe??
Uronema cannot encyst so if it is attached to the inverts it'll be very loosely. Thus a rinse is fairly sufficient in ridding an invert of uronema. There is water held in some inverts like snails. So I would do a rinse going into invert qt and a rinse going out. Same goes for seeded media if you were to use any.
Most, Yes
Yes, it will knock off a good majority of this as well. Takes about 4 days to recover so having prime is a good idea.
Yes!! This is a great idea!
Not sure what you are asking for this one, happy to answer when I know
So basically what is the entire process. So remove inverts to QT, dose the Formalin as you prescribed earlier (I'll have to look again for that), dose for 10 days...and then what? How do I get rid of the Formalin in the system? (water changes? How many and how big?) When can inverts come back? Can I ever have corals in there after this at any point in the future.Not sure what you are asking for this one, happy to answer when I know
humble.fish
Water changes and activated carbon should be sufficient in removing residual formalin. Formalin degrades within 24hrs hence why you have to dose it every day. It will not affect your ability to keep inverts and corals later on
Yes and no. It should rinse off the outside, but I worry about those parasites getting inside a snail/hermit crab shell, getting swallowed by an anemone, etc. The odds of such things happening are probably relatively low, but not non-existent. The more I learn about fish diseases, the more I keep hearing Jeff Goldblum say "life finds a way" inside my head.
Yeah, I agree with that theory for sure!! So I don't have any anemone or corals but I also want next to no chance to reinfect the tank after I basically nuke it with Formalin. Not sure what's best at all with any of this. I suppose I could just risk losing them all and leave them in but that doesn't sound great. Might be the only option though.
By “inhabitants” are we talking fish only? Or also corals/inverts? And you are trying to clear a DT of Uronema, correct??
I don't have any corals at all but do have 4 fish (2 clowns, Coral Beauty, engineer Goby), conch, pistol shrimp, Halloween Hermit, blue leg hermits, Trocus, Nerite, Nassarius snails.
There’s no way to use formalin without killing your inverts. This is probably your best bet for eliminating Uronema w/coral or inverts present: How To - Peroxide (H2O2) dosing for parasites in reef tank
Thanks! So you would advise to do this vs take out catchable inverts, out in QT and return to DT after Formalin because of probability of Uronema staying inside invert shell and just transferring right back, correct? I also don't want to kill the inverts if possible.
It doesn’t work everytime, but there have been confirmed cases of the 6 week peroxide regimen eliminating Uronema. It was confirmed by doing before and after eDNA testing.
