Formaldehyde (Formalin), where to buy it?

[Herstead]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone knows where to buy formaldehyde (formalin) disolved in water, in Ottawa, preferably in 37% solution. I do not really want to keep it in the house but if any fish in QT end up having Brooklynella I also do not want to have to mail order it in.

Also, if anyone knows where to buy Sodium Silicate (water glass) in the city that would be great as well. I have found a place in Montreal that has it but shipping here would be an extra $15, which doubles the cost. This is to dose silicate to keep various inverts happy.

Thanks for any help.

- Jonathan

[az]

I have some but I do not think you will ever need it, since you are going with cultured clown its very very rare they will ever get brook.

I do not think you can mail order it in as it is not something tobe sold/available to public.

[redbelly]

I have some but I do not think you will ever need it, since you are going with cultured clown its very very rare they will ever get brook.

I do not think you can mail order it in as it is not something tobe sold/available to public.

+1
I would not recommend keeping this in the house.
And I believe you need prescription at a min.
We keep our under lock and eye and no staff members are permitted to use it at all, just me.

You want to purchase silicates and intentionally add them to your tank?!?
I would also recommend against doing this.

[Herstead]

Hi,

Yeah I know it is horrible stuff. I did not want it in the house I just wanted to know people had it if needed. While designer clowns don't often carry brook, other fish can get it along the way and I don't want to be caught flat footed.

The silicate thing is actually a Randy Holmes-Farley idea we are thinking of trying out. The idea that while diatoms are ugly snails eat them much faster than any algae and it is easy to remove diatoms from glass. Also a number of organisms need silicate and if you run GFO even for a bit it can strip the silicates from the water almost entirely.

- Jonathan

[redbelly]

The info from RH is coronet, but....

When you are first getting into the hobby you should be doing everything to prevent algae blooms, not promote them.
Its the number one thing that you will get frustrated at and the number one thing that drives people out of the hobby when they are newer.

[veron]

while I commend you for doing what seems to be a lot of research, your really over thinking this especially upon your first foray into Reef keeping. You will experience many ''challenges'' to put it mildly along the way. I'd keep it very simple for the first years and you'll change as you go along anyways. Silicates,iodine and all that jazz starts to make Reef keeping hard work IMO.  Start your tank and let it run with quality rock for some time. ADD SLOW !!!
I'm presently still experiencing issues with my present reef tank after 1 year for reasons unexplained.

[redbelly]

+1 Well put.

What you are looking at experimenting with currently is typically what people start to do when their tanks have been running for a few years, the corals look amazing, zero algae, crazy growth and they are starting to get bored.

You need to learn to walk before you can run. Dosing silicates is sprinting.... maybe hurdles even