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Which Medications?


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Hi all, I was searching through AOA's site looking at medications and there is just so much available....

I can say i haven't come across many disease's since i've been keeping fish beside's whitespot and a mystery disease that killed a whole tank in 2 days, the surface of the water had like an oil slick as if somebody poured olive oil into the tank. confused.gif

Anyway if this was to happen again i don't have anything on hand to treat it.

I was wondering if we'd be able to get a guide from our experienced members about which medications we should keep on hand, and for which applications.

I'll list a few that i seen; Melafix, Pimafix, Sterazin, Myxazin, Protozin, Fungas ade, ickaway, triple sulfa and the list goes on....

Thanks in advance smile.gif

Regards James

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The only things I keep handy are (DIY)Melafix & rock salt.

I do have a bottle of Anti-Ick medication but I only used it once & it killed all my filter bacteria & made things worse. I also have some anti-parasite parquantzal? tabs too, but they didn't cure what I purchased them for either.

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Meds I have handy are Bactonex and Ichonex. I also have net san to soak nets and equipment in to avoid any transfer of disease if i happen to have one.

Anthony

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Hi James,

Without correct diagnosis through tissue or water cultures most people fly blind with medications treating what they 'think it is'. Sometimes causing more harm than good. We use Pimafix and/or Melafix (tea tree derived) and rock salt for tank health.

I do have my range of antibiotics (collected during a bloat episode) but should I ever see it again, a culture will be the way to go - to pinpoint the right one to use.

HTH

Aline

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That’s a very good question James, and one that can't remember being asked in such way (though I’m sure someone will correct me).

As Aline says;

most people fly blind with medications treating what they 'think it is'. Sometimes causing more harm than good.

With Africans, the most frequent need for mediacations is for injury, so Melafix would be high in the list.

Other diseases these fish get such as wasting, is an absolute bugger to remedy, and there seems to be no one right way to tackle it, but I would put Seachems Kanaplex on the list here.

Now if you have Tropheus which I assume you don’t, some sort of bloat medication is essential, and Metronidazole is my choice for the list. Though others may say Clout.

I don’t think keeping a huge medicine cabinet full of fish cures is the way to go. The first step is good fish keeping (which should mean you will never see white-spot), which will prevent most problems (except wasting). Keep some Melafix on hand, and as time goes by, you may need to purchase at need extra, so your on-hand medical supply will grow to suit your needs. Bare in mind that most of these chemicals have a shelf life, and they are better stored in an aquarium shop, than on your shelf.

I do have my range of antibiotics (collected during a bloat episode) but should I ever see it again, a culture will be the way to go - to pinpoint the right one to use.

Aline, while I fully understand why you have come to this conclusion, and I must say I partly agree with it also, it also means the necessity of a necropsy, which is a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water. Many people have had success with treating bloat with such medications as metronidazole, and clout, and I believe these medications if applied timely should be a first step before you take a fish to the vet for its death.

Craig

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Aline, while I fully understand why you have come to this conclusion, and I must say I partly agree with it also, it also means the necessity of a necropsy, which is a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Many people have had success with treating bloat with such medications as metronidazole, and clout, and I believe these medications if applied timely should be a first step before you take a fish to the vet for its death.Craig

Point taken Craig.

I also have metronidazole and clout on hand - however this did not prove as effective as having the culture done and appropriate antibiotic applied. The fish sacrificed in this case had no hope of survival - but I do understand that if bloat is caught in time the physical symptoms are not that apparent and therefore a choice is made.

James, salt acts as a prophylactic disenfectant for the tank and it's inhabitants. A little like rinsing out your mouth with salted water for ulcers or going swimming in the ocean for particular skin ailments dry.gif Great for those bumps, cuts and bruises obtained quite frequently in cichlid land smile.gif I have to admit to being less than accurate with amounts - a handful into the tanks has been our practice.

Aline

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It doesn't dissolve that easily in cold water. You can either grind it or use some boiled water smile.gif to dissolve if you prefer. I just throw mine into the tank as is and it eventually dissolves.

Yep just from the supermarket - although with your suppliers and industry contacts, for your profession, you should be able to buy in bulk and most probably alot cheaper wink2.gif .

Cheers

Aline

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Just a few questions on Melafix and Primafix...

How long and often do u use melafix for like scale/fin injuries from aggression? I found it tends to foam up the water. Does it have any deleterious effect on water chemistry and oxygen content? Do u use melafix routinely? When do u use Primafix instead?

thx

DAve

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Dave, although it does tend to foam the water, I haven't seen any ill effect. I did do a quick water change when my multipuncs. reacted strangly to Melafix though. Melafix is more for scratches and Pimafix is more suited for bacterial ailments I believe. The instructions say to use it for 7 consecutive days and that both can be used together (although I have never had used them in conjunction with each other).

I have witnessed almost miraculous results with Pimafix on two occassions in particular. In the first case, I had bought a group of adult phenos - one of the females had an ongoing (come and go) ulcer on her head. The former owner had thought is was just an infury but for it to hang around for months suggested something more sinister. I treated with Pimafix...about 12 hours later the "redness" had subsided and within 4 days it was difficult to identify the affected fish! Amazing stuff. On the second occassion I overdosed (by accident) a peacock that was really badly ulcerated. It went to sleep blink.gif but about 5 minutes later is was swimming (albeit very groggy). The ulcers were completely gone in under a week.

Andrea smile.gif

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Does Pimafix differ from Melafix?

I have both at home, but didn't know one was better than the other, and assumed that they were more or less the same stuff in different packaging (though I must admit, I didn't read it).

Craig

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