[leebca]

STOCKING THE MARINE FISH MEDICINE CHEST


The question comes up sometimes from those who are thinking ahead or those who, having faced their first fish disease/ailment, now wonder what medicines they should have on hand. Aquarists often find they are stuck with only what their LFS has on the shelf. Even then, not all LFSs are open every day of the week. So the aquarist might find they can't help their fish as quickly as they would like, or as quickly and they should. Sometimes an immediate treatment is necessary.

For these reasons, it is worthwhile for aquarists who plan to keep an aquarium with fish in it to have some things on hand to cure typical fish ailments, diseases, or problems. Even if you have a reef aquarium with fish in it, you'll want some basics in your "Fish Medicine Chest." But if you have or plan on having a fish only (with or without live rock) aquarium, there are some musts to have on hand to make the hobby more enjoyable and to protect your emotional and financial investments.

Medicines have expiration dates. Be aware of them when you buy the medication. If you're getting them from your LFS and the expiration date is close, ask them to order fresh meds, or find fresher meds elsewhere.

You should be using a quarantine process to verify that all marine specimens you add to your display are disease free and not carrying any hitch hiking problem marine organisms.

There are three cases where you will want to treat your newly acquired fish even though you are sure the fish is healthy. You want to treat all Anemonefish for Brooklynella disease; you want to treat all tangs of the Genus Acanthurus for both Marine Ich and Marine Velvet; and you want to de-worm all fishes. The indicated special fishes carry specific diseases with them so often that it is best in my opinion to just go ahead and threat them. So many fishes of any kind carry intestinal worms that all newly acquired fish need to be de-wormed. So the Minimum Medicine Chest contains medications specifically for these cases.


MINIMUM MARINE FISH MEDICINE CHEST

Medicines and Chemicals
Cupramine (copper medicine)
Formalin (37% formaldehyde)
Methylene Blue (2.0 to 2.3% solution)
Sodium bicarbonate (Arm & Hammer food grade Baking Soda)
Praziquantel (or other de-wormer -- see below)
Maracyn Two for Saltwater Fishes
Beta Glucan (Beta 1,3-D glucan) [extracted from Baker’s yeast or saccharomyce cerevisiae].

Equipment
Copper Test Kits (one each Salifert and Seachem Copper test kit)
Refractometer
Air pump and diffuser (stone)
Dipping/Bath bowls and colanders



Cupramine is one of the best copper treatment medications. This is about the only time you will find me recommending a single product. It is so gentle it can be used on the most sensitive of fishes and is effective even in half concentrations. This treats both Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) and Marine Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum). This will be used to treat all incoming tangs of the Genus Acanthurus. This will be used on any fish indicating it may have a case of Marine Velvet. You can expect its shelf life to be about 2 years if left unopened. Once opened it should be discarded after 1 year. Don't buy containers that show evidence of leaking.

Formalin (the gas formaldehyde in solution at 37% concentration) is used to give formalin baths/dips. This is the best treatment for Brooklynella disease. All newly acquired Anemonefish will be treated with this chemical for Brooklynella. Some good guidelines can be found here, for administering a Formalin dip/bath treatment:
Formaldehyde: Friend or Foe - Treating Saltwater Fish Diseases. Formalin has a relatively short shelf life. It is unstable and breaks down into different chemicals that are harmful to marine fishes. Buy 'fresh' bottles of it to begin with. Unopened containers are good for a year if kept below 80F all the time. Once opened, dispose of it after a couple of months.

Methylene Blue and Sodium Bicarbonate will be used in the freshwater dip process:
Freshwater Dip for Marine Fishes
It's used for all newly acquired fishes and for fishes needing this treatment. A bottle of Methylene Blue, unopened can keep on the shelf for 2-3 years. After opening or using it for the first time, discard after a year. Don't buy bottles that show evidence of leaking.

The Praziquantel is to be used to for all newly acquired fishes. It is a de-worming chemical the aquarist adds to the food. (See below for more info). If kept dry, it will last for a few years on the shelf, even after opening.

Maracyn Two is for both surface and internal (systemic) bacterial infections, curing many different (common) bacterial caused problems in marine fishes. The package should indicate an expiration date. Don't use after that date.

Beta glucan is found at your human health food store. It boosts your fish's immune system during illness and disease. Unopened, a new bottle will last 2-3 years on the shelf or until any marked expiration date. After opening, discard within a year.

The refractometer is needed for a proper hyposalinity treatment for just the disease Marine Ich. Hyposalinity only works to cure Marine Ich. It does not cure Marine Velvet.

The air pump and diffuser is necessary for the proper formalin dip process.

The bowls & colander are for the freshwater dip process and are further explained in the Freshwater Dip reference.


EXTENDED MARINE FISH MEDICINE CHEST

[size="3"][font="Arial"]Extended Medicines and Chemicals
In addition to all the above, add these:
Fluke Tabs
Maracyn One for Saltwater Fishes
Nitrofurazone (in the product, Furan-2 for Saltwater fish) or the product Spectrogram
Metronizazole

Extended Equipment
The equipment from the Minimum list plus:
Portable Hand-held pH meter (that gives readings in less than 0.05 pH units)
Portable Thermometer (digital that gives readings in at least 0.2 degrees F units)

Fluke Tabs are as the name implies - for treatment of flukes. It contains organophosphates which thank goodness many surface parasites can't take at all, yet doesn't bother our marine fishes! Note on the package and follow any expiration date given.

Maracyn One for Saltwater Fish is another antibiotic that kills the 'less likely' bacteria that Maracyn Two doesn't kill. The package has an expiration date. Don't use after this date.

Nitrofurazone is an antibiotic that is very tough on surface bacteria. It is found in the two named products (noted above). Follow any expiration dates on those products

Metronizazole treats dinoflagellate infections. It's a special kind of intestinal parasite which comes in more fish than we'd like to see. A variety of meds can be used. Be sure they haven't expired before you try to use them. For some more details about this parasite, see this post:
Strange Excrement from Fish -or- How to be a Super Pooper Snooper

The pH meter and digital thermometer are used for the Fresh Water dip process referenced above. If you're serious about your Fish Medicine Chest, then you should be using slightly more sophisticated equipment such as these two items. Hanna makes a reliable portable hand held pH meter. Shop around for what's available.



ADDITIONAL NOTES:

You don't have to buy the specific products given as examples. Any fish medication for saltwater fish containing a large quantity of the chemical/antibiotic is fine.

Directions usually come with the medication. The freshwater dip procedure I recommend is given in the above reference. The formalin treatment I recommend is given in the above reference.

Most of these medications can be found at your LFS, or your LFS can perhaps order them for you, or you can find them through Internet sources (especially Reefland sponsors!). The Beta Glucan is obtained at the (human) health food stores.

Praziquantel may be hard to find. But it is available on-line along with other medications at: National Fish Pharmaceuticals, FISH DISEASE . . It is also available on-line from PondRX. . Unfortunately, the quantity of Praziquantel you need to order as a minimum order may be more than you’ll need in the next few years. It is administered at 23mg per pound of fish, in their normal food. There is a commercially prepared anti-parasitic pellet food available. It is made by Jungle. The active ingredients in this food are levamisole, metrodinazole, and Praziquantel. This particular formula will kill a much broader spectrum of intestinal organisms. Also, the product Gel-Tek Ultra Cure PX can be used instead of Praziquantel. Another de-wormer alternative is the product Pipezine. The aquarist is looking for a treatment that the fish will swallow (not a water treatment). However, if the fish isn't eating, the water treatment would be necessary.


Buy quantities depending upon the size of your QT, the number of fishes you will likely be putting through the QT process and the total number of fishes you plan to keep. OR. . .You can just buy enough to get the treatment started so that you don't have to wait while more meds come in. Make sure you replace medications that go out of date/expire.

Despite all the nice chemicals we have at our disposal, a world of good can come about by doing daily large water changes when there appears to be something wrong with your fish. Water quality (especially pH) for fishes is very important along with providing the proper nutrients:
Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition

Good luck!

[weez1959]

Hi Lee,

I found an interesting article about Beta Glucan,

Beta Glucan as a Biological Defense Modulator

[leebca]

Thanks Louise. Terry B. and I have posted many, many messages in forums in an attempt to help fish. He and I see things pretty much the same with only an occasional variance or deviation. I support his article on that subject very much.

[weez1959]

Would you happen to know the difference between beta-glucan 1,3 and beta-glucan 60?

[leebca]

Chemically speaking the molecule has a different configuration. What has been determined to be the most effective Beta Glucan is 1,3 AND derived from yeast.

[RHINO13]

Hello Lee, I am in the purchasing/searching phase of stocking my medicine chest.And I could use some help.

I have only found Formalin online and they will not ship to California see that you are in Ca. If you don't mind, can you let me know where you get yours or where else I might find it besides a LFS.

Lastly I can't seem to find Praziquantel in an eatable form,I have found it in a dip form. I found Gel-Tek Ultra Cure PX but what if the fish doesn't take to eating gel?

P.S. When I went to one of my LFS and started asking if they had some of this stuff,they said that I must have been reading some very old books because they don't sell this stuff anymore because people try to take fish meds to cure themselves?

[leebca]

Ryan,

Too bad your LFS just couldn't have said, "We don't carry that." It's a poor reason, IMO to not carry marine fish cures. I don't know any people consuming Praziquantel. The LFS response would be the correct response concerning antibiotics--but now these antibiotics are coming out in powdered form rather than pill form, to make it more difficult for human consumption. Just find another source. Sponsors to Reefland carry many of these products.

Formalin is a challenge but not unsurmountable. Formalin is used by Koi and pond keepers. You might find it in a store that caters to them. Similarly, you might find it on the Internet from Koi mail order supply companies. You can probably get some through a friendly pharmacist, school lab, or physician. (I'd rather not get any more specific than this, for now).

If you buy dry Praziquantel, it can be added to food. The two links I provided as sources still carry the dry Praziquantel (even though they are giving instructions on adding it to ponds or water).

[Samper]

Lee

In your opinion should all fish or only anemonefish be treated with Formalin dips? I purchased some Formalin 3 because I will be getting clowns in at some point but having never used it want to be sure what I'm doing and the order of treatments. I also have cupramine on hand and methylene blue. Every fish I get in will be for sure treated with cupramine in qt and the methylene blue in the fw dip except for the tang. I'm going hyposaline with it.

[leebca]

Formalin doesn't have a very good shelf life. Even the diluted version of it that is sold under the product name of Formalin3 probably sat around the warehouse or LFS shelf for a while.

The short answer is, Yes. Only give Anemonefishes the Formalin treatment.

I'd encourage you to rethink the treatment of all fishes with copper. It is stressful for fishes you want to acclimate and really is only needed less than you think. If you must treat for Marine Ich all new fishes, I would urge the use of hyposalinity.

You sort of reversed my opinion -- I give all fishes from the Genus Acanthurus (Tangs) a copper treatment because they are not only likely to have Marine Ich parasites, but quite often carry Marine Velvet parasites and, copper is the medication that cures both.