Jungle Meds

[Samper]

Lee,

I received my new Foster and Smith aquarium catalog and I was looking through it and came across this.

Medicated Aquarium Fish Food: Jungle Labs Medicated Fish Foods

They say this:


Jungle Labs Medicated Fish Foods

*Directly treat aquarium fish with bacterial infections or parasites*Great routine prevention against fish disease*Medicated pellets won't cloud aquarium waterDirectly treats fresh or saltwater ornamental fish and protects against secondary infections. Small, medicated pellets are easy to ingest and won't cloud water. Also good for routine prevention. Anti-Bacteria contains sodium sulfathiazole and nitrofurazone to help control internal bacterial infections as well as external infection, open sores, ulcers, columnaris, and fin rot. Anti-Parasite contains metronidazole and praziquantel for internal parasites including flagellates, trematodes, cestodes, hexamita, intestinal worms, and nematodes. Not for use in aquariums with desirable, ornamental invertebrates. 1.5 mm pellets. Suggested Use: Anti-Bacteria – Feed exclusively for 5-10 days; Anti-Parasite – Feed exclusively for 3 consecutive days a week for 4 weeks.

Under more information they say this:

Jungle Labs Medicated Fish Foods

Anti-Bacteria Medicated Fish Food
For Internal and External Bacterial Infections
Aids in control of internal bacterial infections (such as bacterial enteritis, septicemia, kidney disease, wasting), and aids with many external infections, open sores, ulcers, columnaris and fin rot. Also helps reduce the effects of microsporidian infections such as Pleistophora, the causative agent in neon tetra disease.
Active Ingredients: Sodium Sulfathiazole 2.3%, Nitrofurazone 0.13%
Guaranteed AnalysisCrude Proteinmin. 36%Crude Fatmin. 7%Crude Fibermax. 6%Moisturemax. 10%Calciummin. 1%Calciummax. 1.8%Phosphorusmin. 1%Sodiummin. 0.15%Sodiummax. 0.3%
Ingredients: Soybean Meal, Sorghum Distillers Dried Grain with Solubles, Ground Grain Sorghum, Fish Meal, Fish Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, dl-Methionine, Ascorbic Acid, Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Ferrous Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Mineral Oil, and Vitamin B-12 Supplement.
Feeding Directions: Gently spread food over water surface so that it floats. Feed exclusively for 5 to 10 days as required. Do not use other foods during this period. Feed as much as the fish will eat, 1 or 2 times daily. May be used with external water treatments, antibiotic/fungal or parasite treatments. For scavengers and small fish, crush pellets to desired size.
Anti-Parasite Medicated Fish Food
For Internal Parasites
Aids in control of internal flagellates, trematodes, and cestodes, which includes hexamita (hole-in-the-head), spironucleus, intestinal worms, tapeworms, and nematodes, e.g. camallanus.
Active Ingredients: Metronidazole 1.0%, Praziquantel 0.5%, Levamisole 0.4
Guaranteed AnalysisCrude Proteinmin. 36%Crude Fatmin. 7%Crude Fibermax. 6%Moisturemax. 10%Calciummin. 1%Calciummax. 1.8%Phosphorusmin. 1%Sodiummin. 0.15%Sodiummax. 0.3%
Ingredients: Soybean Meal, Sorghum Distillers Dried Grain with Solubles, Ground Grain Sorghum, Fish Meal, Fish Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, dl-Methionine, Ascorbic Acid, Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Folic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Ferrous Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Mineral Oil, and Vitamin B-12 Supplement. Feeding Directions: Gently spread food over water surface so that it floats. Feed exclusively for 3 consecutive days a week for 4 weeks. Do not use other foods during these 3-day periods. Feed as much as the fish will eat 1 or 2 times daily. May be used with external water treatments, antibiotic/fungal or anti-parasitic treatments. For scavengers and small fish, crush pellets to desired size.



I was curious because you have mentioned this product and some of the ingredients such as praziquantel if these foods would be beneficial to fish in qt along with the other foods that I already feed. I don't understand how the dosage works when you are just spreading an amount of it on the surface of the water with each feeding though especially if a few of the same species are in qt together. I know this is not an ideal situation but I am forced to do it from time to time.

[leebca]

I moved your post from the medicine cabinet thread since it was a slightly different subject.

Medicines in fish (not too unlike those for humans) should be formulated specifically for the way the medicine enters the body or for how the medicine is supposed to work. For topical bacterial infections, (which many are in marine fishes) the medicine should work on the outside. For systemic infections and conditions, the best meds are those are the absorbed through the fish skin and those that are formulated to be ingested.

If the medicine isn't specifically formulated for ingestion, the digestive track chemicals can alter the medicine so that little, if any, are left to be effective.

There are dozens of the more common and a few more dozen of the less common fish pathogens ranging from internal to external and combinations. There isn't any drug that can be administered (yet) to address everyone of those. I believe in only four situations to perform prophylactic medical treatment of ornamental marine fishes. They are:
Acanthurus sp. Tangs to be copper treated;
Anemonefishes to be treated for Brooklynellosis;
De-worming of all fishes; and finally (or actually at the start)
A freshwater dip of all fishes to remove a fair number of 'hitchhikers.'

Beyond the above -- no treatment until the fish displays a condition. Then, after treatment, at least no less than 4 more weeks in quarantine to verify the fish is cured.

So, I may not have addressed your question. (I'm a bit unclear as to what you are asking). But other than those prophylactic situations, no fish needs medicating until it displays. Then, when fish do need medication, it should be customized to what the fish is displaying -- specifically using a med designed for internal and/or external use and not a shotgun approach.

In the case of those listed in your post, I am very much in favor of using their anti-internal parasite medicine as an internal medication, fed to the fish (ingested), to de-worming all newly acquired marine ornamental fishes.

If I didn't address your question or concern, try me again.

[Samper]

Thank you for the reply. You did address a number of things for me. I have not incorporated a de-worming with my qt processes although I will admit to reading that you feel it is necessary. I purchased the internal parasite food this evening and will use it from now on. This is the only thing I have not been doing from your list of four. Thanks to you and your recommendations I now feel alot more confident in this area.

I feed what I believe to be a great blend of foods to my fish in qt. I also believe that these foods have helped me to have a better success rate getting fish through it. How long would you wait to perform the three day treatments recommended after introducing a fish into a qt tank? While treating what is the harm in continuing to feed smaller amounts of the variety I will have already been feeding?

[leebca]

I'm all for following manufacturer's recommendations when it comes to blended/mixed medications. They know best (or should know best).

I deal with a larger number of fishes so I use the 'raw' chemicals for my medications. The de-worming process is just a single food dose, followed by another dose a few days later. Details for that are written here, (I think): Strange Excrement from Fish -or- How to be a Super Pooper Snooper My meds are additives to my food so the nutrition remains high during treatment. I control the dosage and treatment.

Jungle may have formulated their med to be a slow acting treatment that requires constant supply of med. Or the choice of meds can be affected by intestinal de-naturing/digestion and thus need to be in constant supply to 'get some through' the digestive track. So, I would not deviate from their recommendation.

I would begin the treatment a few days after the fish has begun to regularly eat and settle in to captive life.