Hey Leebeca

[DPatolia]

Thanks a bunch for all the work you put into teaching us hobbyists. I just read the fish medicine cabinet article and learned quite a bit. I was wondering which if any of the drugs can be mixed? I know copper and hypo together are extremely toxic. Put what about the other drugs: Metronidazole, Maracyn 1 & 2, Praziquantel, and Quinine based drugs. I'm guessing Formalin is best for dips only not long-term? I like adding Metronidazole and Praziquantel into my fish's frozen food with SeaChem's binder and feed the mix to all newly aquired individuals. Would this food be toxic in a tank that is also being treated with copper?

For example, say you bought a yellow tang that had either ick/velvet, some type of external bacterial infection, intestinal parasites, and possibly flukes...how would you go about treatment? What drugs, what order, and how long?

[leebca]

Thank you for your kind thoughts. I appreciate a 'thank you' now and then.

Good questions and well written. You ask some very important bits of information, some of which is available, others best obtained from specific manufacturers. I know the following:

1. The internal parasite treatment can be done no matter what other treatment is being performed PROVIDING the internal parasite medication is being fed to the fish (medicated food) and not an in-water treatment.

2. Although copper meds can be used with a hypo treatment I don't recommend it. The reasons I take this perspective is: a) why put the fish through two stressors? b) since the hypo challenge is usually pH control, the risk of a sudden release of copper when the pH goes down, could kill the fish -- why risk this? I try to think of the fish first, rather than what a hobbyist may scheme or dream up.

3. As for copper meds, I can only speak with regards to Cupramine, since I recommend no other: Cupramine can be used with the Maracyn antibiotics. I would not risk using it with the quinine drugs without getting, in writing from Seachem (makers of Cupramine) that Cupramine is okay in such treatments.

If the Tang was of the Genus Acanthurus, I would introduce the fish into quarantine as stated here:
A Fish Quarantine Process
then start feeding the fish with good nutritious foods. When the fish is eating I would treat with copper:
Copper - Treatment, Use, Problems
and at the same time, de-worm the fish by feeding medicated foods as long as the fish continues to eat. Also at the same time, if there was a topical bacterial parasite at work I would question why I acquired the fish in the first place, complain to the source and make them take it back OR, proceed to treat with an antibiotic like Maracyn Two for Saltwater Fishes.

I would feel pretty bad for acquiring such a fish when I know all these things to look for: Is The Fish Healthy?

Hobbyists aren't vets nor should they run a hospital ward for sick marine lifeforms. The best way to prevent the scenario presented would be to be more careful, critical, and circumspect about the life forms being acquired.

If the Yellow Tang has both Marine Ich and Marine Velvet -- as above EXCEPT I would not wait for the fish to begin eating to begin the copper treatment. If just Marine Ich, I would use a hypo treatment immediately, with feeding the medicated food, in water with an antibiotic.

[DPatolia]

Thanks for the info, just to let you know the tang was made up....I spend ridiculous amounts of time observing my fish and invertebrates before acquiring them! haha

[leebca]

I understood that the Tang scenario was hypothetical. Just wanted to put it into perspective for other readers.