Need advise regarding medication compatiblility

JH · 10-02-2001, 02:41 PM

Well, I have been keeping tanks for about 4 years and a few of you may know me. Now I am back, because I do not seem to be able to find the information I need. So I need your help.
To begin with, I went on vacation about 2 months ago. I came back to find both of my puffers (a sharp nose and a dog face) with ich. And that was 2 days before I had to move to another state! Well, I went to lfs and all they had was Kordon's Rich Ich +. I got the stuff, set up a "QT bucket" and put both of the fish in there with the medication. Most of the spots were gone within hours. I left the fish there till it was time to leave and I took them, put them in bags and in a box and instructed my husband to ride with someone else since my fishes needed constant attention and they were going to be on the front seat with me. Anyhow, they seemed to make the 5 hour drive just fine and the first thing I did when I got to the new place was to set up a 10 gal QT. I put the fish in there the next day and continued the ich treatment with the above mentioned stuff.
The fish seemed to be fine and clear of ich within 2.5 weeks (I know better, but I don't always use common sense). So being excited about the new place and all I decided to put them in the main tank (there is no other fish there) before the guests came for housewarming party. Well, 3 days later the dog face had ich again, the other one seemed just fine. So here the dog face goes back to the QT. Then he seemed to be fine again, that is weeks later and I shoved him back in the main tank (again what a dumb @ss!) I do not know what my deal was, again, the fish with ich in 2 days, back into the QT.
So the puffer has been there since the 09/11. I have been treating him with Kordon's Rid Ich +. He seems to be doing fine, just that 3 days ago he developed an eye cloud.
Now, I have treated the eye cloud succesfully with MelaFix before. But the fish also has ich (not visible now) and I have to use the other medication.
The MelaFix is made out of Tea Tree Oil and Kordon's stuff is Formaldehyde 4.26% and Malachite Green 0.038%.
Can I safely use both together, should I quit one and do the other, or what are your suggestions.
Thanks a bunch,
Jules

**scubadude** · 10-03-2001, 01:23 AM

Hi JH!

My first question is, is this tank Reef or FO? I think you should concentrate on their diet as much as their medicine most animals have the natural ability to fight ich providing they are feed well and varied diet...you can soak the foods in your medicine, just make sure its reef safe medicine if you have a reef tank. I have heard that garlic extract (get at health stores) does just as good of a job as the costly LFS medicines for ich, and supposedly is reef safe. they are also going through some stress with the new moves...and possibly cycling problems with new setup tanks (didnt quite understand the moving part/new established tank?) HTH

**Joaco** · 10-03-2001, 01:05 PM

hey Jules!
what State did you move to?

that's alot of stress for the fish, the tank move itself, the moving from q-tank to main tank back and forth...
The cloudy eye is bacterial as you found out, another sign of weakened immune system. I assume you are adding Selcon to the food already, and that the tank has LR or you would go with hyposalinity, right? I know Melafix is compatible with hyposalinity, and I'm not very fond about mixing medications, much less in a main tank.

If I were you, I would insist with Selcon in the food, reduced time light time period in the tank to reduce stress, would also add Kyolic garlic extract to the food (you can get it at GNC). So basically I would leave the fish in peace, feed them vitamins, and avoid mixing meds especially in the main tank.

Hope they get well soon, they are strong fish. Glad to hear you are doing fine

Joaco

JH · 10-03-2001, 01:42 PM

Hi all.
Well, the tank is sorta semi-reef. I just bough some MH, but the tank is too small for those (40 gal) and I am waiting on getting a 125 gal reef tank. There is live rock and crabs and snails in the tank right now.
The sick fish is in QT. He seems to be doing fine.
Hey Joaco! How have you been? How's everything? LTNS! What have you been up to? I moved to Louisiana temporarily. I had to quit my job in Houston as network admin to come here and hte job market here.... anyway, I think I am going back to school for a while. I will email you in a little bit, I am sure everyone doesn't want to know all this stuff. (For those who don't know I have known this dude for what? 3 years?) Oh, yeah, I got some more Star Wars crud for you. Need to send it out.
I tried hyposalinity but it seemed to not work (I think the ich was too advance for it) and I couldn't see the fish suffer. Then I didn't want to change the method, so I just got stuck with the Rid Ich.
I am not sure if I should quit using it, cause the fish still seems to itch every once in a while.
Well, about the diet. Here is what he gets: pieces of shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, fish, crab legs (with the shell, so his teeth don't grow) and I made this for him: I put all of the above (no crab), some selcon, sea weed of 3 sorts and some garlic in a blender and froze it, he seems to like it. He also likes blanched lettuce and nori. I think his diet is pretty well balanced. Well, in any case he eats like a pig and he does get an occasional marchmellow from my sister-in-law, I dunno I guess she thinks he needs sugar.
Stress on fish??? Well, I am not sure, but if I were left alone with my mother-in-law for 2 weeks I think I would develop ich too (Joaco can relate to this).
Anyway, I called a few places and they said that since MelaFix is just tea tree oil it's fine to use it with other meds. I just hate to see the "puppy" suffer. She is like the sweetest fish in the world. Is sooo cute to see her sleep with her eyes closed

Thanks folks, I will try to stick around.

**Joaco** · 10-03-2001, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JH
Well, I am not sure, but if I were left alone with my mother-in-law for 2 weeks I think I would develop ich too (Joaco can relate to this).

I wouldn't last 2 weeks, I would rather bite the cable of a running Rio pump before it gets that far

Just dropped you an e-mail, nice to hear back from you!

About the fish, sounds you have it under control already. You are not serious about the candy though, are you? Knowing you, I'm very afraid to ask the obvious, I still think I remember the milk accident and the flame angel getting sick after that? (was it a flame?)

Joaco

JH · 10-03-2001, 03:56 PM

Yup, was a flame.
Yup, I am serious about the marshmallows, my 33-year-old sister in law gets a kick out of it. Oh well!
That is not the only accident. My daughter poured a bottle of MelaFix inside one of my tanks this past Easter, ewiping out the whole tank

It's life, I guess!

10-02-2001, 02:41 PM	#1
JH Just Moved In Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 48	Need advise regarding medication compatiblility Well, I have been keeping tanks for about 4 years and a few of you may know me. Now I am back, because I do not seem to be able to find the information I need. So I need your help. To begin with, I went on vacation about 2 months ago. I came back to find both of my puffers (a sharp nose and a dog face) with ich. And that was 2 days before I had to move to another state! Well, I went to lfs and all they had was Kordon's Rich Ich +. I got the stuff, set up a "QT bucket" and put both of the fish in there with the medication. Most of the spots were gone within hours. I left the fish there till it was time to leave and I took them, put them in bags and in a box and instructed my husband to ride with someone else since my fishes needed constant attention and they were going to be on the front seat with me. Anyhow, they seemed to make the 5 hour drive just fine and the first thing I did when I got to the new place was to set up a 10 gal QT. I put the fish in there the next day and continued the ich treatment with the above mentioned stuff. The fish seemed to be fine and clear of ich within 2.5 weeks (I know better, but I don't always use common sense). So being excited about the new place and all I decided to put them in the main tank (there is no other fish there) before the guests came for housewarming party. Well, 3 days later the dog face had ich again, the other one seemed just fine. So here the dog face goes back to the QT. Then he seemed to be fine again, that is weeks later and I shoved him back in the main tank (again what a dumb @ss!) I do not know what my deal was, again, the fish with ich in 2 days, back into the QT. So the puffer has been there since the 09/11. I have been treating him with Kordon's Rid Ich +. He seems to be doing fine, just that 3 days ago he developed an eye cloud. Now, I have treated the eye cloud succesfully with MelaFix before. But the fish also has ich (not visible now) and I have to use the other medication. The MelaFix is made out of Tea Tree Oil and Kordon's stuff is Formaldehyde 4.26% and Malachite Green 0.038%. Can I safely use both together, should I quit one and do the other, or what are your suggestions. Thanks a bunch, Jules

10-03-2001, 01:23 AM	#2
scubadude Moderator Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 5,301	Hi JH! My first question is, is this tank Reef or FO? I think you should concentrate on their diet as much as their medicine most animals have the natural ability to fight ich providing they are feed well and varied diet...you can soak the foods in your medicine, just make sure its reef safe medicine if you have a reef tank. I have heard that garlic extract (get at health stores) does just as good of a job as the costly LFS medicines for ich, and supposedly is reef safe. they are also going through some stress with the new moves...and possibly cycling problems with new setup tanks (didnt quite understand the moving part/new established tank?) HTH __________________ Rocky

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10-03-2001, 01:05 PM	#3
Joaco Moderator Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Posts: 1,574	hey Jules! what State did you move to? that's alot of stress for the fish, the tank move itself, the moving from q-tank to main tank back and forth... The cloudy eye is bacterial as you found out, another sign of weakened immune system. I assume you are adding Selcon to the food already, and that the tank has LR or you would go with hyposalinity, right? I know Melafix is compatible with hyposalinity, and I'm not very fond about mixing medications, much less in a main tank. If I were you, I would insist with Selcon in the food, reduced time light time period in the tank to reduce stress, would also add Kyolic garlic extract to the food (you can get it at GNC). So basically I would leave the fish in peace, feed them vitamins, and avoid mixing meds especially in the main tank. Hope they get well soon, they are strong fish. Glad to hear you are doing fine Joaco

10-03-2001, 01:42 PM	#4
JH Just Moved In Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 48	Hi all. Well, the tank is sorta semi-reef. I just bough some MH, but the tank is too small for those (40 gal) and I am waiting on getting a 125 gal reef tank. There is live rock and crabs and snails in the tank right now. The sick fish is in QT. He seems to be doing fine. Hey Joaco! How have you been? How's everything? LTNS! What have you been up to? I moved to Louisiana temporarily. I had to quit my job in Houston as network admin to come here and hte job market here.... anyway, I think I am going back to school for a while. I will email you in a little bit, I am sure everyone doesn't want to know all this stuff. (For those who don't know I have known this dude for what? 3 years?) Oh, yeah, I got some more Star Wars crud for you. Need to send it out. I tried hyposalinity but it seemed to not work (I think the ich was too advance for it) and I couldn't see the fish suffer. Then I didn't want to change the method, so I just got stuck with the Rid Ich. I am not sure if I should quit using it, cause the fish still seems to itch every once in a while. Well, about the diet. Here is what he gets: pieces of shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, fish, crab legs (with the shell, so his teeth don't grow) and I made this for him: I put all of the above (no crab), some selcon, sea weed of 3 sorts and some garlic in a blender and froze it, he seems to like it. He also likes blanched lettuce and nori. I think his diet is pretty well balanced. Well, in any case he eats like a pig and he does get an occasional marchmellow from my sister-in-law, I dunno I guess she thinks he needs sugar. Stress on fish??? Well, I am not sure, but if I were left alone with my mother-in-law for 2 weeks I think I would develop ich too (Joaco can relate to this). Anyway, I called a few places and they said that since MelaFix is just tea tree oil it's fine to use it with other meds. I just hate to see the "puppy" suffer. She is like the sweetest fish in the world. Is sooo cute to see her sleep with her eyes closed Thanks folks, I will try to stick around.

10-03-2001, 03:56 PM	#6
JH Just Moved In Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 48	Yup, was a flame. Yup, I am serious about the marshmallows, my 33-year-old sister in law gets a kick out of it. Oh well! That is not the only accident. My daughter poured a bottle of MelaFix inside one of my tanks this past Easter, ewiping out the whole tank It's life, I guess!

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