# Aquarium Pharmacy.



## Pagan (Apr 22, 2010)

Being relatively new to caring for cichlids, I'm hoping some of you more experienced caregivers could give me some advice as to what I should keep in my little aquarium pharmacy.

I'm looking for things to have on hand, besides water conditioner, Melafix, Stress Zyne...

The easiest ways would be to list what you keep on hand so I can get these things and have them for emergencies.

Any replies would be greatly appreciated.


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

I keep a few things on hand, most in powder or tablet form.
Clout and Jungle Parasite clear for broad range parasite treatment and bloat.
Maracyn one and two for bacterial infections.
Aquarisol is good to have on hand for Ich.
I don't keep anything for fungal treatment.

I haven't touched most of the meds in a few years.
If you can eliminate stress from your tanks and keep the water quality high the fish don't get sick.
Quarantine new additions and practice consistent cleaning habits.


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## RaizedWICKED (Feb 10, 2010)

I don't have an aquarium pharmacy... not sure if that is a bad thing...

but in the few years (6yrs) I have been keeping fish I have not once had to use meds. I shy away from them actually.

Most disease(s) if caught early enough can be cured/healed with good tank husbandry. Proper tank maintenance meaning routine water changes, good filtration and varied diets should keep your fish from needing meds added to the tank.

Not saying that meds will never have to used, I have been lucky i guess. MELAFIX and PIMAfix are 2 meds I have heard are used quite frequently.

things like ick can be cured without meds. HITH common in cichlids can be healed/avoided with pristine water conditions....etc...

The only chemicals i have/use is my API test kit and Prime (water conditioner)  I do have an empty 29g which if a problem ever arises I will use as a hospital tank.

RW


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

I keep Prime...

I have UV lights on a couple of tanks with fish that are known to be prone to parasitic infection... if I didn't use the UV lights I'd keep Jungle Parasite Clear on hand...

Other than that, warm fresh water is my medicine... when something doesn't look hi=appy, do a water change...

when someone is sick, raise the temp to speed up it's metabolism to help it fight off the problem naturally...

If you look into the majority of aquarium medications the primary ingredient is some form of salt...


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

the only think that i can see a real need for is metro, which is in parasite clear that toby mentioned, and it seems like a less abrasive dose than other brands.

i completely agree with toby though, heat and clean water is key for nurturing sick fish. ich can be cured in just a few days by bumping the temp up to 86 F, no medication needed

metro (parasite clear) is needed for cases of bloat, which should be treated asap to ensure survival, and it the only issue I have encountered that NEEDS medication

I have just recently started using prime because of all the rave reviews, but i would suggest using this as your water conditioner, it's very effective and it may look expensive, but it treats twice as much water as the other brands.

i don't know what others think, but if you have some additive free salt laying around, it don't think it would hurt to put in a table spoon a day for the next 4 days to treat that 20 gallon, and then add a tablespoon per 5 gallons of every water change, and keep the temp between 80 and 82 F

i wanted to say that you're doing a great job trying to get the right information and taking care of your fish, and i loved the quick thinking making a divider for that tank to protect the perlmutt from the auratus.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

For me keeping meds on hand is not the way as it can get old. At that point it can bring another question into an already difficult decision. Deciding what the disease is and what to use is where I do not want the extra question of whether my med is too old. I can get meds within a short time. Two that I do really like and find cheap enough to stock for just- in- case are Pimafix and Melafix. They are closer to natural (whatever that means) than others and they seem to be relatively safe to use even together. Avoiding disease is best but that is often a matter of luck as much as careful planning. Show me a guy who has never had a power failure shut him down or equipment fail and never bought a fish with disease and I will congratulate him on his luck more than his skill. One can go for 5-10 years with care and luck but most will need medicine at some point.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

no power failures yet, and i live in lousiana, i call that a **** load of luck

nothing more serious that ick and bloat, both cured quick


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

I keep melafix and prazi pro on hand. If you keep mbuna the probability of all out war is always there so the melafix is a good remedy for those torn fins.

The prazi pro I use as a preventative for internal tummy problems and whenever I purchase a new fish I prazi to control tape worms. It is a bit pricey but I am always picking up that rare find when I see it at a LFS.


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## Cento (Mar 30, 2005)

If your goal is to save as many fish as possible when an outbreak starts, I think first thing one should acquire is a small hospital tank....

I know not everyone has the means/space/time to set one up or have one on hand, but if saving ALL fish is your goal, then thats step numero uno, IMO. Its amazing how fast disease can spread. And medications (depending on type) can mess with your precious biological filtration. All of which, can cause MORE problems (spikes, stress, etc). And some medications (again, depending on type) can even stain your decor.

That's why I always keep a small tank in storage, in case I have a sick fish I really want to save.

If someone, for whatever reason, can't setup a hospital, immediate removal and euthanizing could be considered...


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

I'm frequently called upon to help others in my area with their fish and seeing how we don't have a legit LFS in the area that carries any medication worth having or is not drastically over priced, I maintain the equivilance of an Aquatic Pharmacy. Drs Foster Smith and Big Als Online love me.

The medications I keep on hand that I've had the best results with are:

SeaChem KanaPlex - I consider this the best over the counter antibacterial medication available to us, used for bacterial pitting, systemic bacterial ailments (especially when the fish are not eating), and especially virulent cases of fin rot (where the rot has already eaten down to the spines or beyond). Also, comparitively inexpensive.

SeaChem NeoPlex - First level med for treatment of external bacterial ailments. Usually used in conjunction with KanaPlex for bacterial pitting. Also, comparitively inexpensive.

SeaChem ParaGuard - A wide ranging antiparastic medication that also works against external bacterial, fungal, and some viral diseases. I find it much safer than Clout. Also used in a "trifecta" treatment for an Aeromonas infection that has been hitting Oscars pretty hard the last few years (starts out as pitting of the gill plates), with the other two medications being KanaPlex and NeoPlex, each dosed individually, in one week increments.

SeaChem MetroPlex - A metronidazole based medication, used for treating Hex. Also works with many bacterial ailments. First line treatment with white stringy poo that take bites of food, then spit them out, and are hiding in corners. I use this medication in a proactive quarantine of all new fish. Also, comparitively inexpensive.

Hikari PraziPro - First line treatment for flukes and internal worms. I also use this medication in a proactive quarantine of any new fish. You might be suprised, a few days after dosing with this, what winds up in your substrate.

Salt - You betcha.... good old Kosher (or canning) Salt, used at a medicinal dosage of 3 tblsp per 5 gallons (1 tblsp per 5 gallons added every 12 hours until the full dosage is reached) is the best Ich/Costia medication there is, especially when combined with heat. Works on many parasites. Is also used in combination with other medications when treating for external ailments of any nature. Also a must for the odd oopsies that happen, resulting in cuts and gashes to the fish, be it from fighting or being clumsy. Primarily used, in this circumstance, to increase TDS values of the water, allowing the fish to maintain proper osmoregulation when a portion of it's skin or flesh is missing from a wound. Also has antiseptic properties, to help prevent wounds from becoming infected.

Epsom Salt - First line treatment for (what we into South American Cichlids) refer to as bloating. Unsure as to it's use for bloating in Africans. Also useful in treating for Pop-Eye.

I could get real old school with some of the other things I keep on hand, such as Potassium Permanganate, but I doubt most would want to go there with over the counter packaged medications available to them.... although most do not work as well as some of the old school stuff.


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