"Best" overall preventative quarantine medication - ParaGuard?

[Salty150]

Was wondering what preventative medications everyone uses in their quarantine tanks - for those that quarantine and use a preventative medication.

Is ParaGuard still one of the best overall quarantine medications?

ParaGuard seems to cover all the types of infections: Parasitic, Fungal, Bacterial, and Viral.

 

[snorvich]

Best is a formalin dip followed by tank transfer. During TTM, two rounds of Prazipro.

 

[Salty150]

Best is a formalin dip followed by tank transfer. During TTM, two rounds of Prazipro.

Don't dips stress out a lot of fish?

As well as transferring from tank to tank to tank?

I thought part of the idea of guaranteeing was to let the fish "rest" in a stress-free involvement - and acclimate to your food, etc.?

 

[ThRoewer]

Don't dips stress out a lot of fish?

Fish seem to handle formalin dips quite well. I've done it on many fish and none seemed overly stressed by it.

As well as transferring from tank to tank to tank?

A little, but it's only for a moment and quickly forgotten.

I thought part of the idea of guaranteeing was to let the fish "rest" in a stress-free involvement - and acclimate to your food, etc.?

While that are things you may do during quarantine, it is primarily to ensure the fish has no diseases or parasites it could infect other, established fish with.

 

[snorvich]

Fish seem to handle formalin dips quite well. I've done it on many fish and none seemed overly stressed by it.



A little, but it's only for a moment and quickly forgotten.



While that are things you may do during quarantine, it is primarily to ensure the fish has no diseases or parasites it could infect other, established fish with.

What he said. Also allows the fish to develop a feeding response.

 

[Salty150]

So which formalin product do you use?

 

[Salty150]

Anyone use/heard anything about these Ruby Reef products?

Kick-Ich
HydroPlex
Rally

 

[Deinonych]

Anyone use/heard anything about these Ruby Reef products?

Kick-Ich
HydroPlex
Rally

Snake oil. Don't waste your money.

A good formalin product is Formalin-MS by FishVet. You can pick it up at Amazon if your LFS doesn't carry it.

 

[snorvich]

Snake oil. Don't waste your money.

A good formalin product is Formalin-MS by FishVet. You can pick it up at Amazon if your LFS doesn't carry it.

This.

 

[HumbleFish]

Anyone use/heard anything about these Ruby Reef products?

Kick-Ich
HydroPlex
Rally

Don't know what's in the first two. However, Rally contains acriflavine, and I've had pretty good success using that (in a bath treatment) to treat both brook & velvet before placing the fish in a QT with CP. Acriflavine is not as harsh or toxic (non-carcinogen) as formalin, but in experiments I've done comparing the two side-by-side results were the same.

 

[Deinonych]

Rally also contains formalin and aminoacridine. The manufacturer claims the product is reef safe, which I find dubious given it contains formalin. I've talked to these guys at MACNA before, and they claim to have "scientifically proven" results, but are unable to produce any documented evidence of the science behind their products. It's for that reason I would never recommend their products.

I haven't used Acriflavine myself, but at least there is documented evidence that it's a viable treatment option for Brook (didn't realize it was effective against velvet).

 

[ThRoewer]

Actually, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (ARC) has conducted a study that indicated Acriflavinium chloride as a possible carcinogen.
In Australia it is considered either a Schedule 5 (Caution) or Schedule 7 (Dangerous Poison) substance and highly regulated.
It is an antibacterial and antiviral agent, and may also be effective against some protozoan parasites.
While possibly an alternative, I would be cautious to call it less dangerous or less toxic.

 

[Halo_003]

Best is a formalin dip followed by tank transfer. During TTM, two rounds of Prazipro.

Hi Snorvich, just curious how you feel about using New Life Spectrum Ich Shield (CP) powder instead of TTM? I've had great results with it and I find it simpler than TTM.

 

[Salty150]

Hi Snorvich, just curious how you feel about using New Life Spectrum Ich Shield (CP) powder instead of TTM? I've had great results with it and I find it simpler than TTM.

Interesting, as I too am curious about the New Life Spectrum medicated foods and powder.

So far, I have heard only good things.

 

[ThRoewer]

Hi Snorvich, just curious how you feel about using New Life Spectrum Ich Shield (CP) powder instead of TTM? I've had great results with it and I find it simpler than TTM.

It is a good product, but outright deadly to some fish. Some other fish may react negatively but usually recover. That's why I would not want to use it as a standard method.

Also, its performance against ich is not spotless. The mechanism of disabling Cryptocaryon has not yet properly researched. The research that was done showed that it doesn't kill Cryptocaryon quickly, yet that doesn't rule out that it won't render it incapable of infecting fish fast enough to be effective.

But it is the best cure against velvet since Amyloodinium is partially algae and CP is a powerful algaecide.

 

[Salty150]

Everyone that rated it on Amazon, and was a verified purchaser, rated it very highly - mostly 5 stars (5) and the rest 4 stars (2).

http://www.amazon.com/New-Life-Spec...9663133?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&pageNumber=1

And a lot of forum users seem to like it as well...

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2443979&page=6

 

[snorvich]

I don't trust those "ratings" when it comes to treating ich. And I would definitely not use it prophylactically

 

[Deinonych]

I don't trust those "ratings" when it comes to treating ich. And I would definitely not use it prophylactically

I agree. I personally have not had success treating ich with CP. The biggest issue for me was the inability to test the concentration in solution (and I was using pharmaceutical-grade CP, so I know it was high quality). I keep CP on hand in case I ever get a new fish with velvet, but TTM is a far more effective method for eliminating ich IME.

 

[HumbleFish]

Rally also contains formalin and aminoacridine.

In very minute quantities, according to the mfg.

I haven't used Acriflavine myself, but at least there is documented evidence that it's a viable treatment option for Brook (didn't realize it was effective against velvet).

First read about it here (the British call it Acreflavin): http://www.ultimatereef.com/articles/marinevelvet/

I've used formalin for the bath treatment prior to CP in a QT, but the last 10 fish with velvet I have experimented on have gotten acriflavine instead. I've saved 7 and lost 3; which is actually a better percentage than I was having using formalin. Everything else I've done has stayed exactly the same.

Actually, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (ARC) has conducted a study that indicated Acriflavinium chloride as a possible carcinogen.
In Australia it is considered either a Schedule 5 (Caution) or Schedule 7 (Dangerous Poison) substance and highly regulated.
It is an antibacterial and antiviral agent, and may also be effective against some protozoan parasites.
While possibly an alternative, I would be cautious to call it less dangerous or less toxic.

I guess (as always) it depends on which study you look at. This one suggests acriflavine actually has anti-cancer properties to it: http://www.pnas.org/content/106/42/17910

 

[Deinonych]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not averse to using Acriflavine as an alternative to Formalin. I am averse to using anything of the sort in the DT (even if it only contains small amounts of formalin and aminoacridine). The fact that the manufacturer touts it as a "reef safe" treatment automatically disqualifies them as a legitimate source in my view.

Also, Formalin is a carcinogen as we all know. So, pick your poison (literally).