Marine Fish Medicine Cabinet

[snorvich]

I see folks occasionally struggle to get medications in a timely manner. The group that I suggest keeping in your Marine Fish Medicine Cabinet:

* Copper, ideally cupramine - for ich and other external parasites plus the Seachem test kit for copper (although tank transfer is my preferred treatment or prophylactic method for cryptocaryon irritans)
* Chloroquine phosphate for treatment of velvet and possibly Brook and Uronema (pure form)
* Praziquantel - for flukes and worms
* nitrofurazone - for open wounds or sores
* Metronidazole - for intestinal and other protozoa
* Formalin - an alternative for brook, uronema and other external parasites
* Erythromycin and Minocycline - for bacterial prevention/treatment
* kanamycin an anti-bacterial

 

[triggreef]

Good list, a couple that I've also been tampering with as a replacement for Metronidazole and Prazi for internal parasites...

Paracide-X and Paracide-D - both for internal parasites, one for a whole tank treatment, one as a food additive.

Also Nationalfishpharm.com is a great source of knowledge base on fish meds and a good parasite/condition reference guide.

 

[Deinonych]

Awesome list, thanks for posting Steve.

Triggreef - do you happen to know the active ingredients for Paracide-X and Paracide-D? Was thinking about ordering these to have on hand as well. I've heard they can be somewhat harsh on fish, though.

 

[alprazo]

This is what I keep on hand.



Original thread - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2128318&highlight=medicine+cabinet



Dimilin
Metronidazole
Trimethoprim sulfa
Baytril injectable
Praziquantil
Chloroquine
Levamisole
Copper
MS-222
Formalin
Methylene blue
Quinine
Doxycycline
Nitrofurazone
Dylox

 

[alprazo]

The only other things that I have added in the past two years are

Dexamethasone IM solution 2mg/ml
enrofloxacin oral tabs

For internal cestodes and trematodes - where prazi is often ineffective - mebendazole should be considered. Like in humans, it can have an idiosyncratic (rare, unpredictable, and not necessarily dose dependent) reaction causing fulminant hepatic failure. I no longer treat for these because the life cycle rarely can be completed in the home aquaria since an intermediate host is required. They run their course and die. Also the reason why I avoid snails in all of my tanks.

 

[HumbleFish]

The only other things that I have added in the past two years are

Dexamethasone IM solution 2mg/ml
enrofloxacin oral tabs

For internal cestodes and trematodes - where prazi is often ineffective - mebendazole should be considered. Like in humans, it can have an idiosyncratic (rare, unpredictable, and not necessarily dose dependent) reaction causing fulminant hepatic failure. I no longer treat for these because the life cycle rarely can be completed in the home aquaria since an intermediate host is required. They run their course and die. Also the reason why I avoid snails in all of my tanks.

I've had success using Metro to treat Cestodes/tapeworms, and other intestinal worms. I've found Prazi ineffective against these.

 

[alprazo]

Yes, good point. Metro is often effective against intestinal protozoa and should be considered for fish wasting, despite eating and not having responded to prazi. I am not aware of activity against flat or round worms.

If you are concerned about intestinal worms, a fecal smear is a simple test and ova are easy to identify with a student microscope.

Every single shark I have ever tested, even from divers den, was positive for ova on the fecal smear. I no long worry about or treat for tapeworm. They all have them.

BTW - Ivermectin - will also treat worms and is readily available. I have not had good success and in fact, the two times I tried it, the fish died within 24 hrs.

 

[dukduk]

Thanks for this. I've been wondering about it for awhile, but kept forgetting to ask. Plus I'm sure someone has asked before but it was never made a sticky. I searched, FYI

Can you tell us what books those are on the right?

 

[triggreef]

I've had success using Metro to treat Cestodes/tapeworms, and other intestinal worms. I've found Prazi ineffective against these.

+1, But I have a radiant wrasse near death right not that metro was also ineffective on. After 3 rounds of metro it still had the stringy white poop.

The only other things that I have added in the past two years are

Dexamethasone IM solution 2mg/ml
enrofloxacin oral tabs

For internal cestodes and trematodes - where prazi is often ineffective - mebendazole should be considered. Like in humans, it can have an idiosyncratic (rare, unpredictable, and not necessarily dose dependent) reaction causing fulminant hepatic failure. I no longer treat for these because the life cycle rarely can be completed in the home aquaria since an intermediate host is required. They run their course and die. Also the reason why I avoid snails in all of my tanks.

More about why you dont have snails please?

Awesome list, thanks for posting Steve.

Triggreef - do you happen to know the active ingredients for Paracide-X and Paracide-D? Was thinking about ordering these to have on hand as well. I've heard they can be somewhat harsh on fish, though.

I do, Paracide-D is Pure Di-N-Butyl Tin Oxide, No filters

Paracide-X is Di-N-Butyl Tin Oxide and Magnesium Oxide


On the above wrasse i mentioned, he just completed 5 days of Paracide-D, and from what I can tell the white stringy poop is gone.

Unfortunately he also has a bad swim bladder infection and mouth rot. I did not have a readily available supply of Erythromycin so it got pretty bad before I could treat.

Its on day 8 of Erythromycin treatment, with little to no improvement on the swim bladder issue, but the mouth rot seems to have stopped. Little guy is still eating but swims head up tail down and doesn't seem to have use of the rear half of his body, like it drags around. Every day since I had him I think I'll find him dead in the morning but somehow he's still trying to live.

Also, treating both Erythromycin and paracide-D at the same time didn't seem to bother the wrasse. And I did not notice any bio problems from either med. Sorry for the OT.

 

[alprazo]

Trematodes often require snails as an intermediate host to complete their life cycle.

As for the books, I have lent everyone out, but I typically refer to the noga's fish disease, Herwig - handbook of drugs and chemicals used in the treatment of fish disease , and Woo - fish diseases and disorders vol 1-3

 

[Spar]

thanks, great post

 

[biomek]

thanks Steve, going through week 1 of my very first cycle right now, i was wondering this very thing.

 

[tylersarah]

This is what I keep on hand.



Original thread - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2128318&highlight=medicine+cabinet



Dimilin
Metronidazole
Trimethoprim sulfa
Baytril injectable
Praziquantil
Chloroquine
Levamisole
Copper
MS-222
Formalin
Methylene blue
Quinine
Doxycycline
Nitrofurazone
Dylox

What do you use Dylox, Trimethoprim sulfa and Dimilin for? Additionally, how do you decide between the use of Metro and Levamisole? Same for Doxycycline vs Baytril injectable?

As stated in previous posts, I wish you were my neighbor so I could bake you goods in exchange for fish pharmacology knowledge.

 

[alprazo]

Dimilin prevents molting. It is used to treat parasitic Copepods / amphipods. It is used in koi to treat anchor worms. Larger Copepods can be removed by hand.

I use levimasole as a dip when I initially catch a shark or ray I wish to take. It causes the flatworms to drop off.

I rarely use metro unless I have concerns of an intestinal infection

As for the antibiotics, I almost always just go to the injection of Baytril first. I have become a big fan of weighing the fish and injecting the appropriate amount. I know the dose is in and don't have to worry about biological filtration issues and absorption problems in the gut of a sick fish. If that fails, I have done bacterial cultures and let the sensitivities guide me. That is why I have sulfa and doxy. Nitrofurazone is not used for susceptibility testing, but is a great bath drug for injuries, bites, hooks and skin ulcers.

Dylox is an organophosphate and works like sarin or VX nerve gas It is used to treat parasitic infestations as well. It is a last resort.

 

[tylersarah]

My fish meds.

 

[tylersarah]

Bifuran - used once successfully for a mouth infection
Copper Sulfate & Citric Acid Crystals - on hand for ich/marine velvet
Kanaplex - for mostly gram neg and some pos infections - fish didn't improve when fed for bacterial infection - used once
Metro - on hand for internal parasites
Focus - binder for Metro/Kanaplex
Fish Mycin - erythomycin - used many times for infection, septicema etc, best when fed
Formalin MS - great for stubborn flukes - used on the Muelleri
Acriflavine - never used
Vermisol - aka Levamisole, superior dewormer
De Los - intimidating fluke exterminator - never used
Paracide-X - internal dewormer - found difficult to prepare a small amount
Prazipro - I tend to use fw dips in lieu
Nitrofuracin Green Powder - one of my personal favorites for bacterial infections
Quinine Sulfate - never used

If anyone has any suggestions please chime in. Maybe you've used Quinine for a certain disease? Successfully used Kanamycin? Gave up and threw De Los in a hazardous waste bin? I'm always looking to improve my methods.

 

[alprazo]

you pretty much have everything you need. the only thing that I would rec is to have a bottle of pure oxygen, a regulator and an airstone with tubing around. Total price maybe $125. You can pick the bottle up at a welding or medical supply place. It can be so very useful.

Nothing wrong with kanamycin.
I tend to use chloroquine over quinine.

 

[tylersarah]

When does a bottle of O2 become necessary vs a bubble wand?