DO NOT use any of these treatments in your display tank: use a hospital tank or converted qt. Exception: water quality correction and dietary correction.
Caution: Do not use copper on angels, lions, and delicate fishes. Do not assume copper is ok with a delicate species: doublecheck by googling [species name copper treatment cupramine] on the web. Late note: johnsoni wrasse did not survive copper treatment. Add wrasses to maybe-not list.
Treatments for parasites on fish come in two sorts: hyposalinity and copper. There is also Prazipro, or Praziquantel, a med also used to kill redbug on corals, and which to a certain extent claims to be reefsafe: do not use without reading the reviews and judging applicability. And there is Crypto-Pro, a formulation of quinine sulphate that is supposed to be effective against a resistent form of ich: there seem to be some bad reactions, and some water quality issues, plus depression of appetite. First, Do not guess about these meds: check species recommendations, measure exactly [another reason for treating in a bare glass tank] and read instructions precisely. Do not combine treatments. More is not better. Certain species cannot take copper, in particular. Some do not do well with quinine sulphate. With species that must have a cycled qt, you can use hypo, but not copper, and I would definitely choose hypo over meds unless you have a clear reason for another choice.
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Ich: symptom: saltlike grains on body, or rapid breathing, 'flashing' or rapid scratching passes against rock or sand: ie, the fish is itching. Treatable by hypo or copper. Caution: do not use copper with angels and lions, or fish with low appetite. Read up on ich life cycle sticky. With copper, appetite supression is common; also use precise dose and time. With hypo absolute control of salinity and time. Getting ich out of your tank: inverts and corals may stay in tank: leave tank fishless for 8 weeks. Cleaner shrimp are often touted as removing this parasite: they don't: the parasite is embedded under the skin.
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Flukes: attack gills: fish lethargic, breathing impaired. Hypo or copper. Caution: do not use copper with angels and lions, or fish with low appetite. With copper, appetite supression is common; also use precise dose and time. With hypo absolute control of salinity and time is essential. An ATO in the tank helps immensely and will make it absolute, otherwise draw 'fill line' with tape and top off several times daily. Getting flukes out of your tank: inverts and corals may stay in tank: leave tank fishless for 8 weeks.
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Brooklynosis: a parasitic infestation more seen in clowns than other species: if a pale body film, likely; other symptoms lethargy, spitting out food, difficulty breathing: formalin dip: Formalin added at a dosage of 1000 ppm for some 15 minutes. Revive brand med added to water: contains acriflavine---for 14 days. DO not treat in main tank.
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hexamita: hole in head disease: white, stringy poop, lethargy, ultimately lesions on head or flank of fish, particularly in angels and tangs. This is a parasitic disease, and responds to Metronidazole, sold as Fish Zole, etc, either food soaked in same; or if fish is not eating, dispersed in the water. The med is very prone to cause damage, so do not overdose. It is a med that will treat both a bacterial infection AND kill parasites. But it is very hard on the fish.
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Bacterial infection: fin rot, cloudy eye, popeye, general redness of areas, apparent lesions [raw spots], or internal swelling: scales standing on end indicating fluid retention. Bacteria come in gram-negative and gram-positive strains; a broad spectrum antibiotic is formulated to cover both eventualities, and some also handle fungus. This is fortunate, because fungus can look like a bacterial infection. In the case of popeye, it is symptomatic of an internal infection with head swelling. The eye will not recover sight.
Understand some of these meds may cause liver or kidney damage particularly if overdosed.
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Fungal infection: usually cottony appearance in patches, often around mouth injury. Look for an antibiotic that handles fungal infections as well as bacterial. Telling the difference is not easy.
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HLLE [head and lateral line erosion disease, etc: tangs, particularly] dietary, possible implication of carbon use. Feed Selcon or equivalent and be sure fish gets green food.
WHAT KIND OF BACTERIUM AM I DEALING WITH?---
Fast primer on bacteria: they come in two types, gram negative and gram positive. Some antibiotics kill gram negative types, some kill gram positive types, and some [broad-spectrum antibiotics] kill BOTH.
"Your beneficial sandbed bacteria are gram negative. Cyanobacteria is gram negative. Erythromycin [ChemiClean Red Slime Remover; and Maracyn] manage to kill off cyano without killing your whole tank. But following the instructions is critical. Having a good skimmer to take the sudden dose of biomass is critical. You can still get a heavy dieoff of unwanted bacteria, that will take out your tank from sheer biomass if you have a weak skimmer.
"What sort of bacteria is, say, fin rot? Gram negative---like your sandbed. Anything that kills it will damage your sandbed. Don't, as a rule, put any antibiotic [from Greek: anti: against; bios--life] meaning bacteria killer---into your display tank.
Caution: Do not use copper on angels, lions, and delicate fishes. Do not assume copper is ok with a delicate species: doublecheck by googling [species name copper treatment cupramine] on the web. Late note: johnsoni wrasse did not survive copper treatment. Add wrasses to maybe-not list.
Treatments for parasites on fish come in two sorts: hyposalinity and copper. There is also Prazipro, or Praziquantel, a med also used to kill redbug on corals, and which to a certain extent claims to be reefsafe: do not use without reading the reviews and judging applicability. And there is Crypto-Pro, a formulation of quinine sulphate that is supposed to be effective against a resistent form of ich: there seem to be some bad reactions, and some water quality issues, plus depression of appetite. First, Do not guess about these meds: check species recommendations, measure exactly [another reason for treating in a bare glass tank] and read instructions precisely. Do not combine treatments. More is not better. Certain species cannot take copper, in particular. Some do not do well with quinine sulphate. With species that must have a cycled qt, you can use hypo, but not copper, and I would definitely choose hypo over meds unless you have a clear reason for another choice.
----------
Ich: symptom: saltlike grains on body, or rapid breathing, 'flashing' or rapid scratching passes against rock or sand: ie, the fish is itching. Treatable by hypo or copper. Caution: do not use copper with angels and lions, or fish with low appetite. Read up on ich life cycle sticky. With copper, appetite supression is common; also use precise dose and time. With hypo absolute control of salinity and time. Getting ich out of your tank: inverts and corals may stay in tank: leave tank fishless for 8 weeks. Cleaner shrimp are often touted as removing this parasite: they don't: the parasite is embedded under the skin.
--------
Flukes: attack gills: fish lethargic, breathing impaired. Hypo or copper. Caution: do not use copper with angels and lions, or fish with low appetite. With copper, appetite supression is common; also use precise dose and time. With hypo absolute control of salinity and time is essential. An ATO in the tank helps immensely and will make it absolute, otherwise draw 'fill line' with tape and top off several times daily. Getting flukes out of your tank: inverts and corals may stay in tank: leave tank fishless for 8 weeks.
-------
Brooklynosis: a parasitic infestation more seen in clowns than other species: if a pale body film, likely; other symptoms lethargy, spitting out food, difficulty breathing: formalin dip: Formalin added at a dosage of 1000 ppm for some 15 minutes. Revive brand med added to water: contains acriflavine---for 14 days. DO not treat in main tank.
--------
hexamita: hole in head disease: white, stringy poop, lethargy, ultimately lesions on head or flank of fish, particularly in angels and tangs. This is a parasitic disease, and responds to Metronidazole, sold as Fish Zole, etc, either food soaked in same; or if fish is not eating, dispersed in the water. The med is very prone to cause damage, so do not overdose. It is a med that will treat both a bacterial infection AND kill parasites. But it is very hard on the fish.
----------
Bacterial infection: fin rot, cloudy eye, popeye, general redness of areas, apparent lesions [raw spots], or internal swelling: scales standing on end indicating fluid retention. Bacteria come in gram-negative and gram-positive strains; a broad spectrum antibiotic is formulated to cover both eventualities, and some also handle fungus. This is fortunate, because fungus can look like a bacterial infection. In the case of popeye, it is symptomatic of an internal infection with head swelling. The eye will not recover sight.
Understand some of these meds may cause liver or kidney damage particularly if overdosed.
--------
Fungal infection: usually cottony appearance in patches, often around mouth injury. Look for an antibiotic that handles fungal infections as well as bacterial. Telling the difference is not easy.
-------
HLLE [head and lateral line erosion disease, etc: tangs, particularly] dietary, possible implication of carbon use. Feed Selcon or equivalent and be sure fish gets green food.
WHAT KIND OF BACTERIUM AM I DEALING WITH?---
Fast primer on bacteria: they come in two types, gram negative and gram positive. Some antibiotics kill gram negative types, some kill gram positive types, and some [broad-spectrum antibiotics] kill BOTH.
"Your beneficial sandbed bacteria are gram negative. Cyanobacteria is gram negative. Erythromycin [ChemiClean Red Slime Remover; and Maracyn] manage to kill off cyano without killing your whole tank. But following the instructions is critical. Having a good skimmer to take the sudden dose of biomass is critical. You can still get a heavy dieoff of unwanted bacteria, that will take out your tank from sheer biomass if you have a weak skimmer.
"What sort of bacteria is, say, fin rot? Gram negative---like your sandbed. Anything that kills it will damage your sandbed. Don't, as a rule, put any antibiotic [from Greek: anti: against; bios--life] meaning bacteria killer---into your display tank.
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