Do you keep meds?

[seangee]

Just curious. Last night I was browsing a well known auction site looking for a nano tank and was amazed to see how many of the adverts included meds (usually in opened bottles ) either in the description or in photos of the cabinet.

Personally I don't because I don't expect to have to treat for illness, and when I do LFS is open 7 days a week so all I have in my cabinet is dechlorinator and fish food

 

[Colin_T]

big no to medications kept on hand unless it is the remains of some I used previously.

If you have fish medications and liquid test kits, keep them cool and dry. Heat and or humidity causes them to break down faster and either not work effectively or at all, or give false readings.

Most fish medications are highly toxic too, so care should be taken when handling them and to keep them away from children and animals.

I have salt on hand at all times tho. If a fish gets sick, I do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean and add some salt, then monitor the fish.

 

[NickAu]

all I have in my cabinet is dechlorinator and fish food

Me too.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I have a huge supply of the best medicine. I keep it in the ground and routinely pump it out. It's fresh, clean WATER! ;-)
I may have some old remnants long forgotten in a storage bin, but nothing on hand.

 

[mikey11]

no....havn't used any meds in over 15 years

 

[Byron]

I concur with others here. Once opened, most all medications will lose their potency or become toxic, whichever. There are a few things one can keep on hand...aquarium salt if kept absolutely dry in an air-tight container for example. The thinking that one needs a shelf of medications/chemicals to deal with various problems is a mistake. A test kit kept current (regents do weaken over time) sop you can test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH at the first sign of any problem is a good idea.

Adding any substance of additive to the aquarium water if fish are present is always a risk. Everything added gets inside the fish, in their bloodstream and internal organs, and this alone can cause weakness at best and death at worst, depending upon the fish species and the additive/substance. Even water conditioner should be used minimally, meaning, only an amount needed for the fresh water.

 

[fluttermoth]

Just curious. Last night I was browsing a well known auction site looking for a nano tank and was amazed to see how many of the adverts included meds (usually in opened bottles ) either in the description or in photos of the cabinet.

Personally I don't because I don't expect to have to treat for illness, and when I do LFS is open 7 days a week so all I have in my cabinet is dechlorinator and fish food

The ads usually include meds because the budding aquarist hasn't learnt about cycling, the fish have got sick from the poor water, the LFS has told them to buy the meds to 'cure' them, but the fish have all died anyway, and now they're giving up the hobby because they think it's too difficult.

I've seen the same thing countless times over the years!

 

[stanleo]

I only ever used a medication once. I don’t remember what it was called but it was for fin rot. Didn’t do anything but turn the water a bright green, the fish died anyway. Last time I got a fish from petsmart incidentally. I had ich once but increased the temp to 82F and fed all live or frozen food for a week and vacuumed the gravel and it seemed to take care of it. I think now that if the fish is kept as stress free as possible and I keep the water stable, the fishes immune system will take care of sickness better than I can. And if it doesn’t and the fish dies it’s sad but it’s better than unduely stressing the other fish. But I’m sure there are cases where salt and meds a needed.

 

[NickAu]

I don’t remember what it was called but it was for fin rot.

With finrot all you usually need is lots of clean treated water,

 

[seangee]

The ads usually include meds because the budding aquarist hasn't learnt about cycling, the fish have got sick from the poor water, the LFS has told them to buy the meds to 'cure' them, but the fish have all died anyway, and now they're giving up the hobby because they think it's too difficult.

That was my assumption exactly. Think its very sad.
Even worse was the number of aquaria for sale with fish, often very inappropriately stocked. Worst I saw was 2 Clown Loach and 6 African Cichlids in the same tank (with other fish). Bear in mind I'm after a nano tank so wasn't looking at anything over 25G!!! I guess the assumption is I'll go around with a van, load up the tank water and all and just plug it in when I get home.

 

[Chief Brody]

Just curious. Last night I was browsing a well known auction site looking for a nano tank and was amazed to see how many of the adverts included meds (usually in opened bottles ) either in the description or in photos of the cabinet.

Personally I don't because I don't expect to have to treat for illness, and when I do LFS is open 7 days a week so all I have in my cabinet is dechlorinator and fish food

... because nano is a marketing gimmick and really not recommendable for first-time fishkeepers that probably impulse buy and end up needing medication which causes dramatic spikes/swings... just get the biggest tank possible and get your fish to take fresh garlic - done. Stop buying industry junk.

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