Fish medication

[Little-Nipper]

Hi all, I was just wondering if there is a good medication that will knock off every bug in the zoo that is also invertebrate safe?
After a severe worm infestation that killed 3 guppies I have since set up a 35l planted quarantine tank for new and sick fish, running a sponge filter that has been sat in the main aquarium for a month. So I've just bought some celestial pearls that are tiny (approx 12-15mm) and I want to clear them of anything that they may or may not be carrying. I also have shrimp in there so caution must be taken any suggestions are welcome
Thank you in advance

 

[AmyKieran]

I’ll give a suggestion but I wouldn’t take the advice until another member can confirm.

Methylene blue is a generally good medication that can be used with everything in your tank.

 

[Little-Nipper]

I’ll give a suggestion but I wouldn’t take the advice until another member can confirm.

Methylene blue is a generally good medication that can be used with everything in your tank.

Thank you for that, it's very much appreciated I'll wait for a few more responses and think about the best way forward I hate the fact that fish aren't treated before we buy them
Thanks again and have a great day

 

[AmyKieran]

Thank you for that, it's very much appreciated I'll wait for a few more responses and think about the best way forward I hate the fact that fish aren't treated before we buy them
Thanks again and have a great day

The other thing you could do is just quarantine fish before putting them into the main tank.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

One reason why fish are not treated on a preventative basis is that it usually does more harm than good

A fish supplier either breeds their own stock and/or imports it from abroad.

If imported, they can arrive in a cocktail of medications....which is not good for the fish but tends to make the majority live long enough for transportation to the supplier

A good and reputable supplier will not normally sell bad stock. Mine, for example, if they have health issues with the fish, they will remove those fish as a whole from sale......other suppliers will send them out regardless cos basically they have profit and not the fish as their priority

You should not ideally medicate for the sake of it or as a preventative measure against potential health issues

Either quarantine new fish before adding to the aquarium as @AmyKieran correctly suggested, or find a reputable supplier who you can get to know and trust.

Medication for the sake of medicating should never advised.

 

[Little-Nipper]

The other thing you could do is just quarantine fish before putting them into the main tank. they are in quarantine

I've got them in quarantine, I'm going to keep them in for 4 weeks but I want to be double sure that I don't miss anything.

 

[Colin_T]

There is no one cure treats all.

Methylene Blue kills bacteria and fungus and wipes out filter bacteria. It does nothing to intestinal worms, gill flukes or protozoan parasites.

--------------------
The purpose of a quarantine tank is to keep new fish separate from your other fish and if the new fish get sick, the disease remains in the quarantine tank and doesn't get into your display tank.

The only time you treat fish is if they get sick from a disease and you use the appropriate treatment for that illness. Quite often if the fish are happy and comfortable in the quarantine tank, they won't develop any diseases, so there's no point dropping chemicals in the tank unless they do get sick.

The only thing I would prophylactically treat all new fish for while they are in quarantine, is worms and gill flukes. Most freshwater fishes that come from fish farms will have intestinal worms and gill flukes. Praziquantel will treat gill flukes and tapeworm. Levamisole will treat round/ thread worms. Flubendazole will do both types of worm but kills shrimp or snails, I can't remember which. Salt can also be used to treat gill flukes.

--------------------
If you plan on buying fish regularly, have the following things in the fish medicine chest.
1) Dechlorinator to do water changes on the tank.

2) Salt to treat minor fungal, bacterial and some external protozoan infections.

3) A heater that can go up to 30C+ (86F) to treat white spot and velvet.

4) Levamisole and Praziquantel for treating intestinal worms. Keep these in a cool dark dry place so they don't go off.

If your fish do get a disease that doesn't respond to these, it will probably be dead within 24 hours anyway.

 

[Little-Nipper]

One reason why fish are not treated on a preventative basis is that it usually does more harm than good

A fish supplier either breeds their own stock and/or imports it from abroad.

If imported, they can arrive in a cocktail of medications....which is not good for the fish but tends to make the majority live long enough for transportation to the supplier

A good and reputable supplier will not normally sell bad stock. Mine, for example, if they have health issues with the fish, they will remove those fish as a whole from sale......other suppliers will send them out regardless cos basically they have profit and not the fish as their priority

You should not ideally medicate for the sake of it or as a preventative measure against potential health issues

Either quarantine new fish before adding to the aquarium as @AmyKieran correctly suggested, or find a reputable supplier who you can get to know and trust.

Medication for the sake of medicating should never advised.

Thanks for the reply and thanks again Colin-T all the fish I get come from Maidenhead Aquatics they always seem to be riddled with worms (stringy white poop) I'll see if I can get hold of some Levamisole and Praziquantel and give it a whirl
Obviously I don't want to do more harm than good or cause the fish any more stress than necessary as I am a crazy animal lover.
I don't want to infect my display tank again, so I'll treat for worms in the quarantine tank and monitor them for an extra 2 weeks
Thanks again

 

[gilpi]

Lots of water changes and feed a little less, best medication.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Maidenhead are a chain supplier. Not the best one by any means, they tend to buy cheaply so their fish are not always in the very best of health to start with let alone once they get to the "on sale" aquariums instore.

 

[GaryE]

I sometimes treat wild caught livebearers with praziquantel upon arrival. It does nothing to nematodes (Camallanus redworms), which are a fish farm special I have never seen in wild fish. Even the gutworms in wilds are usually harmless.
But to treat new arrivals? Forget it. QT and observe, and treat only when necessary.