Will I Ever Need This Meds?

[littlest]

OK so I am doing some spring cleaning today. Just been sorting out my fish cabinet (where supplies are kept) and came across a lot of stuff that I bought back when I was a newbie on advice from a poor lfs. I don't want to throw stuff away which may at some point be useful. so do you think I will ever want to use the below products:

King British Revitaliser Tonic - revitalises sluggish & run down fish, reliefs fish of constipationa and perceived constipation problems.
Ingredients: Liquified salts.
- so this is just a salt solution yes? I have aquarium salt if I ever want to use it, and I am guessing this isn't much different.

King British Methylene Blue - anti-fungal agent with antiseptic healing properties. Effective against a variety of parasites including flukes.
Ingredients: Methylthionium Chloride
- I understand that methylene blue used to be widely used by aquarists but now isn't. I understand the main disadvantage is that it kills off beneficial bacteria. Also, that there are more effective treatments for fungal and parasites. Also, it stains everything

Both meds can be seen on this page (they are near the bottom)

Interpet Aquilibrium Salt- A Physiological Salt for the Aquarium with built-in pH Buffer
- I'm wondering when I might ever use this. Also, would it cause pH swings like other pH changing chemicals
link to product

so are any of these worth keeping? At the moment I am struggling to see when I would use any of these products.

thanks

 

[Colin_T]

boy did you get sucked in buying some crap
sorry couldn't resist that. I have to move to the UK so I can rip off all the customers. I'm amazed at how many people get sold all sorts of things they don't need. No offence and I'm not having a go at you but there are heaps of posts on the forum about people being sold this and that and they just don't need most of it.
Anyway, dump any medications that you have had for more than a year. Some have an expiry date on them and you can keep them if they are still within that date. However, most medications go off very quickly in warm conditions and if they are under a fish tank or in a warm room they are probably useless.
If you need to keep medications or test kits for any length of time put them in a cool dark place. I keep mine in the fridge door. Don't let the chemicals freeze because it stuffs them up.
I'm guessing the revitalising tonic is probably stuffed too by now. The salts don't sound like much more than pool salt or Epsom salts.
If your tank water has been stable for the last few years then dump the lot and keep what you currently use.

 

[littlest]

boy did you get sucked in buying some crap

Oh yes, but I "needed" them because my fish were "inexplicably" ill in their uncycled, overstock, underfiltered tank.

To behonest they aren't even the worst. I already chucked something called "Gold Disease Safe" by Interpet says "timely treatment with Disease Safe cures most goldfish illness" It doesn't even list ingredients.

I think they saw me coming

I have some Octozin (Waterlife) that is about a year and a half old. It's in tablet form though, would this be OK to keep? The meds have all be kept in a cold room in a dark place (seperate from the tank).

Oh, and does dechlorinator go off after time at all? I got some that's 2 years old. I normally use Prime but I keep this other one for cycling as it doesn't detoxify ammonia or anything

 

[Colin_T]

Oh yes, but I "needed" them because my fish were "inexplicably" ill in their uncycled, overstock, underfiltered tank.

LOL

the Octozin should be fine. Most tablet forms of medication usually hold up better. It is primarily the liquids.

dechlorinator does not normally go off unless it has other things added to it. Some water conditioners have all sorts of things in them including blue dyes and these can go off the same as any other medication.

test kits can also go off

 

[Truck]

just keep them under the sink just in case you never know just because youve never had any infections or diseases it doesnt mean it wont happen

 

[Colin_T]

just keep them under the sink just in case you never know just because youve never had any infections or diseases it doesnt mean it wont happen

The problem with keeping old medications is once they have passed their use by date, or if they have become hot and the chemicals have broken down (become inert) you simply have funny coloured water that isn't going to do anything towards treating a sick fish. Worse than that is if the medication is still partially active and you do treat the fish, the disease organisms could survive the medications and develop a resistance to the drugs being used. Then you can't treat them with anything.

 

[WILDER]

I agree with colin t the tonic meds are a complete waste of money if you want to boost a fish immune system just soak flakes in garlic juice.
I bought the tonic salt when first started, don't buy it now.
The only meds I have is whitespot med just in case, bacterial med like anti internal bacteria by interpet, still have some flubenol left for parasites internal and external.