Guide to Fish Medications
Hey SDR,
I notice a lot of people struggling with sick fish lately.
I just found a copy of a guide I wrote a few years ago for how to treat various fish diseases for my coworkers. I wrote this in the context of maintaining the large fish systems at AW so some of it may not apply to here, but some people may find it useful. Feel free to copy and paste it. Follow my instructions at your own risk. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
- Marc
Guide to Saltwater Fish Medications and Treatment
By Marc I.
Nitrofuracin Green: Nitrofuracin is a combination of nitrofurazone, furazolidone, methylene blue and sodium chloride. It is an effective treatment for severe bacterial infections and fish that have sustained physical trauma. It can be safely used with many other medications as well. Dosing is ½ tsp for 20 gallons and is a 2-week treatment.
*CAUTION*: Nitrofuracin is not safe for biological filters and must be used in a separate, heavily aerated- hospital tank. Daily water changes are recommended to prevent
ammonia accumulation. Do not run with carbon, ozone, or UV sterilization.
Formalin: Formalin is dissolved formaldehyde gas in water. It is an effective and widely used treatment against ectoparasites, Cryptocaryon irritans (‘ich’), and protozoa. It is a brief dip and should never be used to treat an entire aquarium. The following instructions are for using 37% diluted formaldehyde:
1). Fill a 5 gallon bucket with aquarium water.
2). Using protective eyewear and gloves, add 3.5mL of formaldyhyde to bucket.
3). Heavily aerate the bucket with an airstone for one hour.
4). Place infected fish in formalin solution for 30 minutes.
5). Remove fish after 30 minutes and place in a hospital aquarium with antibiotics.
Formalin dips may be repeated once every 24 hours as necessary. DO NOT dip any fish with visible open wounds, lesions, skin damage, or fish that have been recently subjected to shipping stress. The higher the formalin concentration, the shorter the bath should be.
*CAUTION*: Formalin is highly carcinogenic and should only be handled in a well-ventilated area. Protective eyewear and gloves should be worn at all times. This treatment should only be attempted by expert aquarists and industry professionals.
Praziquantel (Prazipro): Praziquantel is a safe, anti-parasitic medicine for all fish. It is safe for scale-less fish such as sharks and stingrays as well. It can be added directly to a hospital tank or soaked in food for direct intake by the fish. The home-use version is called ‘prazipro’. Prazipro is less than 5% praziquantel and has a solubilizing agent as well. The treatments are the following…
Prazipro treatment in a hospital tank: 5mL per 20 gallons. It is recommended to combine this treatment with ½ tsp of Nitrofuracin Green per 20 gallons to prevent secondary bacterial infections from the parasites. Shake very well before use. Heavily aerate the water and do daily water changes to prevent ammonia accumulation. Do not run with carbon, ozone, or UV sterilization.
*NOTE* If using dry praziquantel powder in a hospital tank, it must be dissolved with ethyl alcohol (vodka) to become soluble in water before use.
Prazipro treatment in food: Thaw approximately 20mL dry weight of preferred frozen fish food. Strain the food in the net and gently rinse with RO/DI water. Add 5mL of prazipro to the food and let soak for 15 minutes before feeding. Using a binder such as Seachem Focus will increase the effectiveness of the medicine. Using a garlic additive is also recommended to help with the palatability of the medicine.
Using Praziquantel is highly recommended for preventative parasite control on imported fish. It is safe for biological filters and berlin-style marine aquaria. It is not recommended for aquariums with live coral and invertebrates. Overuse of Praziquantel can cause skimmers to work improperly and overflow. It can also adversely affect fish's appetite.
Metronidazole: Metronidazole is used for treating with external protozoan and ciliate infections. It is safe on the biological filter as well as berlin-style aquaria. While safe for invertebrates and cnidarians, we recommend you remove the inflicted fish and treat in a hospital aquarium. If ran in an aquarium with liverock and inverts, we recommend running carbon for 30 days after treatment and doing a large water change (25%).
Metronidazole treatment in a hospital aquarium: 1/2tsp per 20 gallons for 5-7 days or until symptoms disappear. It is recommended to run this treatment alongside nitrofuracin green (1/2tsp per 20 gallons) to prevent secondary bacterial infections.
Metronidazole treatment in food: Strain the food in the net and gently rinse with RO/DI water. Add 1/4tsp of metronidazole powder to the food and let soak for 15 minutes before feeding. Using a binder such as Seachem Focus will increase the effectiveness of the medicine (see below). We also recommend using a garlic additive is recommended to help with the palatability of the medicine.
Focus: Seachem Focus is a polymer bound anti-biotic medication (nitrofuracin .1%). It is used in conjunction with either metronidazole or praziquantel to reduce the loss of the medication to the water through diffusion. 1/16 of a teaspoon (included in container) is used for roughly every cube. Mix thoroughly and let sit at room temperature for 15 mintues before feeding.
Copper (Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate): Chelated copper is used for the treatment of marine parasites, Cryptocaryan Irritans (marine ich) Amyloodinium (marine velvet), and a variety of other common saltwater diseases. Therapeutic treatments range from 0.1-0.15ppm and medication treatments should be kept at 0.2ppm. A typical copper treatment should be done for 14 days. The use of a calorimeter is recommended for testing for copper levels and should be done several times a day during treatment. Doses over 0.2ppm can be lethal to fish. Do not run Copper with any other medications. Invertebrates, moray eels, cartilaginous fish (sharks, stingrays, skates, etc.), dragonets, pipefish, and seahorses cannot tolerate copper treatments and should be removed before treatment.
Copper treatments for the home aquarium: The use of ionic copper is recommended. Seachem Cupramine is an excellent product. 5mL per 50 gallons should give a level of 0.2ppm in a saltwater aquarium. Follow this dose and wait 48 hours before adding a second dose. Remove carbon and shut of UV sterilization before dosing. Always use a calorimeter for checking copper levels before adding more.
Copper treatments for AW fish system: The following instructions are for using NFP copper sulfate pentahydrate only:
1) Mix 21 grams of NFP copper with 12 grams of Citric acid. Wear facial protection and gloves.
2) Mix the solution with 16oz of RO/DI water. Shake solution vigorously until nothing is settled on the bottom.
3) Test copper level with calorimeter from the front tank and from the sump (make sure to log on daily sheet) before adding any copper to the system.
4) Shut off UV sterilization and remove any carbon if necessary.
5) Add 8oz (~225mL) of copper solution to sump. Check copper levels in a few hours. Wait 24 hours before adding a second dose.
6) Maintain a copper level of 0.2ppm for 14 days. Add no more than 8oz a day to the system.
7) Copper levels should be tested 3 times daily: Once at opening, once in afternoon, and once at closing. Results must be logged on daily sheet.
8) After 14 days, UV sterilization can be turned on. Seachem Cuprisorb can be used to remove copper. Carbon will not remove carbon from water.
Note: Do not run any medication in hospital aquariums during copper treatment, do not dose formalin during treatment, do not add any medications to fish food during treatment.
Sources cited:
Goemans, Bob, and Lance Ichinotsubo. The Marine Fish Health & Feeding Handbook. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H Publications, 2008. Print.
Hemdal, Jay. Advanced Marine Aquarium Techniques. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H Publications, 2006. Print.
