Types of aquarium medications - Guide with Forum

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For aquarists who have invested a considerable amount of money and time in establishing an aquarium, there is nothing more daunting than seeing their fish become ill and possibly dying. Anyone who has maintains an aquarium either for work of for pleasure should take the trouble to learn what is involved in maintaining their fish’s general health, how to recognize the common diseases that can affect the fish, and more importantly, have on hand the relevant aquarium medications to apply to the water to nurse their cares back to perfect health. The first thing to understand is that healthy water means healthy fish.

Dropsy	Fungal infection	Popeye

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One of the major causes of fish becoming ill is if they are kept in overcrowded conditions where they can develop a condition known as fish stress. This problem can also develop as a result of water in the tank being less than ideal for the health of the fish. Not necessarily fatal, fish stress will cause a gradual deterioration in the health of the fish, and cause them to be more vulnerable to diseases. Therefore aquarists must be aware of the factors that can cause aquarium fish to become stressed and do the maximum to treat it, as quickly and efficiently as possible. There many aquariums fish stress relievers on the market that will do the job.

The corner stone in building a medicine kit for any aquarium should be a water test kit. General health problems in the aquarium are usually caused by the water, and any irregularities in chemical or biological content can be detected and analyzed using a test kit or test kits. The tests that need to be carried out are for excessive levels of ammonia, nitrates, pH, GH and KH.

It is also very useful to have a dechlorinator around to ensure that the water is free of chlorine in any form. Rock salt should be included in your medicine kit as it acts as a preventative from all forms of parasitical bacteria attacking the fish

Aquarium medications that should be in your kit should include the following:

Potassium permanganate – useful for general disinfecting Methylene blue – will help in reversing brown blood disease Formalin and malachite green - will destroy many of the common parasites found in an aquarium such as Rid Ich or Quick cure) Praziquantel – used to eradicate flukes in the water Anti-Parasite Medicated Fish Food – Useful in the treatment of flagellates, trematodes, hexamita (hole-in-head), cestodes, spironucleus, intestinal worms, nematodes, and tapeworms. Tricide Neo or Neocide 3 dip – an antibiotic that provides stronger than usual resistance to bacteria. Kanamycin, Maracyn1&2 or Jungle Fungus Cure – Any of these antibiotics that can be introduced into the aquarium water are very important additions to an aquarium medicine kit. Clove oil or Finquel (MS-222) - These chemicals or useful to have around for sedating the fish, either individually or collectively.

These examples of aquarium medications represent only a very small percentage the general choices that should be used in first aid of fish in an aquarium. For someone who wants to take the treatment levels a stage or two further will need to study about specific diseases liable to affect the varieties of fish kept in the aquarium. Information on specific aquarium fish diseases and on the ideal medications to be used in treatment should be readily available online. Those aquarists who want to be more involved in diagnosing illnesses within their aquarium tank might consider acquiring a microscope as well as slides and cover slips, all readily available on line.

For first aid treatment to individual fish that may have become injured it is a very good idea to make sure that the following items are within easy reach.

3% hydrogen Peroxide, Iodine, Triple antibiotic cream, Gauze, A soft toothbrush – useful for cleaning fin rot, ulcers or wounds Tweezers – for removing gravel that could get stuck in the fish’s mouth

If the need arises to treat diseased goldfish separately it may be a good idea to prepare a simple quarantine tank as a vital addition to an aquarium medicine kit.

A quarantine tank allows the habits of the diseased fish to be studied without running the risk of any other fish in the main tank becoming infected. If an aquarist deals with fish that are expensive and rare, the cost of keeping a quarantine tank in reserve will far outweigh that of having to replace all of the fish in the tanks if the disease is contagious and they all die.

Obviously setting an ancillary quarantine tank will cost considerably less than a main tank. It will be smaller in size and require basic accessories, such as simple mechanical and biological filtering, heating and thermometers to test water temperature.

Taking care of the welfare and the health of the fish in their care is part of the responsibility of an aquarist. If done properly it can bring a lot of satisfaction. The aquarium operator enjoys the back up of the internet in maintaining their fish in healthy condition. Either by accessing the wealth of information available or purchasing the bulk of the medications and specialist materials required.