Fish (Cichlid) Parasites - Safest Hospital Tank Protocol

[jdalcin]

Hi all. I own a pet cichlid who seems to have parasites. I want to put him in a 5 gallon saltwater hospital tank to remove them. Was thinking of using a saltwater bath and chemical treatment (herbtana). I was thinking of using this protocol:

1. imagitarium aquarium salt (instructions say 1 rounded tablespoon per 5 gallons of water, so for a medical saltbath I was thinking of 2 rounded tablespoons for the duration of the treatment)
2. herbtana (instructions say add 1 ml of herbtana per 5 gallons of water daily for ten days)
3. use heater to keep tank at 78 Fahrenheit
3. have fish in hospital tank for ten days

Is this a dangerous treatment? Will this protocol overdose my cichlid? Also, any advice on how to make it better and safer? Anything I am forgetting to do and should I use any lower or higher dosages?

Thank you again for your help

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi all. I own a pet cichlid who seems to have parasites. I want to put him in a 5 gallon saltwater hospital tank to remove them. Was thinking of using a saltwater bath and chemical treatment (herbtana). I was thinking of using this protocol:

1. imagitarium aquarium salt (instructions say 1 rounded tablespoon per 5 gallons of water, so for a medical saltbath I was thinking of 2 rounded tablespoons for the duration of the treatment)
2. herbtana (instructions say add 1 ml of herbtana per 5 gallons of water daily for ten days)
3. use heater to keep tank at 78 Fahrenheit
3. have fish in hospital tank for ten days

Is this a dangerous treatment? Will this protocol overdose my cichlid? Also, any advice on how to make it better and safer? Anything I am forgetting to do and should I use any lower or higher dosages?

Thank you again for your help

Skip the herbal stuff which rarely works and for salt, give it epsom salt bath using one teaspoon per 10 gallons. Please post pics to both see and determine what your fish has

 

[jdalcin]

Skip the herbal stuff which rarely works and for salt, give it epsom salt bath using one teaspoon per 10 gallons. Please post pics to both see and determine what your fish has

I never heard of epsom salt? Is it much better at removing parasites than aquarium salt? Also, is it safe for Cichlids?

Lastly, is herbtana that bad? I was told by my pet store it was designed specifically to fight internal fish parasites

Thank you again for you help!

 

[jdalcin]

I never heard of epsom salt? Is it much better at removing parasites than aquarium salt? Also, is it safe for Cichlids?

Lastly, is herbtana that bad? I was told by my pet store it was designed specifically to fight internal fish parasites

Thank you again for you help!

And also can I give my cichlid both 1 teaspoon of epsom salt and aquarium salt at the same time? It is already in a 1 rounded tablespoon aquarium salt bath

 

[vetteguy53081]

I never heard of epsom salt? Is it much better at removing parasites than aquarium salt? Also, is it safe for Cichlids?

Lastly, is herbtana that bad? I was told by my pet store it was designed specifically to fight internal fish parasites

Thank you again for you help!

Epsom or canning salt which has magnesium sulphate are good and is aquarium salt. Its best for bacteria and fungus cure. For ich- use methelyne blue

 

[jdalcin]

Epsom or canning salt which has magnesium sulphate are good and is aquarium salt. Its best for bacteria and fungus cure. For ich- use methelyne blue

So these are actually unknown parasites — would you say magnesium sulphate is still a better choice than herbtana?

 

[vetteguy53081]

So these are actually unknown parasites — would you say magnesium sulphate is still a better choice than herbtana?

yes

 

[MnFish1]

Hi all. I own a pet cichlid who seems to have parasites. I want to put him in a 5 gallon saltwater hospital tank to remove them. Was thinking of using a saltwater bath and chemical treatment (herbtana). I was thinking of using this protocol:

1. imagitarium aquarium salt (instructions say 1 rounded tablespoon per 5 gallons of water, so for a medical saltbath I was thinking of 2 rounded tablespoons for the duration of the treatment)
2. herbtana (instructions say add 1 ml of herbtana per 5 gallons of water daily for ten days)
3. use heater to keep tank at 78 Fahrenheit
3. have fish in hospital tank for ten days

Is this a dangerous treatment? Will this protocol overdose my cichlid? Also, any advice on how to make it better and safer? Anything I am forgetting to do and should I use any lower or higher dosages?

Thank you again for your help

Yes - its is a dangerous thing. Magnesium has side effects - and it's unclear how much other salt you're using to make a 'saltwater aquarium' - raising salinity for fish can be problematic - and should not be done quickly. Either way - neither MG or salt will help most parasites (there are exceptions. Herbtana is not likely to be effective with your issue (but its unclear what your issue really is) - 10 days is probably too short for whatever it is - can you be more specific:?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi all. I own a pet cichlid who seems to have parasites. I want to put him in a 5 gallon saltwater hospital tank to remove them. Was thinking of using a saltwater bath and chemical treatment (herbtana). I was thinking of using this protocol:

1. imagitarium aquarium salt (instructions say 1 rounded tablespoon per 5 gallons of water, so for a medical saltbath I was thinking of 2 rounded tablespoons for the duration of the treatment)
2. herbtana (instructions say add 1 ml of herbtana per 5 gallons of water daily for ten days)
3. use heater to keep tank at 78 Fahrenheit
3. have fish in hospital tank for ten days

Is this a dangerous treatment? Will this protocol overdose my cichlid? Also, any advice on how to make it better and safer? Anything I am forgetting to do and should I use any lower or higher dosages?

Thank you again for your help

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

We really need to see a video of the cichlid, to try and help give a more accurate diagnosis and treatment.

At the very least, we need to know the species of cichlid. Some species, like discus, don’t tolerate salt very well, while others, like tilapia can tolerate salt stronger than is in the ocean!

Background information about the fish and its tank is also important.

Thanks,

Jay