Fish First Aid Kit - What would you keep on hand?

[RavenSharpe]

I've learned over the years that keeping a kit of fish meds on hand is one of the best ways to give sick fish a better shot at survival. What would you (or do you) keep on hand for saltwater fish?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

#1 A treatment tank ready to go. If you don’t have room for that, then have operating sponge filters in you DT that you can use to set a tank up in a day.
Then; coppersafe, Prazipro and a broad spectrum gram negative antibiotic.

Jay

 

[vetteguy53081]

Close with Jay

coppersafe
hanna copper test kit
prazi Pro
Maracn AKA maracyn 1
Seachem Kanaplex
Seachem metroplex
Seachem Focus
Quick Cure or Ruby Rally Pro

 

[MnFish1]

I think a treatment/QT tank ready to go - if you're adding new things is the most important. If you do decide to stock antibiotics, etc - make sure you watch the storage instructions - as well as the expiration dates.

 

[mike550]

Close with Jay

coppersafe
hanna copper test kit
prazi Pro
Maracn AKA maracyn 1
Seachem Kanaplex
Seachem metroplex
Seachem Focus
Quick Cure or Ruby Rally Pro

Resurrecting an old thread but would appreciate some thoughts. I’m happy to purchase all of these items but do I really need all of them?

Also — which one do I use for what?

Thanks in advance

 

[MnFish1]

Resurrecting an old thread but would appreciate some thoughts. I’m happy to purchase all of these items but do I really need all of them?

Also — which one do I use for what?

Thanks in advance

It depends if you're constantly adding fish - I would get all of them. If you aren't - I wouldn't get any of them because they all expire - and you have to re-buy them either way.

Copper is used for a quarantine - as well as a treatment for protozoal infections.
The test kit is used to be sure the copper level is at a certain point.
Prazipro is used to treat flukes and a couple other parasites
Maracyn, kanaplex, neoplex are broad spectrum antibiotics for bacterial infections.
Not sure why anyone would use focus for anything - however it supposedly has antibacterial properties itself - and can be mixed with other medications. Oral dosing of medications is difficult - since you don't know how much 'medicine' the fish is getting
RubyRally pro can (supposedly) be used in a display tank - contains formaldehyde (and to my recollection acriflavine) for a variety of fish illnesses.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Resurrecting an old thread but would appreciate some thoughts. I’m happy to purchase all of these items but do I really need all of them?

Also — which one do I use for what?

Thanks in advance

As we keep cold medicine on hand and asprin and bandages. . . . Often things will go wrong on a Sunday about 7pmwhen stores are closed and having them is an insurance policy.
Do you Have to have them- No
Often when an issue such as ich or flukes arise, we find ourselves trying to acquire meds which are not readily available.
Your question was - What is good to have on hand. Some aquarists keep all, while others keep none on hand- It would be up to you as to what you feel would be most beneficial to have in your possesion

 

[mike550]

It depends if you're constantly adding fish - I would get all of them. If you aren't - I wouldn't get any of them because they all expire - and you have to re-buy them either way.


Maracyn, kanaplex, neoplex are broad spectrum antibiotics for bacterial infections.
Not sure why anyone would use focus for anything - however it supposedly has antibacterial properties itself - and can be mixed with other medications.

Thanks @MnFish1 for your thoughts. Are Maracyn, Kanaplex, and Neoplex equivalent or do I need each of them?

 

[mike550]

As we keep cold medicine on hand and asprin and bandages. . . . Often things will go wrong on a Sunday about 7pmwhen stores are closed and having them is an insurance policy.
Do you Have to have them- No
Often when an issue such as ich or flukes arise, we find ourselves trying to acquire meds which are not readily available.
Your question was - What is good to have on hand. Some aquarists keep all, while others keep none on hand- It would be up to you as to what you feel would be most beneficial to have in your possesion

Thanks @vetteguy53081 Im trying to be more proactive with my tank. I’m lucky enough to maintain an isolation/quarantine tank but to your point if something happens on a Sunday evening I’d prefer to have something on hand to start any treatment if I can.

And just like some of the meds we keep in the house, I’ll just plan to replace them as they expire.

 

[dmsc2fs]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

#1 A treatment tank ready to go. If you don’t have room for that, then have operating sponge filters in you DT that you can use to set a tank up in a day.
Then; coppersafe, Prazipro and a broad spectrum gram negative antibiotic.

Jay

I have been thinking about this a bit lately. As I understand it PraziPro contains a carbon source (Diproplene Glycol) that could lead to a bacteria bloom. The bacteria could thus degrade the Prazi. Combine this with common dosing of Metro as a broad spectrum gram-negative antibiotic. Why not just go straight to API General Cure instead? I know some reason must exist since PraziPro is always the go-to option.

 

[MnFish1]

Thanks @MnFish1 for your thoughts. Are Maracyn, Kanaplex, and Neoplex equivalent or do I need each of them?

Kanaplex and neoplex are within the same family of drugs - and are fairly broad spectrum (i.e. they kill gram positive and gram negatives - with more emphasis on gram negatives with more often cause bacterial infections in marine tanks. So - I don't think you need both of them. Maracyn Contains erythromycin, Maracyn 2 contains minocycline. Maracyn 2 is active multiple bacteria - and (according to the company) - is absorbed through the skin of the fish and thus helps with internal infections.

the others are more for external infections.

So - to answer your question (and hopefully others will weigh in) - I would go with Maracyn 2 and neoplex.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I have been thinking about this a bit lately. As I understand it PraziPro contains a carbon source (Diproplene Glycol) that could lead to a bacteria bloom. The bacteria could thus degrade the Prazi. Combine this with common dosing of Metro as a broad spectrum gram-negative antibiotic. Why not just go straight to API General Cure instead? I know some reason must exist since PraziPro is always the go-to option.

There are multiple issues. Yes, Prazipro is about 90% a glycol solvent. However, the same heterotrophic bacteria tend to consume praziquantel itself…just less risk of a bacterial bloom. Metronidazole is mostly used as an anti-protozoal medication, and may not always be reef safe. It is mostly effective against anaerobic bacterial, and those are rarely an issue with fish.
In a QT, General cure can be used instead of Prazipro, but still aerate the water well.

Jay

 

[mike550]

Kanaplex and neoplex are within the same family of drugs - and are fairly broad spectrum (i.e. they kill gram positive and gram negatives - with more emphasis on gram negatives with more often cause bacterial infections in marine tanks. So - I don't think you need both of them. Maracyn Contains erythromycin, Maracyn 2 contains minocycline. Maracyn 2 is active multiple bacteria - and (according to the company) - is absorbed through the skin of the fish and thus helps with internal infections.

the others are more for external infections.

So - to answer your question (and hopefully others will weigh in) - I would go with Maracyn 2 and neoplex.

That was super helpful. Thank you.