Reef Rx: Do you keep medicine on hand for your reef tank?

[Peace River]

Reef Rx: Do you keep medicine on hand for your reef tank?

Many of us have medicine cabinets in our homes for ourselves, but what about a medicine cabinet for your reef tank? There are general treatments and preventatives that provide general or initial treatments. Additionally, some of us seem to have a collection of unused chemicals and medicines for our reef from previous issues where we may have experienced various levels of success. Sometimes we are proactive and buy all the potential future treatments that we were told to keep on hand only to have them expired unused on our shelf which may leave us wondering about the need to keep medicines around for potential outbreaks or preventative treatments. Do you keep medicine on hand for your reef tank? Please share your experience and perspective as well as any tips or recommendations.

Photo by @Brew12


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.tckcorals.com

 

[TheSheff]

I always keep cipro, amoxicillin, metroplex, and RTN/STN X. I know cipro can be controversial, but it works well.

 

[Rp8]

+1 minus the cipro

 

[kevgib67]

I have all the ingredients for KFC dip and hope I don’t have to use it.

 

[Lemons]

Being from the great white north sucks eh? (

 

[Seansea]

Just chemiclean.

 

[apb03]

I have Copper Power, Paraguard, Prazipro, and Cipro on standby.

 

[MnFish1]

Reef Rx: Do you keep medicine on hand for your reef tank?

Many of us have medicine cabinets in our homes for ourselves, but what about a medicine cabinet for your reef tank? There are general treatments and preventatives that provide general or initial treatments. Additionally, some of us seem to have a collection of unused chemicals and medicines for our reef from previous issues where we may have experienced various levels of success. Sometimes we are proactive and buy all the potential future treatments that we were told to keep on hand only to have them expired unused on our shelf which may leave us wondering about the need to keep medicines around for potential outbreaks or preventative treatments. Do you keep medicine on hand for your reef tank? Please share your experience and perspective as well as any tips or recommendations.

Photo by @Brew12


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.tckcorals.com

I do not keep medications, however I have access through a relative to prescriptions (veterinarian) any time I need them. Keeping medication 'on hand' also can cause issues if expired - and they can be expensive.

That said, if I lived in a country where access to antibiotics was extremely limited, I would have copper, prazipro and a broad spectrum antibiotic.

PS - because you put a picture of 'Prime' next to 'Coppersafe', just repeating the warning that some copper products can become toxic with Prime, and should be avoided.

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

Well, I try not to use meds in my reef, I QT fish before adding them so knock on wood I haven't needed to yet. I do keep some ich meds on hand for my wife's freshwater tank since we've had a few flare ups after adding new fish to that. I also have some kanaplex I'm using for treating a gramma for fin rot in qt right now.

 

[Leadfooted]

Always some chemi-clean and maybe not medicine but I keep a bottle of RTN STN X on hand as well.

 

[Jeremy_d]

I’ll be completely honest, there is a threshold in price for livestock that I will treat with medicine. The hospital tank requires a lot of time and attention and I just can’t do that for five dollar damsel, but for my $100+ fish I will do it in a heartbeat. Particularly my yellow tang that I bought when it was only $40 haha that thing better never die I can’t afford a new one haha

 

[CRABDADDY]

I've used kanaplex for fin rot. Copper power for preventative QT. Used chemiclean for cyano, but I probably won't do that again.

Just this last week or so I started dipping euphilia with receding flesh in Cipro. So far the results are encouraging. The flesh clearly looks healthier around the band. It has stopped receding as well. I still probably wouldn't treat my whole tank with antibiotics unless I was about to lose everything.

 

[shakacuz]

i have prime, rally pro, cipro, reefhd reef flux, lugol's iodine.

 

[KrisReef]

I have the complete antibiotic arsenal and a number of pills to calm myself down when stuff happens. I don't use copper but I do save penny's, is that wierd?

 

[Reef and Dive]

Yes to many.

No to cipro or KFC protocols that are really deleterious in terms of human medicine and IMHO needed urgently to be banned from the hobby. It is illegal for a good reason.

 

[Wick]

All these meds and no hospital tanks mentioned.

 

[KrisReef]

All these meds and no hospital tanks mentioned.

Ok, I'll go.
Live from County Rehab on an involuntary admission.

 

[PandorasChalk]

We do axolotl rescue so we have a large assortment of meds that would work in both fresh/saltwater. For salt specifically I have cipro/copper and a 15 gallon 'hospital' I can setup at the moment's notice with a HOB if things get bad. Thankfully QT has helped to keep any issues at bay.

 

[Reef Management LLC]

Reef Rx: Do you keep medicine on hand for your reef tank?

Many of us have medicine cabinets in our homes for ourselves, but what about a medicine cabinet for your reef tank? There are general treatments and preventatives that provide general or initial treatments. Additionally, some of us seem to have a collection of unused chemicals and medicines for our reef from previous issues where we may have experienced various levels of success. Sometimes we are proactive and buy all the potential future treatments that we were told to keep on hand only to have them expired unused on our shelf which may leave us wondering about the need to keep medicines around for potential outbreaks or preventative treatments. Do you keep medicine on hand for your reef tank? Please share your experience and perspective as well as any tips or recommendations.

Photo by @Brew12


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.tckcorals.com

Where are u guys getting interceptor?

 

[Greybeard]

I voted no, I don't keep medicines... not the whole story, I suppose...

1st, I rarely add fish. I mean, like, I haven't added an animal to my tank for years. It's 'full', or at least at my desired stocking level. Haven't lost a fish in years, no reason to add any.

So... how would disease get into my quite healthy and mature tank? Why should I need medicines?

I used to raise seahorses... decades ago. You bet, I had medicines on hand. Acetazolamide, for one... which wasn't terribly easy to source at that time. It's a glaucoma medicine... but it works on GBD, the closet monster for seahorse keepers.

You're adding fishes regularly to a new system? Yeah, I can see keeping some treatment around. Marine animal distribution being what it is today, animals arriving with some sort of problem is virtually guaranteed.

Once you've got a stocked, healthy aquarium? No reason to keep medicines.