Michigan Cichlid Association
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: scifisarah on January 24, 2013, 08:26:06 AM
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Just starting up with African Cichlids and all I have so far is API Aquarium Salt and Stress Coat+. I wondered what medications I should have at hand in case my fish develop some sort of fungus, bacterial, parasitic or other problems. I don't want to wait until they have a problem, spend a day researching what to use, and then wait two days shipping from Amazon in case the local petstore doesn't carry what I need. So what do you keep in your fishy first aid kit?
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I use dechlor for water changes and stock uniodized kosher salt (instead of aquarium salt, much cheaper), Epsom salt and metro just as a precaution if bloat were to strike again.
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I would say to include some Metronidazole. I just lost my fav cichlid to a very fast case of bloat and not a single LFS around here had anything that was suggested to me to treat bloat. I'm currently treating one fish I "think" might still have bloat with epsom salt, but I did order some Metronidazole yesterday just to have on hand in case of emergency in the future.
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What product does the Metro come in? I looked on Amazon and could not find anything containing it. Is Seachem's Paraguard worth having on hand?
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http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4753
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All good answers - The only other things I keep on hand - Bausman Fish Tonic salt (add a little every time I do water changes) and Clout, in case it's too late for Metro. Knock on wood, haven't had to ever use the Metro or Clout yet.
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Garlic extract haven't had salt in months. In. the cupboard I have kosher salt.
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Bausman's Tonic and Wound Ease are both good products (Wet Thumb Aquatics stocks these)
I also keep the following on hand:
Metronidazole
Clout
Kanacyn
Erythromycin
Furanase
Quick Cure is a good product to use as a prophylactic treatment when quarantining fish
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Goodness, some of these are pricey. I see I could rack up quite a tab, and possibly never need them before they expire. :-\
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http://www.kensfish.com/cgi-kensfish/sb/productsearch.cgi?search_field=metro
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Can add very little looks like we got some smart fellows here but I dont use Kosher salt ( even though I`m Jewish) I perfer Iodized sea salt ( Iodine I`ve read is esential for Tangs)
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Goodness, some of these are pricey. I see I could rack up quite a tab, and possibly never need them before they expire. :-\
Exactly. I would just wait until you've got a need for them and then even if the LFS doesn't have it and expedited shipping is required, you'll still come out ahead.
On had I have NoxIch and Metro. Many, many years ago I got some fish that apparently had ich and occassionally use Metro on the tropheus if they're acting strange (1-2 times per year, if that).
If you keep up on proper care (water changes/feeding quality food) and buy fish from quality sources (or quarantine those from unverified ones), the need for meds is really, really low IMO.
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Wet Thumb carries a bunch of these meds in uncut form (highly concentrated) for about $10 a bottle. i just keep mine in the freezer (I should probably get a commission from these guys for as much as I've mentioned them, lol). Also keep in mind I have more fish than the average person.
The top 2 I would recommend would be metro and kanacyn.
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So if a fish starts to show bloat, what is the best initial treatment?