Chemicals Your Fish Need for Medication

Having an aquarium full of fish is not just joy and relaxation but also a special attention for the fish’ health. You must pay a special attention for the chemicals your fish need for medication. Well, the most wanted “medication” is to keep your fish healthy by providing them the perfect conditions: pH, salinity, temperature, lighting, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates level, pumps and filters’ correct functioning, stress-free environment, a correct diet, etc. The secret for keeping the fish healthy is to pay them attention every day, noticing every change in aquarium’s environment and in fish’s behavior.

Sometimes, in spite of our special attention, the fish get sick, catching various diseases. It is not necessarily your fault, even experienced aquarium hobbyists are dealing with this serious issues sometimes. The quicker we act against the disease, the faster results we’ll have with the fish getting better. The fish can be affected by: bacterial or fungal infections, by external or internal parasites. You should pay attention to the species of fish that you have in your aquarium and also to the type of aquarium (freshwater aquarium or saltwater aquarium), so that you can choose the correct treatment.

You can feed your fish with minerals and vitamins, with allicin (the ingredient found in garlic) and other nutrients for keeping the fish healthy, combating infections and diseases. All these substances should be natural and safe, bought from special shops or professional sites.

Formalin is a medicine used for treating external parasites. Fish with skin flukes can be helped with a formalin bath. Formalin must be stored in a dark, dry place.

Malachite green is recommended for anti-parasite, anti- fungus, and anti-bacterial infections. It known to act against the white spot (a protozoan parasite), Costia and Chilodonella. It may affect the biological filter and that’s why you should check ammonia level after the period of medication. You should pay attention because both malachite and formalin are toxic for some types of fish.

Paragon is a chemical used for treating gills, anchor worms, hole-in –the –head disease, copepods, open sores, and hemorrhaging.

Antibiotics (amoxicillin, ampicillin, penicillin, cephalexin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, doxycycline, and erythromycin) can be found in extremely diverse forms, labels and shops. The price may vary a lot according to the label.

Because a disease can get worse very quick, you should have at home some chemicals for medication. Before administrating the medication, you should know if you are doing the right thing. Watch carefully, control water conditions, read more about fish’s disease or go and ask a specialist if you are not sure of what is going on in your aquarium.
You should administrate the correct medication for specific problems. Also, you should administrate it in proper conditions and respecting the recommended quantity.