# What treatments for diseases you all do?



## fishtk75 (Sep 6, 2006)

I was looking but you do not have just for disease fourm.
So what do you have as sticky or any were to read to do for each one of the diseases?
I saw a rainbow in the my tank now looks like popeye started.
Can you treat in a planted tank and with what?
OR how do you catch them out of the tank for a QT?
And with what do you all use that worked for you to treat?


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## Skelley (Mar 4, 2006)

I usually try to just use salt and frequent WCs. I hate medicating because I have lost sensitive fish that way. Especially if I am not 100% sure on the disease. But I have used medication for ich a couple of times. I QT in a bucket if I can (to try and stop the spread of disease). I have no experience with popeye, sorry.


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## fishtk75 (Sep 6, 2006)

Skelley said:


> I usually try to just use salt and frequent WCs. I hate medicating because I have lost sensitive fish that way. Especially if I am not 100% sure on the disease. But I have used medication for ich a couple of times. I QT in a bucket if I can (to try and stop the spread of disease). I have no experience with popeye, sorry.


How much salt and wc?


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

*Fish Diseases*

Hi FishTK,

Sorry that my links to ICH treatment no longer works and that I didn't get to your letter sooner. I don't how distressing it is when fish are sick.

The Fish Forum on APC here talks a little bit about diseases. You should use the search function for the disease that concerns you.

That said, I think that pop-eye is one of the many, many symtoms of MB (mycobacteriosis), which is the fish/reptile equivalent of human tuberculosis. My Rainbowfish have it. Unfortunately, it is all-to-common now in Rainbowfish. Rainbowfish seem particularly susceptible.

You can try salt, chemicals, etc, but if it is truly MB, chemicals won't work, and in my opinion, will make it worse. The disease is incurable. My advice would be to remove the fish and treat it in a separate tank with whatever others or your aquarium store suggests. If a treatment works, good. If it doesn't, then you may have prevented the disease from being transmitted to the other fish in your tank.

Here is a link with my opinion on fish diseases. I hope that this is helpful to you. http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/fish-for-the-planted-aquarium/16750-diseased-fish.html?highlight=TB

I have more information on MB if you want to discuss it further.


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## fishtk75 (Sep 6, 2006)

dwalstad said:


> Hi FishTK,
> 
> Sorry that my links to ICH treatment no longer works and that I didn't get to your letter sooner. I don't how distressing it is when fish are sick.
> 
> ...


Thank you as I said to the other member how much salt for salt treatment?
Yes anything esle you have has the link and that is not in your book will help!


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## Skelley (Mar 4, 2006)

The rule usually is 1 tsp per gallon. I do a little less just to be on the safe side. You can also do a salt dip. I have never tried it, maybe it works but it seems very harsh. Make sure you NEVER use iodized (table salt). They have aquarium salt in the LFS but I usually use kosher. I already have it and it is cheaper. Like I said, I am not sure if it will cure popeye.


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## fishtk75 (Sep 6, 2006)

Skelley said:


> The rule usually is 1 tsp per gallon. I do a little less just to be on the safe side. You can also do a salt dip. I have never tried it, maybe it works but it seems very harsh. Make sure you NEVER use iodized (table salt). They have aquarium salt in the LFS but I usually use kosher. I already have it and it is cheaper. Like I said, I am not sure if it will cure popeye.


Thank you for the salt rule needed to know what dose to use.
Yes I have doc well fish salt I will use.

Is there some were a chart or link that show what to look for then tells you what infection it is?


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## Skelley (Mar 4, 2006)

I have a few charts in books that I own, but I have also seen them on the internet. This (Tropical Freshwater and Marine FISH DISEASE CHART) is the first one that I came across on google. There are many others. If you click on the diseases it tells you a little more about it. Some of the treatments seem to promote their product a lot. But once I know what the disease is I research a little to find the best treatment anyways.

(edit: I looked back and it seems they promote the use of a lot of chemicals. I have always been told to beware of chemical treatments when I can. And I have never even heard of any of these medications. But at least the site can help you figure out what you have. I am sure there are better ones out there.)


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## TonyV2 (Oct 16, 2006)

How do plants fair when using salt to treat disease? How much salt will plants tolerate? 8-[


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## tkos (Oct 30, 2006)

For short term disease treatment plants can easily take up to 2 tsp of salt in their water (excpet some super sensitive varities). This is no where even close to the levels of salt in brackish water.

Also iodized salt is perfectly fine. Any source of NaCl. The levels of iodide (not iodine) in table salt are so tiny that you would have to pickle your fish long before it is a problem.

That being said, popeye is often a symptom of many diseases and even non diseases. Salt probably won't help in this case at all as it only attacks external problems such as ich and nothing internal. Check for other symptoms on this fish such as fin rot or fungus and possibly look at Maracyn 2 as a treatment option. 

Follow others' advice and move the fish to a quartine tank for any treatment.


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## fishtk75 (Sep 6, 2006)

Thank you all for your help.


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## MAT (May 6, 2006)

*salt dosing question*



Skelley said:


> The rule usually is 1 tsp per gallon. I do a little less just to be on the safe side. You can also do a salt dip. I have never tried it, maybe it works but it seems very harsh. Make sure you NEVER use iodized (table salt). They have aquarium salt in the LFS but I usually use kosher. I already have it and it is cheaper. Like I said, I am not sure if it will cure popeye.


Do you mean 1 tsp per gallon of water in the tank, or 1 tsp per gallon of water that you change?
Thanks!


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## Skelley (Mar 4, 2006)

I do 1 tsp per gallon in the tank and make sure I do more water changes than usual to keep the water extra clean. It messes with my EI dosing a little. But I get very attached to my fish. Plants are replaceable but certain fish aren't. But usually I only need to do a week of salt and it never has seemed to affect my plants much.


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## fishtk75 (Sep 6, 2006)

tkos said:


> For short term disease treatment plants can easily take up to 2 tsp of salt in their water (excpet some super sensitive varities). This is no where even close to the levels of salt in brackish water.
> 
> Also iodized salt is perfectly fine. Any source of NaCl. The levels of iodide (not iodine) in table salt are so tiny that you would have to pickle your fish long before it is a problem.
> 
> ...


Thank you for that is what I needed.
Is there no said as brand names to use if salt will not help?
Also if I can not get fish in a QT what brands safe for plants?


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

If you're seeing parasites, you can use Quick cure (formalin/malachite green) at 1 drop per gallon. Dose right before lights out and make sure 
1) you've removed any carbon, 
2) there's plenty of airation and 
3) salt is at .1% or below. 
For scaleless fish and tetras, dose at 1 drop per 2 gallons.

If it's a NPT, it would be a good idea to do a partial water change beforehand to remove some organics first..

For ich, dose daily for at least 3 days *after* you see the last spots. For other parasites, it depends on the lifecycle. Costia I dose for a week. Velvet I dose for 2 weeks.

Praziquantel is also fine for treating flukes.


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## fishtk75 (Sep 6, 2006)

DataGuru said:


> If you're seeing parasites, you can use Quick cure (formalin/malachite green) at 1 drop per gallon. Dose right before lights out and make sure
> 1) you've removed any carbon,
> 2) there's plenty of airation and
> 3) salt is at .1% or below.
> ...


Thanks that is what i need brand names of planted tank safe meds.
I do not use carbon it is a planted tank so I do not need to take out.


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

This may be a little off topic but it's something to think about. I haven't treated an illness or disease since I started using a continuous water change system 10-12 years ago. I just had an Angel with an injured fin develop a bacterial infection (I think), within 2 weeks the fin was healed up with no meds at all. I think that the water quality is one of the biggest factors with treating and preventing illnesses and disease. even the accepted levels of nitrates in fish keeping, IMHO are way higher than healthy in the long run. With the WC system running, I have no measurable Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia, or Phosphates.

Just something to think about.


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## JG06 (Nov 5, 2006)

> This may be a little off topic but it's something to think about. I haven't treated an illness or disease since I started using a continuous water change system 10-12 years ago. I just had an Angel with an injured fin develop a bacterial infection (I think), within 2 weeks the fin was healed up with no meds at all. I think that the water quality is one of the biggest factors with treating and preventing illnesses and disease. even the accepted levels of nitrates in fish keeping, IMHO are way higher than healthy in the long run. With the WC system running, I have no measurable Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia, or Phosphates.


That makes sense. It stands to reason that animals that live in filth are more likely to succumb to disease than animals that live in clean surroundings.


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## fishtk75 (Sep 6, 2006)

bpimm said:


> This may be a little off topic but it's something to think about. I haven't treated an illness or disease since I started using a continuous water change system 10-12 years ago. I just had an Angel with an injured fin develop a bacterial infection (I think), within 2 weeks the fin was healed up with no meds at all. I think that the water quality is one of the biggest factors with treating and preventing illnesses and disease. even the accepted levels of nitrates in fish keeping, IMHO are way higher than healthy in the long run. With the WC system running, I have no measurable Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia, or Phosphates.
> 
> Just something to think about.


bpimm,
How do you have that plumping setup for that?
It is funny I was thinking of something two weeks ago if I can hook up plumping to make changing water faster.
So if you can tell me that would be a big help.


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

My system was detailed in this post.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/do-it-yourself/28826-let-us-see-your-water-change.html

Post #18 is my system.

Brian


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

Interesting... and that brings up another question.
In NPTs we do very infrequent water changes, so mulm and organics do build up in the tank, tho nitrAte doesn't usually. The bacterial population that breaks down debris is part of a NPT and contributes to replentishing the soil.

Both goldfish and koi keepers are adament about not letting debris/poop build up in the tank/pond because aeromonas and pseudomonas are normal flora in the gut of goldies and koi and are common fish pathogens. I'd also assume they're present in the GI tract of tropicals as well, but they're not as big and so you get less poop happening.

I have not noticed any problems with my tropicals in NPTs.


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

When looking at a NPT, there is no need for frequent water changes, but is there any reason to not add a small amount of fresh water other than the labor factor. 

I think I'll start a thread to discuss this instead of hijacking this one.


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## fishtk75 (Sep 6, 2006)

thank you


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