# Common Aquarium Medications And Their Active Ingredients



## Aftica (Nov 26, 2003)

*COMMON AQUARIUM MEDICATIONS AND THEIR ACTIVE INGREDIENTS*

Here is a list of commonly used aquarium remedies, their major uses, and active ingredients that I came across. Note that these preparations may also contain other ingredients. The only ingredients listed are the ones that actually perform some therapeutic result. I shamelessly gaffed this list from Andrew Phillips and a link is included below. 

Medication
Manufacturer
Used for
Active ingredient(s)

*MelaFix*
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals
Antifungal
antibacterial
Tea tree oil 
(oil of melaleuca)

*Furan-2*
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals
Broad spectrum antibiotic 
(gram +/-)
Nitrofurazone, furazolidone, and methylene blue trihydrate

*Aquarisol*
Aquarium Products
Fungus
Copper salts

*Clout*
Aquarium Products
hydra, leeches, planaria, hexamita, epistylis, trichodina, tetrahymena, body fungus, argulus (louse), flukes, parasitic copepods, and lernia (anchor worms)
4-[p-(dimethylamino)-0-phenylbenzylidene]-2, 5-cyclohexadien-1-xylidenedimethylammonium chloride,

dimethyl (2, 2, 2-trichloro-1-hydroxy-ethel) phosphonate,

2-methyl-5-nitro-1-hydroxyethylmidazole

*Quick Cure*
Aquarium Products
Ich
Formalin and malachite green

*Furacyn*
Aquatronics
Furunculosis (open sores)
Nitrofurazone

*Kanacyn*
Aquatronics
Red Streaks or Hemorrhaging, Dropsy, 
Kanamycin Sulfate and 
Sodium Chloride

*Maracide*
Mardel Labs
Ich, tail/fin rot
Tris Aminomethane,
Aniline Green, and Dibromohydroxymercurifluorescein

*Maroxy*
Mardel Labs
True fungal infections
Stabilized chlorine oxides

*Maracyn*
Mardel Labs
Gram + antibiotic, fungus
Erythromycin

*Maracyn Two*
Mardel Labs
Gram +/- antibiotic
Minocycline

*Ick Care*
Jungle Labs
Ich
Acriflavine

*Bausman's Fish Tonic*
Bausman
Ich, fungus, hydra
Methylene blue, acetylsalicylic acid, sodium chloride, sodium potassium bromide, magnesium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate

*Paragon II*
Aquatronics
hexamita, whirling and wasting disease, body swelling, swimbladder disease, ich, parasitic protozoans, secondary bacterial infections and HITH/HLLE
Metronidazole, furazolidone, neomycin sulfate, naladixic acid, 
sodium chloride

*Nox-Ich*

Ich, velvet
Sodium chloride, malachite green

*Algae Destroyer*
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals
Algaecide
Simazine (2-choloro-4, 6-bis-[ethylamino]-s-triazine) 0.60%

*Pepso Food*
Jungle Labs
Antibiotic food
Nitrofurazone, formalin*, sodium sulfathiazole
* not in the bottle that I have here - Aftica


*Tetra Antibacterial Food*
Tetra
Antibiotic food
Tetracycline HCl, oxolinic acid

*Tetra Antiparasite Food*
Tetra
Antiparasitic food
Sulfadimethoxine, trimethoprim, metronidazole

*Romet-B*
Hoffman-LaRoche
Bacterial hemorrhagic septicemia,
Enteric septicemia, 
Aeromonas sp.,
Pseudomonas sp.,
Edwardsiella sp.,
Yersina sp.,
Cytophaga sp., Columnaris sp., 
Sulfonamide, ormetoprin, sulfadimethoxine 






*HOME REMEDIES AND TREATMENTS*

*Salt Bath*
½ tsp salt per quart of water. Let fish bathe for 20-30 minutes, or until can not maintain position in water. Remove fish and put back in regular tank.

*Epsom Salt*
(Laxative)
There's two ways to treat. The first way, for fish that are small and easily netted, is to give a bath of 2 teaspoons Epsom salt dissolved in one gallon of the fish's own tank water, in a separate container, for 10 minutes. This usually loosens things up fairly quickly. Discard the epsom salt water after use. Do not add it to the tank.

For larger fish, or fish that can not be easily or safely netted, add 1/4 teaspoon per TEN GALLONS of tank water volume (not tank size) directly to the tank. I recommend dissolving these salts first in a small amount of tankwater drawn from the tank to be treated and then add it all back to the tank. The concentration of the epsom salt is strong enough to do the job but not strong enough to harm the fish. Plus, it will be reduced by water changes over time. The first method is preferable to this one, if at all possible.

*Alum USP*
3 tablespoons of Alum in 1 gallon of water. Soak plants 2-3 days to kill snails and snail eggs.

NaHCO3 Sodium bicarbonate (aka Baking Soda) is a good pH upper. 
C2H4O2, 5% Ethanoic acid (aka acetic acid, distilled vinegar), is a good pH downer. 
KMnO4
Also known as potassium permanganate. Make a 10 mg/l stock solution and use to dip plants in (15-30 minutes) to kill snails, or add 1/4 tsp per gallons of water volume to clarify water and oxidize waste products.

*Medication Cross Reference:*

Some medications listed above are sold as other names in other brands. Below you will find a list of some of these cross referenced with one of the above medications. Please note that different brands may contain different concentrations of the ingredients.

FURACYN: Also found as Furazolidone, NF-180, Furox-50, Furanace, P-7138, Auranace

FURAN-2: Also found as Nitrofura-G, Furazone Green

QUICK CURE: Also found as Rid-Ich 

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*Classification of Medications* 

*Bactericides* 
Antibiotics 
Ampicillin
Erythromycin
Gentamycin
Kanamycin
Neomycin
Oxytetracyline
Penicillin
Sulfas 
Non-Antibiotics 
Acriflavin
Betadine
Copper Sulfate
Furanace, Furoxone, Nitrofurazone
Malachite Green
Oxolinic Acid
Potassium Permanganate
Tea Tree Oil 

*Fungicides* 
Acriflavin
Bright Green
Copper Sulfate
Formalin (37-40%)
Furanace
Gentian Violet
Malachite Green
Mercurochrome
Methylene Blue
Oxytetracycline
Potassium Permanganate
Silver Nitrate 

*Antiprotozoal *
Acriflavin
Bright Green
Chloramine B
Chloramine T
Copper Sulfate
Flagyl (Metrondiazole)
Formalin (37-40%)
Furanace, Furoxone, Nitrofurazone
Kanamycin
Malachite Green
Mercurochrome
Methylene Blue
Neguvon
Oxolinic Acid
Oxytetracycline
Pencillin
Potassium Permanganate
Quinine
Sodium chloride (Salt)
Silver Nitrate
Sulfas
Trichlorfon 

*Anthelminthics *
Chloramine B
Chloramine T
Copper Sulfate
Formalin (37-40%)
Garlic
Hydrogen Peroxide (3%)
Malachite Green
Mercurochrome
Methylene Blue
Neguvon
Potassium Permanganate
Quinine
Sodium chloride (Salt)
Trichlorfon
Vinegar 



*How antibiotics work:*

*Sulfonamides:* 
This class of drug block nucleic acid metabolism in cells, and they have a very high alkalinity. THIS CLASS OF DRUG SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN WHEN KIDNEY DISEASE IS SUSPECTED (i.e.) Dropsy. It can be fatal. Also this class of drug is best used when fed, NOT when added to water.

*Penicillins:*
This class works to weaken the bacterial cell wall so that when the cell divides (reproduces), it does not form properly and bursts as it grows, thereby killing the cell. For this drug to work, the bacteria cells must be actively growing and reproducing.

*Gentamycin, Kanamycin, Neomycin:*
These three effect the bacterial cell membrane which is responsible for bringing nutrients into the cell and taking waste out of the cell. The antibiotics disrupt this process. THESE ANTIBIOTICS CAN BE TOXIC IF OVERDOSED.

*Erythromycin, Neomycin, Kanamycin, Tetracylines, Chloramphenicol:*
These antibiotics prevent protein synthesis and effect the cells ability to reproduce.

*Adverse Drug Reactions* 

*NEVER* mix the following medications:

Ampicillin
with
ANYTHING

Chloramphenicol
with
Erythromycin, Furans, Tetracycline, Sulfas 

Erythromycin
with
Chloramphenicol

Gentamycin
with
ANYTHING

Kanamycin
with
ANYTHING

Tetracycline
with
Ampicillin, Chloramphenicol, Erythromycin, Furans, Penicillin, Sulfas, Baking Soda

Penicillin
with
Tetracycline

Sulfas
with
Copper

Reference:
Herwig, Nelson. 1979. Handbook of Drugs and Chemicals used in the Treatment of Fish Diseases: A Manual of Fish Pharmacology and Materia Medica. Springfield, Illinois: Charles Thomas.



compiled by Andrew Phillips

http://www.msnusers.com/AngieandAndrewsAquatics/homepage.msnw


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## fedge (Mar 4, 2004)

Informative... Copy/Paste to my archives..


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

What an outstanding post this is! I just found it by accident, and IMO it is one of the finest posts I've ever seen here. Massively informative.:thumbsup: 

Sticky worthy IMO.


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## joan (Apr 25, 2005)

scolley said:


> What an outstanding post this is! I just found it by accident, and IMO it is one of the finest posts I've ever seen here. Massively informative.:thumbsup:
> 
> Sticky worthy IMO.


Agree wholeheartedly!

I actually came across this in a search a couple nights ago, while researching treatments and medication for what I fear is a columnaris outbreak in my tank. I was really surprised it wasn't a sticky.

I also found this link: KoiVet.com - Medications really useful. It gives excellent, detailed overviews of many of the medications and treatments out there.


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## CardBoardBoxProcessor (Sep 17, 2006)

hey! my goldfish have red veiny fins.. i suspect paracites what might I use to get ride of the paracites?


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## joan (Apr 25, 2005)

CardBoardBoxProcessor said:


> hey! my goldfish have red veiny fins.. i suspect paracites what might I use to get ride of the paracites?


I am far from the expert, but I will say that is not a lot of info for people to go on for offering you advice. I found, with my current troubles, my best option was to do a lot of legwork via searches in forums I know, and Google. 

I poached this list from another site. I think the links all work. Anyway, maybe you can find some helpful info on one or more of them:

Are Your Fish Really Suffering From Disease? : http://www3.sympatico.ca/drosera1/fish/illness.htm
Fish Disease. net : http://fishdisease.net/
Goldfish Diseases : http://www.koivet.com/html/articles/articles_details.php?article_id=154&category=16&name=
Nutrition, Anatomy, Health, and Disease info: http://www.peteducation.com/category_summary.cfm?cls=16&cat=1791
Sympton-based Treatment of Common Discus Diseases(applies to all fish) : http://world.std.com/~enjolras/symtreat.htm
ID disease with actual pictures : http://www.2cah.com/pandora/Disease.html
The Worms! : http://www3.sympatico.ca/drosera1/fish/worms.htm

Otherwise, I'd start your own thread to ask the question. I think you're more likely to get help that way.


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## fusQer (Jan 23, 2006)

this should be a sticky if it isnt already


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

Very interesting! Gotta bump this. Found it cause I accidentally overdosed Melafix and trying to figure out the consequences and what I should do...


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