Soaking food in metro

[Caliban07]

When you add metronidazole directly to the tank you need to make sure that the water is warm enough so it stays in solution correct?

Does this apply to soaking food in the meds. I'm using the powdered Seachem brand. I mixed one scoop of metro in aquarium water of 26 degrees and let it soak in to the pellets for 15 mins but the metro just looked like it had settled to the bottom so I'm not sure if it worked.

Any ideas?


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[gimmethatfish]

Not sure, but here's what I do to add meds to food. I mix the medication with the pellets first, then add garlic guard liquid just enough to make the whole thing kind of moisty (or aquarium water, as you did). Then I spread the whole mess out on a plastic bag or tray and let it dry. Then crumble it up and feed. This seems to really help the medication powder stick to the food very well.

 

[Matt68005]

As far as I know it binds to calcium in hard water, like any powder antibiotic maracyn-2 Terramyicin ect. I have no idea on temp tho, but I could suggest just buying some cheap distilled water from a grocery store. Distilled water has no minerals thus it would not bind and it would be up to the medicine to be absorbed by the food, or the food allow the med to enter. Maybe try some bloodworms? What are you using the metro for just out of scientific curiouosity?

 

[Caliban07]

As far as I know it binds to calcium in hard water, like any powder antibiotic maracyn-2 Terramyicin ect. I have no idea on temp tho, but I could suggest just buying some cheap distilled water from a grocery store. Distilled water has no minerals thus it would not bind and it would be up to the medicine to be absorbed by the food, or the food allow the med to enter. Maybe try some bloodworms? What are you using the metro for just out of scientific curiouosity?

Thanks that's a good idea. I will try distilled water.

It's for hexamita.


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[treemanone2003]

I had to do this quite some time ago. I used frozen food (mysis, brine shrimp, beefheart) and allowed it to melt in a small (2x2" ?) Tupperware container and added the metro to the softened food. If I was impatient I would float the container in a larger container of hot tap water to speed it up.


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[Matt68005]

What kind of fish? I had never even known about hexima until recently. Im curious because there seems to be a bad bug going around that is internal in nature and for me at least, I had not run into HOTH or anything like it until recently. Do you raise chiclids? Maybe its just concidence but quite a few people seem to be having similar internal problems with their fish.

 

[Caliban07]

I had to do this quite some time ago. I used frozen food (mysis, brine shrimp, beefheart) and allowed it to melt in a small (2x2" ?) Tupperware container and added the metro to the softened food. If I was impatient I would float the container in a larger container of hot tap water to speed it up.


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Thanks treeman my concern is that if the water is too cold the metro will not fully dissolve into the water and the food will not soak it in.


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[Caliban07]

What kind of fish? I had never even known about hexima until recently. Im curious because there seems to be a bad bug going around that is internal in nature and for me at least, I had not run into HOTH or anything like it until recently. Do you raise chiclids? Maybe its just concidence but quite a few people seem to be having similar internal problems with their fish.

Firemouths this as been going on for over 12 months now. I went and bought four originally over a year ago. I made the mistake of not analysing the fish. I was just getting back into fish keeping then.

When I acclimated them I left the light off over night. It wasn't until the next morning I checked on them. One of them looked different. I figured it would recover in time with it being in a better environment. It got worse. The fish lost colour, weight and it's fins stated to erode. I set up a quarantine tank and gave a med but I didn't know what it was so it didn't work. I struggle to euthanize so I put it back in the tank. It became emaciated and I kept seeing a discharge like cotton balls. The fish then got a sunken belly, stopped eating and died. It took a long time. Since then I bought another 4 all of them were only a couple of icu and I was after a pair. 2 more have gone the same way but I euthanized. I did some research and found hexamita matched the symptoms perfectly. Forgot to mention the head develop a white line like it had run into something but I've recently found out they were pitted holes.

Ordered metro from the state's it came the other day. One fish is refusing food the the others are eating. I will have to euthanise soon.

I believe it is highly contagious. Sucks that I did not diagnose it sooner.


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[Matt68005]

Yes, do not combine the metro with an ick medicine, as you probably know, but some time when your done with the metro, turn up the temp and dose with an ick medicine like acriflavin/malachite green combo. At least you can reduce the load of the free swimming form of the parsite in the substrate and water. It worked for me, where metro never worked. Maybe you could try clout, I think the new "bugs" going around are metro-resistant.

 

[jlk]

When you add metronidazole directly to the tank you need to make sure that the water is warm enough so it stays in solution correct?

Does this apply to soaking food in the meds. I'm using the powdered Seachem brand. I mixed one scoop of metro in aquarium water of 26 degrees and let it soak in to the pellets for 15 mins but the metro just looked like it had settled to the bottom so I'm not sure if it worked.

Any ideas?


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Heat really is not relevant. The metro settled to the bottom simply because it is not soluble in water. Same applies for praziquantel. Mixing it into food and allowing it to dry or making a gel food with it is suggested. Purchasing medicated foods is another option.


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[StrangelyNormal]

I don't know how helpful this will be for you Caliban, but I've used HEX Shield Anti-Parasitic food and Thera+A to help with HITH as well as Vitachem. I don't know how much it will help if the case is so severe, but it's worth a shot as it's NLS. One is medicated, Thera+A isn't. I didn't have pure metro on hand to soak and I know metro isn't very water soluble, so I gave HEX a chance. I also have heard soaking pellets in epsom salt will help, but I would be careful because of all the meds and try not to use too many of them at once.

jlk is right, Metro is not very water soluble. I've heard the suggestion about the heat elsewhere, though; don't know how true it is.

 

[Caliban07]

Heat really is not relevant. The metro settled to the bottom simply because it is not soluble in water. Same applies for praziquantel. Mixing it into food and allowing it to dry or making a gel food with it is suggested. Purchasing medicated foods is another option.


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Hi jlk I heard that it'precipitates out of solution' at lower temperatures?

How exactly is the best way to soak the food if it doesn't dissolve in water? It will not absorb the med if it is not dissolved in the water? The key must be to let it dry so that it sticks?


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[Caliban07]

I don't know how helpful this will be for you Caliban, but I've used HEX Shield Anti-Parasitic food and Thera+A to help with HITH as well as Vitachem. I don't know how much it will help if the case is so severe, but it's worth a shot as it's NLS. One is medicated, Thera+A isn't. I didn't have pure metro on hand to soak and I know metro isn't very water soluble, so I gave HEX a chance. I also have heard soaking pellets in epsom salt will help, but I would be careful because of all the meds and try not to use too many of them at once.

jlk is right, Metro is not very water soluble. I've heard the suggestion about the heat elsewhere, though; don't know how true it is.

Thank you. It's just cost me over £25 to get the metro (ordered prazi too) I may yet what you suggested though. I'm soaking nls pellets at the mo and was doing the Epsom soaking method whilst waiting for the metro.

It turned out in the midst of all this before the hex spread I got 2 mated pairs. Would a UV sterilizer help much?


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[StrangelyNormal]

Hi jlk I heard that it'precipitates out of solution' at lower temperatures?

How exactly is the best way to soak the food if it doesn't dissolve in water? It will not absorb the med if it is not dissolved in the water? The key must be to let it dry so that it sticks?


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More or less the pellet would dry with the particles of metro on it that would normally fall to the bottom and thus it would be ingested.

A UV may help to kill the free swimming parasites depending on the wattage likely, but no medication can be in the water during it.

I have a mild case of HITH right now and I don't know if the removal of carbon helped, but the thera+a pellets certainly can't be hurting since they are loaded with garlic. The other one saves me having to soak in metro since binding them appears to be difficult.

I know of a Med called Crypto-Pro as well but I have no experience with it and don't know much about it. I know with dosing there is little to no room for error (and the directions apparently aren't clear I've heard but I don't know how truthful that is) and if dosed incorrectly it will be fatal. But it has been marketed for metro resistant strains of hexamita. I would consider that an absolute last resort, though but I would definitely Google it.

Are the holes growing?

 

[Caliban07]

More or less the pellet would dry with the particles of metro on it that would normally fall to the bottom and thus it would be ingested.

A UV may help to kill the free swimming parasites depending on the wattage likely, but no medication can be in the water during it.

I have a mild case of HITH right now and I don't know if the removal of carbon helped, but the thera+a pellets certainly can't be hurting since they are loaded with garlic. The other one saves me having to soak in metro since binding them appears to be difficult.

I know of a Med called Crypto-Pro as well but I have no experience with it and don't know much about it. I know with dosing there is little to no room for error (and the directions apparently aren't clear I've heard but I don't know how truthful that is) and if dosed incorrectly it will be fatal. But it has been marketed for metro resistant strains of hexamita. I would consider that an absolute last resort, though but I would definitely Google it.

Are the holes growing?

I'll try letting the pellets dry so it sticks next feed. If there is no improvement I'll have to order a pre-mixed food like the one you suggested.

No the holes don't seem to be getting worse but not recovering either. Four are still eating and the fifth is not looking good. I'll had to buy some clove oil and man up.

I think I'll give that med a miss. Sounds nasty!


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[Caliban07]

Here's a picture taken yesterday


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[Caliban07]

Went on eBay. Can only get ich shield and hex shield together. It costs £31 for the products and £34 for p&p. That's without the thera +

I'm gonna just keep up with water changes and keep trying the metro and Epsom salt soaking.


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[jlk]

Hi jlk I heard that it'precipitates out of solution' at lower temperatures?

How exactly is the best way to soak the food if it doesn't dissolve in water? It will not absorb the med if it is not dissolved in the water? The key must be to let it dry so that it sticks?


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I find using it mixed into a gelfood (commercial or homemade) the easiest way to make medicated foods. Prepare the foods as normal then mix the med in and allow it to set into gel. Repashy is well liked by fish if your looking for something commercial.

@Normal, the product your mentioning is called Cyropro (made by Hikari). It's an insecticide used for treating crustaceous copepods such as anchor worm or fish lice. It works by interfering with their production of chitin. It's in similar to Dimilin and other organophosphate insecticides although it has been proven to be not quite as toxic to fish. I am honestly not quite sure how this product would be helpful in addressing a protozoa such as hex.


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[StrangelyNormal]

Ah okay. Thanks for the clarification. I only mentioned because the website actually says it treats hexamita. It's on National Fish Pharmacy.com.

Here's my source: http://store.nationalfishpharm.com/NFP-products-Crypto-Pro-59602.Item.html

I'm interested in finding out what this actually treats!

@caliban, yeah, looks similar to my case, they may help. The holes haven't yet gone away for him, but they have stopped growing and a few have disappeared.

 

[jlk]

Ah okay. Thanks for the clarification. I only mentioned because the website actually says it treats hexamita. It's on National Fish Pharmacy.com.

Here's my source: http://store.nationalfishpharm.com/NFP-products-Crypto-Pro-59602.Item.html

@caliban, yeah, looks similar to my case, they may help.

My apologies!! The product your talking about is quinine sulfate (or hydrochloride or gluconate). I thought you were talking about something different.

Ok, quinine is actually an old school med that's very effective in treating a variety of parasites (malaria). For sw ich and fw ich that are resistant to standard treatment methods, it's highly effective. It's also fairly safe when used properly, even with scaleless fish. It's something I have in my med cabinet. I am not familiar with its use for treating hex but I am now curious so I will let you know what I find that has scientific basis of information.

The problem with quinine is it is very difficult to obtain without a script thanks to it's nefarious uses.


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