Fish First Aid Kit

[Bettafanatic]

I really need to get myself a fish first aid kit. What are some good things to have in a first aid kit? I know aquarium salt would be good to have, but what else should I have so I can be prepared for any illnesses my fish might get. Suggestions?

 

[fort384]

Are you located far from a LFS? I wouldn't recommend going out and buying meds and other items as most have shelf lives, and will expire. Best to only get what you need when you need it.

 

[HUKIT]

I always keep some on hand as well, mostly due to how many fish are constantly coming in. Here is what I keep:

General Cure by API for internal parasites.
Clout by Mardel for internal parasites/Hexamita
Angels Plus medicated flakes for internal parasites/bactieral infections, all new fish are fed this for 7 days as part of QT process.
Fungus Clear by Jungle for bacterial infections such as Columnaris
Prime by Seachem for lots of water changes, most important part of keeping fish healthy.

I have others but this is my go to list the majority of the time.

 

[Bettafanatic]

@fort384 I do have an lfs nearby but they don't stock fish medications so if I ever would need any I'd have to order online, which would be wasting time I can't afford to lose.

@hukit thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into those.

What do you guys know about pimafix and melafix? Are they any good?

What's something good for treating stuff like ich and fin rot?

 

[HUKIT]

What do you guys know about pimafix and melafix? Are they any good?

What's something good for treating stuff like ich and fin rot?

In my opinion and experience Pimafix/Melafix are worthless, they don't address anything that pristine water conditions can't do.

Fin rot can be addressed again with pristine water parameters.

Ich is addressed from high heat/salt. I've never lost a fish to ich following that process.

 

[Bettafanatic]

Okay. I think I'll just look into the stuff you recommended me and stick with that. Yeah, I heard that pimafix and melafix weren't very good but I just wanted to make sure. I know the Angel Plus website so I'll order those antibiotic flakes when I get some money.

 

[Bettafanatic]

I'm on the Angels Plus website and wow they have a lot of different med flakes. I'm thinking of getting the de-worming flakes and the antibiotic flakes.

 

[HUKIT]

I'm on the Angels Plus website and wow they have a lot of different med flakes. I'm thinking of getting the de-worming flakes and the antibiotic flakes.

For me the anti-parasitic flakes are the most important due to keeping new world cichlids which certain issues like Hexamita is common. I've only had to treat for worms twice in twenty years.

 

[Bettafanatic]

I'm not onto cichlids yet, so I don't think I need the anti-parasitic flakes yet.

 

[jlk]

Things I would suggest are praziquantel, methylene blue and kanamycin (besides aq salt), especially if you are considering goldfish/koi for your pond. Keep in mind, the cost to treat a pond is astronomical compared to a tank. I would also consider finding a decent aquatic vet before you actually need one. Just something to think about!

 

[Bettafanatic]

I don't know about an aquatic vet. I think I will just try to fix up my pond fish on my own when I get them in spring. Thanks for the suggestion though. I'll keep it in mind