Aquarium Pharmacy 💊🐟 [list]

I’m not a pharmacist nor a vet. I wrote this for my own reference. Verify usage and dosage yourself. Using something carelessly can kill fish, kill plants, disrupt nitrogen cycles, or leave permanent stains.

Antibiotics

• Kanamycin sulfate
  • Type: Antibiotic pharmaceutical
  • Use: Fin rot, dropsy, pop-eye, columnaris
  • Contained In: Seachem Kanaplex
• Erythromycin
  • Type: Antibiotic pharmaceutical
  • Use: Fin rot, pop-eye, columnaris
  • Contained In: Fritz Maracyn, API E.M. Erythromycin
• Doxycycline hyclate
  • Type: Antibiotic pharmaceutical
  • Use: Columnaris
  • Contained In: API Fin & Body
• Sulfathiazole
  • Type: Antibiotic pharmaceutical
  • Use: Fin rot
  • Contained In: Seachem Polyguard
• Nitrofurazone
  • Type: Antibiotic pharmaceutical
  • Use: Columnaris, fin rot
  • Contained In: Seachem Polyguard, API Super Ick (primarily an antiparasitic, nitrofurazone is for related bacterial infections), Furan-2 (discontinued)
  • Nitrofurazone is a human carcinogen

Antifungals

• Methelyne blue
  • Type: Chemical compound
  • Use: Inhibiting fungal disease, fungus on fish eggs, cotton wool disease
  • Contained In: Kordon Methelyne Blue, also found in small amounts in Seachem StressGuard
  • Stains aquarium surfaces and kills plants, suggest using only in a dedicated quarantine tank
• Malachite green
  • Type: Chemical compound
  • Use: Inhibiting fungal disease, cotton wool disease, velvet
  • Contained In: Seachem Polyguard
  • Malachite green may be a human carcinogen

Antiparasitics

• Praziquantel
  • Type: Antiparasitic pharmaceutical
  • Use: Flukes, general internal parasites, especially the Tapeworm
  • Contained In: Hikari PraziPro, Fritz PraziCleanse, Fritz Paracleanse, API General Cure
• Metronidazole
  • Type: Antiparasitic pharmaceutical
  • Use: hole-in-head, general internal parasites
  • Contained In: Seachem MetroPlex, Fritz MetroClenase Fritz Paracleanse, API General Cure
  • Metronidazole may be a human carcinogen
• Formaldehyde
  • Type: Chemical compound
  • Use: External parasites: Ich, velvet, flukes
  • Brands: Hikari Ich-X
  • Formaldehyde is known a human carcinogen, and malachite green is considered to potentially be one too.
    • I avoid using formaldehydes for this reason alone or only use them in separate quarantine tanks. Since these are used for parasitic treatments, I alternatively recommend glutaraldehydes or copper as a safer alternative.
• Glutaraldehydes
  • Type: Chemical compound
  • Use: External parasites: Ich, velvet, flukes
  • Brands: Seachem ParaGuard
  • I use these in aquarium water columns because they have no evidence of human carcinogenicity.
• Malachite green
  • Type: Chemical compound
  • External parasites: Ich, velvet, flukes
  • Contained In: API Super Ick
  • Malachite green may be a human carcinogen
  • Malachite green is usually paired with formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde mixes, though in some products like API Super Ick, it’s the main ingredient. It’s also an antifungal. These are industrial dyes which work by penetrating parasitic cells in a way which intefere with their metabolism.
• Quinacrine dihydrochloride
  • Type: Antiparasitic pharmaceutical
  • Use: hole-in-head
  • Contained In: Seachem Polyguard
• Levamisole hydrochloride
  • Type: Antiparasitic pharmaceutical
  • Use: general internal parasites, especially the Callamanus worm
  • Contained In: Fritz Expel-P
• Copper
  • Type: Chemical compound
  • Use: Ich, velvet
  • Contained In: Copper Power, Coppersafe, Seachem Cupramine
    • Between brands, copper treatments are chemically different.
      • In forms like Copper Power or Coppersafe, the copper is present in a “chelated” form, which locks the copper inside other organic molecules, making it less “aggressive”. These types of copper are ideal as a first, less aggressive treatment option if the disease is caught early.
      • In Cupramine, the copper form is bound instead to an ammonia-like compound to prevent it from being toxic. Cupramine therefore cannot be safely mixed in tanks which have used common water/ammonia conditioners like Seachem Prime because the conditioner can instantly break the copper away from its amine-bond, making it instantly more toxic to all fish. For that reason, amine-bound coppers like Cupramine are probably better as second options, i.e. in tightly controlled quarantine tanks or in cases where the disease is already very progressed.
  • Copper in miniscule amounts will eradicate invertebrates like snails and shrimp.

Non-drug / natural ingredient

• Salt (sodium chloride)
  • Type: Chemical compound
  • Use: Osmogregulation (fish breathing), inhibiting growth of bacteria/fungus/parasites
  • Salts do not evaporate. You need to be mindful of how much salt you add over time. To remove salt, you must do water-removals.
• Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
  • Type: Chemical compound
  • Use: Constipation
• Tree extract oils
  • Type: Natural extract
  • Use: Dubious anti-microbial properties
    • These are often marketed at “fixes” and “remedies”. In my experience these do not do anything. You are better off finding a real drug.
  • Contained In: API Melafix, API Pimafix, API Bettafix, Imagitarium Bacterial Remedy