# Sticky  The Fishy Medicine Cupboard



## LinznMilly

We all have a medicine cupboard for ourselves - over-the-counter painkillers, first aid kit, hayfever tablets . . . and so on.

When things go wrong, your first port of call should be water changes. Often, doing daily water changes alone might be enough to resolve the problem. But it helps to have things on hand for when water changes alone won't get rid of the problem.

Here is a list of some treatments to keep in the fishy medicine cupboard.

*Tonic Salt*
Salt (tonic or rock salt) is a good, safe, general treatment for various different problems, including whitespot and wounds/fun damage caused by aggression. There's even some evidence that salt will successfully treat columnaris as the bacteria causing it is intolerant of salt.

*Methalene Blue*
General antibacterial. Helps minor infections and wounds to heal. 
*
API Melafix and Pimafix*. 
Melafix is the equivalent of our TCP. Active ingredient is Tea Tree oil. Pimafix is a gentle anti-fungal. They can be used together to increase their efficacy. Active ingredient is Bay Tree oil.

*Malachite Green*
Treats protozoa and fungal infections. Often the active ingredient in whitespot treatments such as Waterlife's Protozin or King British's Whitespot Control.

*Anti Internal Bacteria*
Such as King British Disease Clear or Interpet's Number 9/Anti Internal Bacteria+

If anyone else has any suggestions they'd like to add, please feel free to comment.


----------



## George Duke-Cohan

LinznMilly said:


> We all have a medicine cupboard for ourselves - over-the-counter painkillers, first aid kit, hayfever tablets . . . and so on.
> 
> When things go wrong, your first port of call should be water changes. Often, doing daily water changes alone might be enough to resolve the problem. But it helps to have things on hand for when water changes alone won't get rid of the problem.
> 
> Here is a list of some treatments to keep in the fishy medicine cupboard.
> 
> *Tonic Salt*
> Salt (tonic or rock salt) is a good, safe, general treatment for various different problems, including whitespot and wounds/fun damage caused by aggression. There's even some evidence that salt will successfully treat columnaris as the bacteria causing it is intolerant of salt.
> 
> *Methalene Blue*
> General antibacterial. Helps minor infections and wounds to heal.
> *
> API Melafix and Pimafix*.
> Melafix is the equivalent of our TCP. Active ingredient is Tea Tree oil. Pimafix is a gentle anti-fungal. They can be used together to increase their efficacy. Active ingredient is Bay Tree oil.
> 
> *Malachite Green*
> Treats protozoa and fungal infections. Often the active ingredient in whitespot treatments such as Waterlife's Protozin or King British's Whitespot Control.
> 
> *Anti Internal Bacteria*
> Such as King British Disease Clear or Interpet's Number 9/Anti Internal Bacteria+
> 
> If anyone else has any suggestions they'd like to add, please feel free to comment.


Could natural health aids be added? Like the use of Indian almond leaves, I know they are not specifically classed as medical treatment but they have lots of good natural medical benefits.

Good post to be added. I am going to look into buying some rock salt , API do there own salt so I shall take a look at that. Thanks.


----------



## LinznMilly

George Duke-Cohan said:


> Could natural health aids be added? Like the use of Indian almond leaves, I know they are not specifically classed as medical treatment but they have lots of good natural medical benefits.
> 
> Good post to be added. I am going to look into buying some rock salt , API do there own salt so I shall take a look at that. Thanks.


Indian almond leaves are primarily marketed for their use in recreating natural blackwater set-ups and biotopes. Then, almost by extension, their ability to alter water chemsitry, bringing hardness and pH down. This alone means that the health benefits that the leaves reportedly have are restricted to softwater fish which naturally thrive in the conditions the leaves create.


----------



## George Duke-Cohan

LinznMilly said:


> Indian almond leaves are primarily marketed for their use in recreating natural blackwater set-ups and biotopes. Then, almost by extension, their ability to alter water chemsitry, bringing hardness and pH down. This alone means that the health benefits that the leaves reportedly have are restricted to softwater fish which naturally thrive in the conditions the leaves create.


Ok. Thanks. All I know is that they have some form of healing properties to them, if it is even enough to make a difference I don't know. But as long as my fish like it (shrimp go nuts for them) then I am happy.


----------



## LinznMilly

George Duke-Cohan said:


> Ok. Thanks. All I know is that they have some form of healing properties to them, if it is even enough to make a difference I don't know. But as long as my fish like it (shrimp go nuts for them) then I am happy.


I suspect they're better at preventing infections than curing them.


----------



## Magic Waves

I always keep API aquarium salt in but when i do water changes i always add API stress coat + only 10ml, i find it a good product.


----------

