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| Koi Medications |
Formalin is a mixture of formaldehyde gas in water. It's not an easy mix to stabilize and sometimes they use Methanol to make it more stable.
Formalin and Formaldehyde are essentially the same things. Formalin, by definition, is Formaldehyde at a concentration of 37% in water. To use this, try to get Methanol free, but if not, expect some trouble from your smaller treated fish. Never use Formalin that contains a white precipitate - this is the toxic paraformaldehyde.
Use 1 ml per 20 l of water to create a 50 ppm concentration in the system, wait two hours and flush out the treatment water, sucking the outlet water from a bottom drain or vacuum if possible. If possible, remove the biological media to a fishless vat for the treatment period. Treat every day or every other day for three to five treatments for best results.
In main systems, Formalin binds oxygen and so you need to aerate.
Formalin will kill weak or piping fish.
Formalin will kill filter bacteria.
Formalin will consume massive amounts of oxygen while in use.
Don't expose any fish to Formalin for more than two hours. Use half
dose for Goldfish. That means you'd only use 25 ppm for two hours
then do a massive water change.
Potassium
permanganate is a common favourite in the treatment of Koi. It's
a very powerful medicament which can kill fish if not respected.
Potassium is a granular powder which turns the water purple during it's effect. It oxidizes organic material, including the surfaces of bacterial sores (ulcers) and the parasites that cause them. Once it spent it's energy on the pond and parasites, the potassium turns amber or brown and can be removed with a water change or with hydrogen peroxide.
Potassium permanganate is applied at the rate of one gram per 380 l of water or one level teaspoonful per 2,280 l. In case of over dosage or untoward reaction to the potassium, you should be aware that it is INSTANTLY de-activated by sodium thiosulfate or also by hydrogen peroxide. The neutralizing effects may last three to four days afterwards, inhibiting subsequent treatments. For best results with Flukes, (parasites of trematode class) you would be well advised to treat for several days, but being sure to apply a final treatment on day four or five. This intercepts any emerging trematodes that may have hidden on the bottom.
Dimilin® is a trademarked brand name for diflubenzuron. Dimilin® / diflubenzuron is one of many "benzoylphenylurea compounds" which are not pesticides but are regarded as IDI (insect development inhibitors). Other compounds in this category include "Program", "LarvaDex", etc.
About Diflubenzuron and other benzoylphenylurea compounds:
- Insect gyrase stops crustacean moulting, ends the life cycle of parasites you can see, like Anchor Worm and Fish Lice.
- These parasites are cleared in 3 - 4 days.
- Dose: One gram per 3785 l.
- Mix well in water, distribute evenly around pond. Many people use a plastic gallon jug and shake it well.
- Non toxic to filter, fish or plants
- Will kill crayfish, dragonflies, etc.
Dimilin® is not, and can not be, toxic to your fish at any
dose. Even though it is not water soluble, it works like a charm.
Chloramine-T
(n-chloro-para-toluene sulfonamide sodium salt) was investigated
in the search for an effective and safe flukicide for goldfish and
koi. Use of Chloramine-T for this purpose has been previously described,
but details were not readily available. Fingerling koi exposed to
concentrations of chloramine-T between 5-20 mg/l (ppm) for four-hour
static bath treatments were not associated with any mortality or
histological evidence of toxic effect. Furthermore, successful treatments
of infested koi, goldfish and tilapia were achieved with no mortality
or untoward effects following two four-hour bath exposures to 20
mg/l chloramine-T. Treatments were administered every other day
for a total of two times.
Water hardness, pH and temperature need to be considered when calculating a dosage for chloramine-T; hard water and high pH is associated with a wider margin of safety.
Gill and skin flukes are common external parasites of koi. Therapeutic compounds commonly employed by koi hobbyists in attempt to treat external fluke infestations include salt, potassium permanganate, formalin (alone or in combination with malachite green), Fluke Tabs®, organophosphates (such as malathion, trichlorfon or Masoten®, Dylox®) and praziquantel (Droncit®). There are various difficulties encountered with these agents.
Problems with commonly used treatments center around efficacy (i.e., a compound may not work effectively) and potential toxicity (to either the fish, the person applying the treatment, or the aquatic environment downstream). As examples of the former, we have increasingly observed salt and formalin to be ineffective for fluke eradication. This is presumably due to increasing resistance amongst strains of flukes that have been chronically exposed to these treatments. Potassium permanganate regimens, while usually effective, are sometimes complex for individual hobbyists to implement, and carry a fair degree of risk if excessive doses are delivered accidentally. Praziquantel is effective but expensive, and therefore is not usually a practical treatment for fluke infestations in the pond setting. Organophosphates, either used alone or in combination with a carbamate (as in the Fluke-Tab® product), have the multiple problems of developing resistance in the flukes (decreasing efficacy), potential toxicity to the fish if over-dosed, and environmental concerns (as well as safety concerns for the person applying the treatment).
Chloramine-T functions by slowly breaking down to hypochlorous acid, with the release of oxygen and chlorine. The active ingredient is p-toluene sulfonamide. Sunlight hastens the breakdown, therefore ponds should not be treated in bright sunlight, and the powder should be stored in the dark. Toxicity, as well as effective dose, is dependent upon water hardness, pH and temperature.
The reported dosing protocol for treating external bacterial and monogenean infections was designed for flow-through systems with four hour turnover periods. Chloramine-T is applied as a bath treament at the appropriate dose based upon water pH and hardness; such a system will have completely turned over (and no Chloramine-T should remain) after four hours. The reference also indicates that this treatment can be repeated as needed up to four times consecutively.
Chloramine-T appears to be a safe and effective bath treatment for external fluke infestations. It is likely that the margin of safety in koi ponds may not be so great under conditions of lower pH, softer water, and high temperatures; therefore, hobbyists are advised to experiment with conservative doses (in quarantine tanks if possible) and proceed with caution if they have these water conditions. It is recommended to take the filter off-line during the four hour treatments, to avoid any effect of the compound on filter bacteria. Apply the compound when oxygen levels are highest (late afternoon usually), and continue to aerate vigorously during treatment. Should the fish show any signs of distress, remove them to clean water (if treatment is applied in a quarantine tank), or perform a 20-50% water change on the pond. I repeat that it would be best to experiment with a small isolation tank before treating one's whole pond, especially if unsure about the chemistry of the water supply.
Chloramine-T may well have efficacy against external bacterial infections in koi; it may thus have a role in managing these problems as well (as an adjunct to the prime goals of keeping the pond clean, the water quality excellent, and the system not over-stocked). Chloramine-T is used for the treatment of bacterial gill disease, and is available through some pond supply stores. It is advised that Chloramine-T not be used with formalin or benzalkonium chloride, and that users avoid skin or eye contact with the product. The powder and strong stock solutions should also not be allowed to come into contact with metal. Many suppliers consider it an under-utilized compound in the home pond arsenal. These results indicate that it may be an effective and more user/fish friendly alternative to some of the other compounds currently used by koi hobbyists.
Salt use is always recommended before you try anything else for parasites. This is so because it has so many benefits over other medicaments, namely:
- It does not harm the majority of fish species.
- It does not push sick fish "over the edge."
- It eliminates, quickly, 7 of 9 parasites.
- It does not get bound out of the system by organics or sunlight.
- It does not pose a health risk to humans contacting it.
- It is CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP.
- It won’t harm your filter!
Procedure:
Remove submerged plants. Perform a fifty percent water
change, and clean the pond as well as reasonably possible without
causing undue delay in treatment. Apply one teaspoon of non iodized
table salt per 4 litre of water every 12 hours for three treatments
(3 tsp per 4 l). Alternatively, for larger systems, dose one kg
per thousand litre of water every 12 hours for three treatments
(3 kgs per 1000 l). Add all at once in the case of epidemic mortality.
Salt is a superior remedy for many different reasons. However, no yellow prussiate of soda should be in the salt. Prussic acid is hazardous to fish because it dissociates into prussic acid in water!
Add the salt all at once if fish are dying off rapidly. Add one kg per 1000 l per day, for three days if fish are merely sick. This avoids occasional filter-shock. (2-3 day nitrite spike).
Salt will not harm hardy Lilies, common Papyrus, or Irises. It will cause yellowing of Hyacinths, Celery and Water Lettuce, and it will kill Anachris, String Algae, Cabomba and Elodea.
Strengths
3 kg per 1000 l = 0.3%
6 kg per 1000 l = 0.6% (maximum permissible)
Leave salt in the pond for 14 days minimum, then remove by partial water changes over subsequent weeks.
A Closantel-Mebendazole combination, Supaverm was tested in eight discrete systems on several species of fish, with Goldfish and Koi in the majority. Within five to seven days from the first applications of Supaverm, and replicated in eight different systems, every member of every species of goldfish was 100% annihilated including Ranchus, Pembrookes, Midnights, Wakins, Telescopes, Shubunkins and Comets. Salt appears to enhance the killing effect of Supaverm on flukes. Carbon does not remove sufficient compound to save the Goldfish in treated systems. There appears to be no negative effect of Supaverm on Koi. It was 100% effective in the eradication of flukes in all systems in less than 36 hours without negative effect on plants, Koi or filter.
Supaverm is the trade name of a nematode and cestode treatment from Janssen Animal Health. The active ingredients are Closantel (5mg/ml) and Mebendazole (75mg/ml).
This belongs to the chemical group of benzimidazolecarbamates. Its full chemical name is: Methyl 5-benzyl-1H-benzimidazole-2yl-carbamate.
This is a new broad-spectrum anti-parasitic medicine. It is especially effective against nematodes and cestodes, including hepatic flukes. It's full chemical name is: N-[5- chloro-4-[(chlorophenyl)cyannomethyl]-2-methylphenyl]-2-hydroxy-3,5-diiodobenzamid. Molecular formula of Closantel is C22H14Cl2I2N2O2
Mr. Chuck Downs had read with interest the reports from the UK concerning this compound and made arrangements to provide us with some Closantel/Mebendazole combination for testing purposes.
He writes: "Recently, I've discovered that koi keepers throughout the UK and even some of the breeders in Japan have been using a new treatment for flukes called Supaverm. From what I know, Supaverm is actually a 'sheep dip', and contains Closantel at 5 mg/l and Mebendazole at 75 mg/l as the active ingredients. The results look fantastic, with universal 100% elimination of flukes, with only one treatment (adults, eggs, etc. all wiped out)".
"The nice part is the dosage which is extremely low (2.2 ml per ton, or 1000 litres). Since my pond is 22,000 gallons (roughly 85,000 liters), that only amounts to 187 ml to treat my pond. A gallon of the stuff costs around $50 US, but I think you can only get it in the UK."
Eight systems were treated with Supaverm:
System 1: 150 gal 1 Red tail catfish 22"
System 2: 150 gal 8 Koi, 12 Pembrooke, 7 Wakin goldfish
System 3: 150 gal Pacu, Alligator snapping turtles.
System 4: 10 gal 4 Shubunkin Goldfish
System 5: 10 gal 4 Shubunkin Goldfish
System 6: 10 gal 4 Shubunkin Goldfish
System 7: 4000 gal Koi and Koi:Comet hybrids
System 8: 300 gal 12 Ranchu Goldfish breeder adults, 2 Small Koi
Systems 1 through 3 were also treated with 0.3% salt. Systems 4 through 6 used carbon in their filtration.
Regimen Used:
Each system was populated with fish. In all of the systems containing
Koi or Goldfish, the presence of flukes was confirmed by microscopic
biopsy of skin, gills and fins. The systems with the other fish
were included to test the safety of this compound with unknown species
of fish.
On Day one, each system was treated with the equivalent of 1 ml of Supaverm per 100 US gallon of water.
In systems 1 through 3, no second treatment was needed for the flukes. Microscopic biopsy confirmed that the flukes were entirely gone within only 12 hours. Ich remained on these fish for three more days and disappeared.
In systems 4 through 6, a second biopsy at the twelve-hour mark
showed abundant flukes. These systems were not salted, and they
contained carbon. It is possible that the carbon removed some of
the Supaverm, or more likely; that the salt accentuates the Supaverm
effect on the flukes. We re-applied the Supaverm at double strength,
twenty-four hours after the first application. After twelve more
hours, flukes were completely gone from treated fish.
Well, that's where the story normally would end, and I sent out
a message hearkening the "beginning of the end" for Flukes.
To the day, seven days after the first treatment in systems 1 through 3, the goldfish began to die in threes and fours with almost no symptom except lethargy, slowed respiration and reaction-time, plus excess slime coat. System 4 through 6 were set up all at the same time, and those fish died within five days of application. (Higher dose used results in speedier kill?)
System 7 and 8 saw the end of all resident goldfish two days later. (I had waited to treat these systems with Supaverm for 48 hours to see if the drug would be toxic).
System 7 contained Goldfish-Koi hybrids, and these hybrids are still alive eleven days after the first treatment.
No Koi was adversely affected by the Supaverm.
Nearly every koi enthusiast uses a dechlorinating agent. Unless you are one of the blessed few who has access to a good, clean, unclorinated well, you'll need to pick a dechlorinating agent. Every time you add water, you need to add dechlor. Simple, isn't it? There are those who don't like to use dechlor unless they are adding more than a certain percentage of "new" water. These ponders tend to cite possible long-term toxicity problems, fear of upsetting the ponds natural "balance", or just have a natural aversion to adding chemicals to their pond.
Lets face the cold hard facts: We live in a chemical society. If you are afraid of toxin effect on your fish by using dechlor, consider this - the water you are adding to your pond is, in and of itself, toxic to fish owing to the presence of chlorine and chloramines in our water supply. If you put a fish in our tap water, that fish may die inside of 24 hours. If you don't kill it outright, you'll have a stressed fish with fried gills, low appetite, low immune system, etc. Our tap water contains added chlorine, copper, ozone, chloramines, and a host of other chemical in an effort to kill bacteria and virus particles which would be potentially harmful to humans. These chemicals are in fact fish-killers!
Manufactured by Kordons, Inc., this product neutralizes both chlorine and chloramines instantly. It is non-toxic even at insanely-high doses. Even at dosage of more than 5 times the recommended label dose for weeks at a time it is harmless. Shippers routinely add a squirt of AmQuel to shipping bags to ensure any ammonia produced during transport is instantly neutralized. There is nothing in any of the current trade publications to indicate this stuff is toxic or detrimental to your koi when used at the label dose. If you are still nervous about adding "chemicals" to your pond, cut the label dose in half when you are doing small, fractional water changes. For large changes however, use this stuff correctly at the published label dosage. There have been reports that AmQuel binds oxygen or coats the gills with slime. Untrue. Amquel does not contain any of the oxygen-binding aldehydes found in other dechlorinators. Neither does it promote slime secretion or build-up on the gills.
This is another good choice if you don't mind playing chemist. Sodium Thiosulfate is a chemical powder available from many chemical supply houses. It is dirt cheap and a little goes a long way. Sodium-T works wonders on chlorine-only tap water and is harmless to fish. If you have only chlorine, this stuff is all you'll need. Note however that for systems using chloramines, the chlorine will be neutralized but the ammonia will still be active. Generally speaking, if all you ever do is small partial water changes, the tiny amount of ammonia freed by the sodium-T will be consumed by the biofilter within just a few hours. For a major water change with chloramines-treated water, or where biofilter activity is impaired (cold water, new biofilter) AmQuel is a better choice.
The bottom line is this: If you add any water, you need to dechlorinate. Chlorine/chloramines are toxic to fish. Declor is cheap, koi are expensive. A good declor when used at the label dose will not hurt your prize fish. Chlorine or chloramines in even trace amounts WILL.
Bacteria are minute organisms invisible to the naked eye. There are many different types of bacteria and they are probably the most diverse group of organisms on the planet – each like a little chemical factory. Very few species are pathogenic (disease-causing). Pathogens, such as Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Flavobacterium and Cytophaga are the bacteria that are usually involved with bacterial disease such as ulcers, fin rot, acute septicaemia and bacterial gill disease.
Although they are incredibly small most pathogenic bacteria have tremendous reproductive potential. They simply divide in two and once each half has re-grown sufficiently they divide again. Under ideal conditions the reproductive cycle can be as little as 20 - 30 minutes, which means that just one bacterium can multiple to several million within 24-hours or so! Some bacteria produce toxins that are excreted into the blood and tissues of the host. Other bacteria do not secrete a soluble toxin but make an endotoxin that is liberated when the cell dies and disintegrates. In addition to toxins the virulence of many bacteria is partly due to the production of extracellular enzymes, which attack healthy fish cells. So although tiny, the net effect of millions of bacteria can quickly overwhelm the defenses of the fish host – which is why early treatment is so vital if the fish is to survive.
Antibiotics are chemical substances produced by microorganisms that either destroy (bactericidal) or inhibit the growth of other microorganisms (bacteriostatic). Antibiotics can be either broad spectrum, which means that they are active against a wide range of microorganisms – both good and bad. Narrow spectrum drugs target a specific group of microorganisms and are able to interfere with a metabolic process specific to those organisms. In general antibiotics work by:
Preventing the synthesis of bacterial cell-wall components – typically penicillin;
Damaging the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane;
Interfering with protein or nucleic acid synthesis – typically tetracyclines
However, the microorganisms are able to produce enzymes that neutralise antimicrobial compounds. Others can acquire resistance to weak, short-term or repeated exposure to antibiotics. For example there are now high levels of resistance to oxolinic acid and oxytetracycline because of overuse and misuse.
The range of drugs available or licensed for use with fish is generally small and all antibiotics are classed as prescription-only medicines and are only available under veterinary supervision. Among the antibiotics in common use are:
Broad-spectrum penicillins - that include amoxycillin and ampicillin. These are bactericidal in action but are not very effective against Pseudomonas.
Chloramphenicol - a broad spectrum antibiotic, but again it is not usually effective against Pseudomonas.
Potentiated Sulphonamide drugs - a sulphurdrug combined with trimethoprim. They are broad spectrum and mainly bacteriostatic. Co-trimazine is a combination of trimethoprim and sulphadiazine and Borgal is a combination of trimethoprim and sulfadoxine. They are effective against Aeromonas, but not particularly effective against Pseudomonas.
Gentamicin - a broad spectrum antibiotic with a bactericidal effect. It is useful against Pseudomonas but can be toxic to kidneys. There is concern that bacteria may acquire rapid resistance, so it would not be the drug of first choice but does have a use when other drugs do not work.
Nitrofurans - a group of synthetic antimicrobials. Both nifurpirinol and nitrofurazone are effective against many fish pathogens. They are well absorbed through the skin, making them ideal for bath treatments. However, they are carcinogenic and mutagenic and their use with food fish is illegal in most countries.
Oxytetracycline - a bacteriostatic drug with a broad spectrum of activity. However, there is widespread resistance and it has little effect on Pseudomonas. The long-acting injectable formulation has caused sterile cysts at the injection site. When used for bath treatments it readily chelates calcium and magnesium ions found in hard water, significantly reducing its effectiveness. It is also light-sensitive when used as a bath treatment, turning brown as it decomposes. The degraded form can be toxic to both fish and humans. Some studies show that oxytetracycline is immunosuppressive in some fish species.
Quinolones - narrow spectrum range of drugs acting mainly against Pseudomonas and Aeromonas. The first generation quinolones include oxolinic acid to which there is now widespread resistance. Newer quinolones include enrofloxacin and sarafloxacin. These are effective against Pseudomonas and Aeromonas. All quinolones are chelated in hard water, so they are not practical for bath treatments. They are well absorbed through the gut, making them useful for medicated food.
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