With the availability of over-the-counter medications today, a breeder has many choices to make if his
guppies get sick. What I've found is most of them do not work because absorption of the drugs through
water is minimal. Another factor is that many of the drugs are being wrongly administered.
My five years having a large commercial Angelfish Hatchery in the early 90's, which bagged over
10,000 baby angels per day, taught me a valuable lesson in using medications. After hundreds of dollars
trying to treat problems with the standard over-the-counter meds to treat sick angels and guppies
I cried Uncle.
During those years many IFGA breeders had the same problem with wasting disease and their guppies,
with little to no success in curing this disease.
At the time I was a distributor for fish food and one of my customers, a Discus breeder, kept
on urging me to see a veterinarian to have my Angelfish and guppies analyzed for the problems that were
plaguing me. Reluctantly, I finally took my fish to see a veterinarian, just like you would take
your cat and dog. After a lengthy discussion, a few dissections and Electron Microscope work, he came
up with a solution for many of the mysterious deaths that were occurring in my fish room. What we
finally came up with is how to use medications properly for internal parasites, internal fungus and
when to give up. If you have guppies that are valuable for breeding purposes,the most effective
treatment is administered with a
Medicated Fish Food
.
Medication and Treatment Regime,
The ingredients for treating internal parasites are:
o Fenbendazole (Panacur)
o Oxalinic acid or Naladixic acid (antibiotics)
o Metronidazole
This is a cocktail to attack a broad-spectrum of problems. Panacur is a typical deworming medication for
dogs or horses. Unless you know a vet, the best place to look for it is in a farm supply store.
You will find it in a tube. Find on the label the actual amount of Fenbendazole in grams.
The two acids(antibiotics) can be purchased through the net. They are two antibiotics that must
be rotated. The Metronidazole is for Hexamita, another parasite that is common in fish.
That can also be found on the net. It is also in a woman's medication called Flagyl.
You make up the standard paste food of your choice or use a already prepared
Medicated Fish Food.
Feed your fish the first week a minimum once a day for a week the Medicated Fish Food.
Second week feed your normal fish food. Repeat feeding the
Medicated Fish Food the third week. I only feed this food during treatment,
sometimes they won't eat it unless hungry. The medicine kills the pathogen, not the eggs. You wait
for the eggs to hatch to repeat treatment and kill the newly hatched worms. After you have gone through
the 3 week regiment repeat in 6 months and again in 1 year.
You should treat your fish twice a year minimum or at least once a year with the above formula. As the vet
explained to me, in animal practices for herding animals this is done as to prevent sick animals from
contaminating the rest of the herd.
Breeding for Hardiness
Something else to consider is this. If your guppies are not strong enough to resist disease then
do not breed them. An old friend of mine and master breeder, Al Prall, would purposefully let
tank conditions deteriorate so that only a few would survive and he would breed the strongest survivors.
After many years of breeding guppies I have come to the same conclusion. This is a good way to breed
strong and vigorous guppies. I feel today many of our guppies are too pampered and weak.
Today I don't treat with medications except for internal parasites, which is either a paste food
for preventative measures or my
New Medicated Flake Food.
Before I make efforts to treat any fish I first make a decision if the fish are worth keeping.
This depends on their relationship to the total gene pool and what importance they have in my breeding plans.
If not I cull them.
Clamped Fins
If I see clamped fins, usually it is some form of bacterial build up or as has been
reported parasites.
I first check my water conditions
for PH, ammonia, and whatever else I am able to check. I then make a major water change approximately
50%. Next day I check to see how they are doing, if they still look clamped, I treat with salt
(make sure to check its 100% salt, no dextrose as some table salt will have that ingredient in it).
Don't be afraid, guppies are quite tolerant of salt. I never use salt in my tanks, so I can use it
for medicine when needed. In a 10 gal tank I typically use about a ½ cup or more. I start adding
it in ¼ cup increments and check each time to see how the gups are doing. In the past I have used
over 6 cups of salt to save some breeding stock without killing them, added gradually.
Bleach to Control Bacteria, CLAMPED FINS and other issues
These days I use ordinary household bleach (sodium hypocloride 6%, plain nothing else in it)
with the salt. To start, I put in one drop per 2 gallons to see how they react to this concentration
of bleach. If the guppies are stressed, it may affect their gills, so I reduce the
concentration and administer twice a day. Bleach will evaporate in less than 24 hours in bubbling water.
If I see no stress I place 8-10 drops per 10 gal. This usually goes on for about 3-4 days.
I have been told as many as 15 drops per 10 gal has been used without adverse affects.
The amazing thing I've seen with using bleach is that it does not damage the fins of the fish after
treatment, compared to other medications where the fins never return to normal. This treatment only works
for bacterial disease and not viral. I don't know how to tell if it is bacterial or viral. I make the
assumption that it is bacterial. If it is a virus you can kiss them all good-bye.
Before using Bleach for this treatment always check your water quality many times I find a
water change works.
This is what works for me. When trying new methods always start in gradual stages. I never use
full strength solutions, I have lost many fish because what worked for one didn't work for me.
Common sense and moderation is called for when treating your fish.
If anyone wishes to comment or even add to this as a discussion please contact me at
ed@fullredguppy.com
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