Refrigerating Medicine + Medicated Food

[FESHMAN]

Have you tested your water?

No

If yes, what is your ammonia?

0

If yes, what is your nitrite?

0

If yes, what is your nitrate?

0

If I did not test my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.

Do you do water changes?

Yes

What percentage of water do you change?

71-80%

If I do not change my water...

...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.

Hi everyone, I have 2 questions I figured I'd lump into one thread

1) Can medicine be stored in the fridge to extend its shelf life? The suppliers where I live are very unreliable so I have to stock up whenever they have them. Does medications like Levamisole, Praziquantel, Fenbendazole etc degrade significantly over time or are the expiry dates just for regulation purposes? Because I've heard someone say that

2) For internal pathogens; how to know the amount (by weight) of a certain medication to add per unit mass of food? For gel or bound food mixes that is, in my brain soaking pellets and tossing them in the water wouldn't be as effective because the medicine would easily diffuse through the pellet and back into the water column.

I haven't found any specific dosing online, the ones I've found recommend adding "some" of X medicine to the food, so any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[..puSkar..]

kno4te Rocksor RD. Charney

 

[FESHMAN]

The questions also hold for antibiotics like: Erythromycin, Oxytetracyline, Nitrofurazone etc.

 

[FJB]

I don't know the answer to your questions, but I have pondered on them as well.
For my own practices, food (medicated or not) is kept in the refrigerator, except for a small container for daily use, which is refilled as needed. Medicines, also in refrigerator.
Expiration dates are guidelines. It does not mean that on that very day (or the next) they will go bad. But effectiveness may decline (or go away completely) too long past expiration dates. Refrigeration slows down decline, but it is best to use fresh medicine if possible.

 

[kno4te]

Believe it can extend the shelf life but antibiotics dissolved in water is an exception. For dosing, I’d go with the directions. What are you treating? IP for hexamita?

 

[RD.]

2) For internal pathogens; how to know the amount (by weight) of a certain medication to add per unit mass of food? For gel or bound food mixes that is, in my brain soaking pellets and tossing them in the water wouldn't be as effective because the medicine would easily diffuse through the pellet and back into the water column.

Typically when treating IP's with certain meds, one can either mix the food with meds, or treat the water itself. As an example, I have posted the following a number of times over the years.

Metronidazole works on internal pathogens/parasites such as Spironucleus aka Hexamita via bath, see below.

Dr. Edward J Noga suggests:

1. Bath

a. Add 19mg/gallon and treat for 3 hours. Repeat every other day for 3 treatments.

2. Prolonged Immersion

a. Add 25mg/gallon and treat once daily for a total of 3 times.
b. Add 95mg/gallon and treat every other day for three days.

3. via feed

25 mg/Kg of body weight/day for 5 to 10 days, or 100 mg/kg of body weight for 3 days. Retreat once if required.


Dr. Edward J. Noga, MS, DVM, is a highly respected professor of aquatic medicine and immunology, that has been published approx. 150 times in related papers/journals. His lab at NC State University specializes in the study of infectious diseases of finfish and shellfish. His book, Fish Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment is the go to "health" book for every serious fish keeper and aquatic DVM.

 

[FESHMAN]

For dosing, I’d go with the directions

I'm referring to veterinary use medications and I'm not sure if the dosage for cattle and poultry would translate well to fish.

What are you treating?

I'll be upfront and honest I've been neglecting some of my tanks for a while now (due to reasons), and in that while I never quarantined new fish fish that came in. I also got some floating plants that brought snails with them that I suspect brought something nasty. So I want to clear everything out as a precaution (it's a one time thing I wont be doing it periodically). I've had 2 fish die from "bloat" while every other fish is ok and display no symptoms whatsoever

25 mg/Kg of body weight/day for 5 to 10 days, or 100 mg/kg of body weight for 3 days. Retreat once if required.


Dr. Edward J. Noga, MS, DVM, is a highly respected professor of aquatic medicine and immunology, that has been published approx. 150 times in related papers/journals. His lab at NC State University specializes in the study of infectious diseases of finfish and shellfish. His book, Fish Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment is the go to "health" book for every serious fish keeper and aquatic DVM.

Thank you for the reply, but how does that translate to smaller fish like plecos and even smaller fish? Do I need to weigh each fish on a scale to figure out the ratio? For larger fish it's easy to net them out and force feed them the solution with a syringe but for delicate smaller fish I'm not sure if I could pull that off. Thanks for book recommendation I'll look into that.

 

[kno4te]

Yea dosing for livestock won’t translate to fish. So far if the fish aren’t sick then I’d leave them be and start to care for the tanks.

 

[RD.]

hank you for the reply, but how does that translate to smaller fish like plecos and even smaller fish? Do I need to weigh each fish on a scale to figure out the ratio? For larger fish it's easy to net them out and force feed them the solution with a syringe but for delicate smaller fish I'm not sure if I could pull that off. Thanks for book recommendation I'll look into that.

I thought that the BATH portion of that was self explanatory - no need to weigh the fish.

 

[Charney]

Hi everyone, I have 2 questions I figured I'd lump into one thread

1) Can medicine be stored in the fridge to extend its shelf life? The suppliers where I live are very unreliable so I have to stock up whenever they have them. Does medications like Levamisole, Praziquantel, Fenbendazole etc degrade significantly over time or are the expiry dates just for regulation purposes? Because I've heard someone say that

2) For internal pathogens; how to know the amount (by weight) of a certain medication to add per unit mass of food? For gel or bound food mixes that is, in my brain soaking pellets and tossing them in the water wouldn't be as effective because the medicine would easily diffuse through the pellet and back into the water column.

I haven't found any specific dosing online, the ones I've found recommend adding "some" of X medicine to the food, so any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

What drugs in particular do you want oral doses for?