Funkytown Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Another Q from the que... (that's a pun, get it?) :lol: I imagine there's a lot of products out there that aren't really that useful if you know what you're doing, while other's are indespensible the the aquarium hobby-ist. What's in your aquarium toolbox, and what is the biggest waste-of-timer in your opinion? Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 tedchnically were not aloud to say anythign bad about products on the site so i will tell yuo what i find useful. Stress Coat- i buy in bulk and use it as a dechlorinater and also gets rid of heavy metal in the water etc, also adds a slim that acts like a protective layer on the fishes scales that helps lessong stress. Stress Zyme- i also buy in bulk and along with Stress Coat adds millions of healthy bacteria that gets ur tank healthy and good balance of water perameters in no time, perfect for speeding up the cycling peroid. Flourish excel- my plants grow like mad with on it, it also keeps algae away or at least managable. Mellafix- Perfect medacine for fish, stops fin rot, and repairs broken fins very quickly. In my opinion the best medicate for fish with white spot is de-iodinised salt (i think thats what it is, som1 correct me if im wrong). Shae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_from_nz Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 for me I keep melefix, haven't needed it in a long time but still worth having tonic salt, I believe this to be the best general remedy formalin, when you have multiple fish tanks keep your nets dipped in a strong solution of this to keep any nasties from being cross infected white spot cure, once again haven't needed this in a long time but worth having ph down, scince I have moved I now have a problem with low ph not high ph so I don't use this any more ph up, well sodium bicarbonate aka baking soda because it is cheeper my biggest waste was liquid fertiliser I still have half a bottle lying around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 I don't have any medications, fertilisers, tonics etc at all and don't believe in adding anything to my tanks if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Just really agreeing with what has been suggested already: Melafix - based on teatree oil, useful for fin rot and speeding the healing of wounds. White spot cure - white spot (sometimes called ick) is one of the most common diseases hobbyists come across. Water conditioner/ager of some sort, this could be something like stress coat which can provide additional benefits or simply something to neutralise the chlorine in your tap water. I'd also suggest a pH test kit - you'll probably find that you use it while you're setting up and finding your feet and then use it less regularly as you become more familiar with how the pH changes in your tank between water changes. Then you (read 'I' ) become complacent and only dig it out when something isn't quite right with the tank and need to figure out if it is the pH or something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiverJohn Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 The only other product, not mentioned, i have in my box of "snake oils" is Aqua plus. Caryls method of not adding anything is also very valid IHMO. I am realitivly new to the hobby and aquired my tank second hand with an icecream container full of Ups, Downs etc. never touched them. Robs suggestion of a good test kit is very wise too. The one i use use does Ammonia, nitrite, ph (standard + high range) & hardness. I have added an Iron test kit now i have started adding real plants. Used to test things atleast once a week now "maybe" every 2 weeks. I would also recommend that every now and then you run your tests on your tap water - or what ever your using in your water changes. Its good to know your "baseline". I also keep a little notebook with the readings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wazza Posted January 5, 2005 Report Share Posted January 5, 2005 Hi all the above are what you need, just to let you know what I use. 1- Stress Coat in the top-up water when I do water changes, (15% every Sunday). 2- Melafix when I add new fish or make big changes within the tank. 3- Ground Shell, in my filters which keeps the water at the right PH, (you have to experiment a bit to find the right amount). 4- PH test kit, test once a week. 5- Ammonia, Nitrite and nitrate test kits, test once a month. 6- Flourish excel to help control algee growth. Nothing else, but every tank is different so you will need to find the right balance to suit your tank/s. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carriej Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 I don't use anything to cycle my tanks, but when I am setting up a new tank I will add a handful of gravel and 2-3 litres of water from an established tank once it has reached temperature and then put the fish in straitaway. The medications I keep on hand are melafix and white spot cure. I also have furan II in case of an outbreak of fungus. I have only had one, but from the time I spotted it, to the time the store opened and I got it, the fish in question had to be put down, and I could possibly have saved him if I had had furan. another thing I have experimented with is colloidal silver, and have had reasonable success in several cases, but I am not willing to discus this in public. I rerely use medications, the only fish that seem to need it are my siamese fighters, who I have found are prone to white spot, and as such I am careful about their interaction with other fishes. PH, ammonia and nitrite test kits are also useful to have. although I generally only use mine to perform investigations if something goes wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plecs Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 i got some colloidal silver but have yet to use it as I have no idea how much etc! If you could give me some advice Carriej i would be really interested, PM me if you want! I like Melafix, but rarely use it. I do use Aqua Plus to remove metals in the water and Cycle to add the good bacteria. Dont know if i really need to use the cycle but it makes me feel better! And have a bottle of Malkon on hand for white spot or any other problems. And a master test kit, which has all the main water tests, dont use it as often as i should though! Oh, and spare filter wool, always keep some on hand. plecs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carriej Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 WARNING: OPINION FOLLOWS Antibiotics and antibacterials are useful, but they have a hazardous affect on the cycle of the tank. I will only use them in an established tank as an absolute last resort. This has only happened once. If a fish has been injured I will remove them with a net, place a spot of malkon carefully on the injury and return them to the water.This may need to be done several times. The alternative to this, if I am shifting tanks, eg siamese fighters after breeding, is to take a bag of tank water, medicate the water, put them and float them for awhile before netting them back into the tank. I prefer to use colloidal silver for the latter method because colloidal silver is less harsh, although I believe it is just as effective. Never put colloidal silver in your tank, as it is an antibacterial and will have a very detrimental effect on your cycle. I used colloidal silver with great effect on our rats last week. a new rat was given to us that got sick and died shortly after arriving. two days later three of her cellmates were dead, and most of my other rats were showing signs of becoming sick (they started to bite, which is out of character) I caught them all one by one, and force fed them colloidal silver with a syringe, the rats who had taken the colloidal silver are still alive, and the two that wouldn't let me handle them died. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 I disagree, something like melafix introduces healthy bacteria and doesnt have any "detromental" affects on fish, other than the obviouse fact that it heals them and makes them healthier very fast. Shae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 Hang on Shae. Melafix is an anti-bacterial medication so how does it introduce healthy bacteria into a tank? This isn't to say it is not a good medication but it is made from Melaleuca (tea tree). Tea tree is commonly used as a germicide, antiseptic and disinfectant. It is also used in some acne medications. Aborigines use it for headaches, pain, colds and insect repellant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 My Bad i went out last night after i got off the internet and looked at my bottle was going to change my post this morning but didnt get up early enough Still i doubt there would be any "detromental" affects! Shae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_from_nz Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 colodial silver is not an anti bacterial agent it contains healthy bacteria, you are however paying about $25 per bottle that contains water and 1 ppm of silver a complete rip imo but it does work good for fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 The two items i use the most are: AquaPlus for water changes. used at least once a week. depending on which tank needs changing Tonic Salt. for cold water tank. seems to keep the fish healthy for some reason and no outbreaks. (touch wood) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carriej Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 colodial silver is not an anti bacterial agent it contains healthy bacteria, you are however paying about $25 per bottle that contains water and 1 ppm of silver a complete rip imo but it does work good for fish The colloidal silver I have is 7ppm and I get it for...... um......... about $15 :-? +postage for a 500 ml bottle. I am not recommending colloidal silver(in other words, don't blame me!) but if anyone really wants to know I can PM them the email contact for the guy I got it from. (may take me a couple of days to dig it out....) The bottle says: all natural biocide with know antibiotic properties.... can't see how healthy bacteria would be sustained in this mix, but I obviously have a different supplier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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