Here are few and common saltwater diseases treatment methods that are available when diseases strike one of your saltwater fish.
But remember, the best remedy for diseases in the saltwater aquarium is prevention!
Try to use treatments that are available commercially instead of homemade remedies.
Other experts recommend chemicals like malachite green or potassium permanganate.
These chemicals must be handled in exact dosages which can be tough for you to do. The fish will die faster than the disease would have if they overdose.
You can also discuss possible treatment methods with your local dealer and have them advise you on the best commercial remedies.
You can also call a veterinarian and ask a few questions. If he or she doesnt handle fish, ask for a recommendation on who does.
Remove the activated carbon from your filters when you medicate your aquarium. Carbon neutralizes many medications.
Direct aquarium treatment method
This involves applying therapeutic agents directly into your aquarium with the fish that has the disease.
This method is sometimes called a long bath. This is not always effective though.
In other cases, medication may be absorbed by the aquarium decorations or filter media or they may be toxic to filter bacteria.
Fish medications are also toxic to invertebrates. It is better to isolate the fish in another tank.
The hospital tank
Other aquarist isolates the fish that is infected in a quarantine tank. This is also called the isolation tank.
The fish or invertebrate can be evaluated for signs of disease before it is introduced into the main aquarium.
Its ok not to set up another smaller isolation tank before you introduce the fish to the main aquarium. But I highly recommend using or setting up a hospital tank to isolate the ones that are suffering from disease.
It will reduce the likelihood of the disease spreading to others. It helps you to treat the fish without subjecting other fish to the treatment. It also helps observe and diagnose the ailing fish.
As you become more and more expert in this hobby, you will get expensive fish that you wont want to expose to disease. A hospital will be mandatory. It can also be used as a quarantine tank as long as it has not recently housed a fish that has a disease.
The dip treatment method
This one involves removing the infected fish from the aquarium and dipping it into a bath containing a therapeutic agent or fresh water.
The dip is brief enough so that you will not injure the fish, but long enough to kill the pathogen.
This method doesnt treat the main aquarium, just the fish.
The freshwater dip involves dipping a saltwater fish that is infested with parasites into a freshwater bath for three to five minutes.
It is prepared as follows:
- Fill a 1- to 2-gallon container full of conditioned fresh water. Match the temperature and pH of the main saltwater aquarium.
- Ad a quart of saltwater to the batch to reduce the osmotic shock to the fish.
- Net the fish and place it in the container for three to five minutes.
Internal medication
Some remedies must have to be done internally. This is usually done by injection or by feeding the remedy to the fish.
Do not do the injecting yourself if you’re not experienced! Feeding the fish the food that is medicated is as hard as well.
This treatment method is somewhat successful. So try to avoid this option if you can.