Are pill additives/binders safe for reef fish? Using crushed Chloroquine Phosphate (CP) tablets?

[Giraffe0621]

I got a chloroquine phosphate script filled at a regular pharmacy, not a vet pharmacy, so was dispensed CP pills, not powder. It didn't even occur to me until I got home to question whether or not the fillers added to make pills stick together are inert for reef fish & are safe to use?

I need to weigh one tablet to see how much the filler dilutes the actual 500 mg of CP before crushing it to add a 40 mg/gallon prophylactic dose (everyone looks healthy so far), but want to be sure this is a SAFE option first!

Thank you!!!

 

[dbl]

@Humblefish is our resident CP expert. I believe using the pills is acceptable but the concentration is different than using powder. Please wait for Humble to check in for confirmation.

 

[Humblefish]

The tablets are fine to use, but the downside is you get less "chloroquine base" out of them so you must dose more (which becomes more expensive). The following was taken from Bob Goemans online book, THE LIVING AQUARIUM MANUAL:

In most cases, 250 mg tablets have an equivalence of 150 mg chloroquine base, and 500 mg tablets have an equivalence of 300 mg chloroquine base. Although the purity mentioned above is generally accurate, it would be best to verify the chloroquine base contained in the tablets of your choice in order to be able to properly calculate the exact dosage. Keep in mind if you decide to use the tablets, there are some inactive ingredients, which you may have to deal with, e.g., Camauba Wax, Colloidal Silicon Dioxide, Dibasic Calcium Phosphate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Magnesium Stearate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Polyethylene Glycol, Polysorbate 80, Pregelatinized Starch, Sodium Starch Glycolate, Stearic Acid, and Titanium Dioxide. And as mentioned earlier in this chapter there are occasions where some medicines are not in their pure form (100% pure), i.e., mixed with a substance called a 'carrier,' which should be noted on its label. If so its potency is reduced, and if not sure about the exact amount of medication needed, suggest contacting a more experienced aquarist for the way to resolve this situation.

 

[Giraffe0621]

The tablets are fine to use, but the downside is you get less "chloroquine base" out of them so you must dose more (which becomes more expensive). The following was taken from Bob Goemans online book, THE LIVING AQUARIUM MANUAL:

The pills were cheap, but without running the thing through a mass-spec, I wouldn't really know if I was ever under-dosing or over-dosing, right? And I have no idea if any of those inactive ingredients are harmful or not. If something went wrong, I would never know if those could have been the problem.

Sounds like the simplest/safest thing to do would be to just get the powder, yes?

 

[Humblefish]

Sounds like the simplest/safest thing to do would be to just get the powder, yes?

Yes; but many people have used the tablets without issue. You just have to dose more. Sometimes the binder(s) found in the tablets will make the water turn cloudy, but that's more of an annoyance than a real danger.

 

[Giraffe0621]

Yes; but many people have used the tablets without issue. You just have to dose more. Sometimes the binder(s) found in the tablets will make the water turn cloudy, but that's more of an annoyance than a real danger.

thanks for your help -- I appreciate it!