Wrasse Stopped Eating with White Stringy Poop

[ClutchCityReefer]

Great, thank you for the feedback and even more for providing some good reading/learning!

 

[Mattiejay6]

I don't think that has any benefit, unless you dose it accurately. I'm not sure how "soaking food in Metroplex" got so entrenched in the hobby. Soaking food in medication means that when you add that food to your tank, it is going to soak back out just as fast. Also, nobody has any idea as to the dose they are supplying. The proper way to dose metronidazole orally is 5000ppm bound up in gelatin food. Here is an article I wrote that discusses this:

Proper Dosing of Medicated Foods

This article offers information about developing medicated foods for aquarium fish

www.reef2reef.com

Jay

Hey Jay,

Does Sachem Focus not act as a binder to keep the medication on the food and reef safe?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hey Jay,

Does Sachem Focus not act as a binder to keep the medication on the food and reef safe?

Yes, Focus binds medications to foods, and helps keep it from rinsing off. The OP said they wanted to "soak their food", and that is a worse idea.

The problem with Focus, is the issue of the uncontrolled dose. Without a gram scale and careful calculations, you don't know how much medication your fish are getting. The Focus package label says mix it 5:1 but the bottle says mix it 1:1 = that's an unexplainable five times difference. Medications simply don't have that much margin of safety. Also, most medications needs to be dosed at mg of medication per kg of fish weight. That is touch to do, but we have a medicated food calculator here. Metronidazole is easier to dose, it is simply dosed at 5000 ppm in food. This is equal to 0.5% - you still need a gram scale though.

Jay

 

[ClutchCityReefer]

Thanks Jay - I've read you article and posts and have a gram scale for the kitchen accurate to hundreds of a gram so I think I would have the requisite tools, but I still feel like using Focus to bind to foods is too much of a dice roll for me.

Since I have many fish in the display of various sizes it seems like it would be impossible to calculate the right dosage and to make sure that it went to each fish in the right amount. I think for me it is just wait and see and hope no other occupants come down with similar symptoms.

Would you agree?

Thanks!

 

[Mattiejay6]

Yes, Focus binds medications to foods, and helps keep it from rinsing off. The OP said they wanted to "soak their food", and that is a worse idea.

The problem with Focus, is the issue of the uncontrolled dose. Without a gram scale and careful calculations, you don't know how much medication your fish are getting. The Focus package label says mix it 5:1 but the bottle says mix it 1:1 = that's an unexplainable five times difference. Medications simply don't have that much margin of safety. Also, most medications needs to be dosed at mg of medication per kg of fish weight. That is touch to do, but we have a medicated food calculator here. Metronidazole is easier to dose, it is simply dosed at 5000 ppm in food. This is equal to 0.5% - you still need a gram scale though.

Jay

Interesting! I never noticed the discrepancy in the packaging! I’ll email seachem to see if they would clarify what it is the true ratio of mixing! Maybe other have seen this and created confusion for them?

I find your posts very informative and thank you for taking the time to educate others! This hobby has come a far ways!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks Jay - I've read you article and posts and have a gram scale for the kitchen accurate to hundreds of a gram so I think I would have the requisite tools, but I still feel like using Focus to bind to foods is too much of a dice roll for me.

Since I have many fish in the display of various sizes it seems like it would be impossible to calculate the right dosage and to make sure that it went to each fish in the right amount. I think for me it is just wait and see and hope no other occupants come down with similar symptoms.

Would you agree?

Thanks!

Sorry - I was responding to two people on the same thread. Given that you have a gram scale, you could dose metroplex in food using Focus. The dose is 0.50% You may find though, that some fish find this level too bitter and may not feed well on it. Part of that may be due to the palatability of the food you are using to bind it to (heavily flavored foods may help mask the bitterness).

Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Interesting! I never noticed the discrepancy in the packaging! I’ll email seachem to see if they would clarify what it is the true ratio of mixing! Maybe other have seen this and created confusion for them?

I find your posts very informative and thank you for taking the time to educate others! This hobby has come a far ways!

They may have changed their labelling issue by now, the lot number of the one I saw the issue with is: 96992 exp 2/23

Jay

 

[ClutchCityReefer]

Jay thanks so much for answering all of our questions. I will look into making some of the medicated food as per your article then!

I looked into the Mazuri so essentially I would just use that to mix with the gelatin instead of blending together the ingredients you listed in your article?

I take it I can half/quarter/etc. the recipe as well to make less correct? Lastly would you suggest making one batch and just feeding the metro as suggested with the focus for 3 days, or is it more of a general formulary where I should combine all the medications you listed together in the dosage you suggested (enrofloxaxcin, kanamycin, etc.)

I guess I have a hard time diagnosing exactly what impacted the wrasse so I am trying to be thorough.

Thanks!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Jay thanks so much for answering all of our questions. I will look into making some of the medicated food as per your article then!

I looked into the Mazuri so essentially I would just use that to mix with the gelatin instead of blending together the ingredients you listed in your article?

I take it I can half/quarter/etc. the recipe as well to make less correct? Lastly would you suggest making one batch and just feeding the metro as suggested with the focus for 3 days, or is it more of a general formulary where I should combine all the medications you listed together in the dosage you suggested (enrofloxaxcin, kanamycin, etc.)

I guess I have a hard time diagnosing exactly what impacted the wrasse so I am trying to be thorough.

Thanks!

Here is the thing about Mazuri gel diet: most fish do not take to it readily. We find we must train them to feed on it in advance, and then just add medication if needed. Personally, I think you would be better off using Focus to bind up some of the foods the wrasse is already feeding on.

I only make medicated food with one drug in it at a time, I've never tried mixing them. Medicated food is such a hassle, that I only do it in cases where I know exactly what I'm treating for.

Jay

 

[ClutchCityReefer]

Got it, thanks Jay!