"carlrs" wrote in message
oups.com...

Zëbulon wrote:
"carlrs" wrote in message
ups.com...
Methylene Blue should be part of any aquarists first line of defence as
you stated "Usually the fish ends up dying from the
parasite before Aquarisol can kill it.", this Med works immediately in
a bath

I've seen improvement in bettas with velvet in 24 hours using Aquarisol.

I do not argue this, as velvet has a fast life cycle (as compared to
ich). Also I responding more to the other comment, not yours, as I don
not dispute your results. I prefer a
Methylene Blue bath as a first coarse of action when practicle.

I assume you remove the fish for treatment if it's a bath. Some people have
a lot of fish in larger tanks and that wouldn't be easy or practical. It's
been my experience that bacterial infections get their start with parasites.
I think we all know poor quality water takes down the fishes immune system
and makes them easy prey to bacterial and fungal infections with or without
parasites. This would be more a newbie to the hobbys problem. Experienced
aquarists keep the water in good condition. Parasites in new fish are why I
treat all incoming fish whether I see signs of them or not. Other people
disagree with this. We're all entitled to our own opinion. After a real
bad experience with gill-flukes I don't take chances anymore.

Also I mentioned Pimafix which also has proven to effective against
gram negative bacterial infections including columnaris which this may
have been.
Nitrfurazone, Kanamyacin, and Triple Sulfa also are effective here.

I was told these antibiotics are having less and less of an effect on
diseases due to overuse.

Pimafix , along with Melafix, and Usnic Acid are not antibiotics.
As for the antibiotics, that is again why I start with are methods of
treatment first to prevent over use, but Kanamycin in particular is
still very effective when not over used.

That's good to know. Thanks. :-)

Medicated Wonder shells also have some gram negative capabilities
(although this product is generally better for fungus and ich or
velvet), but this product also adds needed electrolytes and calcium,

What antibiotic do they contain? Does it effect the nitrifying bacteria?
And with bettas liking a softer acid water would calcium help them in any
way?

They contain no antibiotics. They contain Malachite Green, Copper
Sulfate, Acriflavin, and buffered Methylene Blue. The effect on
nitrifying bacteria is minimal (although like any "medication" they
should not be over used). Medicated Wonder Shells can be hard on plants
even over used.
As for calcium, recent studies show ALL fish including discus need
Calcium for proper osmotic function and disease prevention. The calcium
also buffers the Malachite Green lower toxicity. The Medicated and
Regular Wonder Shells also add electrolytes which are also very
important for aquarium Redox and fish health.
Here is a link to an article about this:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html

again which my years of aquarium maintenance experience and research
have shown (not mention many back in LA where I ran my service can
attest to!). The regular Wonder Shells are a product especially for
Betta bowls I think again should be part of many aquarists arsenal, but
this is hard to convince on the Usenet.

I don't recall seeing anything called Wonder Shells in the local stores.
What do they contain?

Wonder Shells have been around for quite a while in the LA area and are
still a popular product there with many aquarists. Medicated Wonder
Shells are a product I developed over the years of aquarium maintenance
based on what I felt was the need for a better ich/ velvet/ fungus
treatment that could also medicate when I was not present at a clients
aquarium. I used the wonder shell based on my experience with this
product as a good too for aquatic husbandry (despite the over blown
name, as this product is only a tool, not a "Wonder" cure all).

Hope all this helps as I respect your opinions.

Here is a link to Wonder Shells themselves with more info:
http://americanaquariumproducts.com/...nderShell.html

Carl

Thank you for the information.

--
ZB....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
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