What's In Your Fish Medical & Supply Kit?

[Deleted User]

When it comes to your fish, please list thing things you try to always have on hand (including what you think is obvious) as far as supplies and medications.

I'm new to this and would bet there are things I should ad to my "kit". I know for my horse vet kit and horse foaling kit, the lists are a MILE long.

What I always have on hand for fish right now includes:

Food for each variety of fish
Nets in various sizes
Filter cartridges
Aquarium Salt (not used routinely anymore, but on hand)
Super Ick Cure (just in case)
Water Conditioner
Spare plastic plant and other decorations
Tubing
Thermometer (to take temp of water for changes -- but to be honest, I do not use it... I just go by feel (really bad idea?))
Stress Zyme (good, live bacteria)
Ammo Lock
Amonia and Nitrate Testing Kits
Python for filling and emptying
50' (non-python) 1/2 tubing w/ pump (drain to yard)
Buckets and 4.5g acryllic tanks
Insulated "Picnic" Cooler (I use it for when we go fish shopping in case it may be a little while before we get back home)



Thanks all I can think of that I have on hand as far as supplies and meds.

What do you all keep? What items and supplies would you recommend to me and others kind of just setting up a fish "kit"?

Thanks! thumbs2:

[Northernguy]

I have some Melafix and nox-ich.
Thats all I ever use besides a bit of salt.I always have buckets of clean dechlorinated water handy.
I still beleive that fresh water is some of the best meds!

[DrNic]

I keep a pretty similar list,

Lots of food (different varieties)
A couple of spare filter cartridges although I reuse them so these are just for emergencies
pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate kits
Extra thermometer(s)
Extra heater
air pump (I don't use air pumps in my tanks anymore but I keep a couple around in case I medicate the tanks)
Primafix
Melafix
Jungle Ick Clear Tabs
Jungle Fungus Clear Tabs
Water conditioner

For a 'kit' I would do conditioner, a general testing kit, food, and maybe small bottles of Prima- and MelaFix. Should be good to start with.

[Lady Hobbs]

There's a difference between what we keep on hand and what is used for the hobby in general.

"On hand" I keep aquarium salt, charcoal, Melafix, Pimafix and Ick Guard.
The python, hoses, air pumps, etc, are all just normal equipment needed.

I also have a couple small tanks incase of emergencies.

[Deleted User]

There's a difference between what we keep on hand and what is used for the hobby in general.
True! I think what I was looking for is if you were talking to someone new into the hobby, what supplies and "extra" (besides tanks, filters, heaters, gravel) would you recommend they get.

Couple of things I see I forgot to put on my list, and some things I will be getting in my cabinet in short order!

[rich311k]

I have dechlor usually Prime.
Bag of pillow stuffing. (I never replace sponges).
A couple of ten gallon tanks if needed.
Spare heater.

Thats it.

[Rue]

I have all the standard supplies...but for meds, all I have is salt and an ich med...

Oh yeah...no python or hose...I bucket...

[Garrett]

I've got Melafix, an anti-fungal treatment, and some aquarium salt. And the stress-ease stuff, but I don't think that really counts as medicine.

[Taurus]

I keep Melafix, Pimafix, and Prime on hand. The Mela and Pima bottles are over a year old, so they should be tossed out. I think I'll pick up some tea tree oil and mix my own Melafix. I don't see a need for Pimafix. But I'll replace Pimafix with an ick-guard of some sort.

So on hand I will have home made Melafix, Ick-Guard, Prime, and of course, water changes.

[Lab_Rat]

I know I have Melafix and Pimafix, and have a couple of other antibiotics and an ich med that are several years old. I should probably check the expiration dates, but have not needed them, just bought them to have on hand in case. I'll check and see what I actually have when I get home.

[Jaster]

Pretty much the same as everyone else... I have a bottle of Pimafix and Melafix, some salt, and some ich stuff that god only know how old it is. I guess I should probably check on that too... lol
I have a couple smaller tanks, a couple sponge filters, and a small heater. I pretty much have everything I need for a 5-10 gallon setup.

[Northernguy]

I don't bother with keeping prime or cycle! They aren't really needed,I have 7 cycled tanks running with extra media in all.If they all have problems at the same time then I shouldn't be keeping fish.:hmm3grin2orange:
I do keep a complete ten gal. clean and ready to fill but thats it.

[Mith]

Other than the above listed standard tools, I have melafix I use. If I get other diseases, I'll buy those meds as needed.

[sheamurai]

One of the things I've learned to keep on hand is spare couplers for my canister filter hoses. When I first got the darn thing I had a really BAD habit of overtightening the fittings and they would pop at the oddest times (like at 11pm at night just before bed!) and leak. I went thru a few couplers before I trusted that the things didn't need to be as tight as I could possibly manage.
But I still keep a spare set. Hard to sleep when a 77gal tank is drip...drip...dripping away all night long...

[MCHRKiller]

I have the contents of what could be a small LFS scattered between my tank cabinets, basement, garage and storage shed. Spare tanks, nets, filters, foods, heaters, airpumps....the list goes on.

I do think that newbs should invest in a really cheap small tank, depending on what you keep a 2-20G tank would suit most people. Small HOB, heater, glass top and maybe a desk lamp or something so you could see the sick or QTed fish. Also having spare equipment on hand for your main tank is also a good idea, and always having an extra bottle of dechlor or food is good. For meds, I dont honestly really keep meds. I do have I think a bottle of Aquari-Sol and some medicated fish food...but thats it. Meds once opened go bad pretty quick so it is best to either buy one and not open it or just buy as needed.

[Scrup]

"Amonia and Nitrate Testing Kits"

may want a nitrite testing kit added to the mix...

But in my non-regular consumables box-

the testing kits
pool dip strips to check for chlorine (for those "wait how many spoons was that" instances)
charcoal
a 3' poking stick
ampacillin
baggie of ground up food for the babies
spare bin of algae wafers
melafix
a few mesh bags
regular dechlor, and stresscoat dechlor (only use on new fish in QT)
box of ziplock baggies
plastic cups
two spare tanks, heaters, HOB filters.(usually one of them is occupied)

And I always make sure I have time and patience in there as well.

[Deleted User]

Sounds like good suggestions all around. I definitely see things I have but I forgot to put on my own list, and other things I need to get and have on hand.

I'm so used to needing SO many types of things for the horses' vet kit... When you have as many horses as I do, the vets expect you to have a lot of things on hand and to be able to treat some things on your own or begin treatment on your own as they're on the way. It's way easier with fish, but I am for sure still learning. But, then, that's part of what makes it fun (easy would get boring).

[Dixie]

Something I bought to have on hand that I haven't already seen listed is Maracyn I & II (antibiotics). The medicine is in little foil packages inside the box. One package treats 10g. water.

[Dixie]

Something I bought to have on hand that I haven't already seen listed is Maracyn I & II (antibiotics). The medicine is in little foil packages inside the box. One package treats 10g. water.

I live about 45 min. away from any LFS or even a Walmart so like to keep emergency things on hand.

[Sarkazmo]

A picture is worth a thousand words... so here's 2k words!

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Also:
API Master Freshwater Test Kit
API GH/KH Test Kit
2 Small Buckets and 1 Large
1 Tub
Marineland Rite-Size Bonded Filter Pad (312 SQ Inches)
4 1/2 Gallon treatment tanks (Critter Carriers) (One is converted to an in tank refugium)
2 Gravel Cleaning Siphons (1 small, 1 large)
3/16" Thin Wall rigid airline (THOUSANDS of uses!)
Air line
Extra air pumps for emergencies and projects
Extra gravel and sand
Extra GE 6500k "Daylight" CFL bulbs 15 and 20 Watt
and lots of odds and ends like in-line air valves, gang valves, air line fittings... etc.

Sark

[Sarkazmo]

I forgot Hikari Betta Bio-Gold food...

Sark

[Deleted User]

Go Sark :19: thumbs2: :19:

[thatcichlidguy]

Once upon a time I had a set up like Sarks, then I realized I didn't really need all that stuff. Nowadays I just keep melafix and primafix and that's it. Any other med I might need I buy as I need it. I don't even keep Ick meds since it's curable without chemicals. Other than that I just have my normal supplies, Food , De-chlorinator (AmQuel) , nets, 5g buckets/ Hospitals, Spare filter that would normally run on the tank or in the sump to keep it cycled. That's about it.

[Deleted User]

It's hard for me to get past the mindset of keeping animal meds on hand. You should see what's in my horse kit (antibiotics, pain killers, tranquilizers, ulcer meds, syringes (oral and injectible), etc.). To my way of thinking, I'd rather have the basic fish meds on hand, than having to wait until the store opens to run out and get it, especially since it's not too expensive. So far, all I've needed was ick meds, but will be getting the others so I won't be running out later AFTER I see I need it.

[King Tut]

We have Melafix (actually keep tea tree oil around) Pimafix, Rid-Ich+, extra floss, air pump or 3, a few QT's ready to go (all in use currently) and the full liquid test kit.

When buying any meds for just in case check the exp. date on them. Some of them sit in the stores for sometime.

[thatcichlidguy]

I know what you mean but I've found that melafix or primafix are good for most of the common maladies that our fish get. Anything more exotic than that I take on a case by case basis. For ick, I just turn up the heat for about a week as the swimming phase of the parasite (infectious stage) can't survive in water much warmer than 85*F. After several days it's history. This is also the only phase of the parasite that the meds can actually affect.