| Seachem Freshwater Fish Medication Selector | |||||||
| compiled by The Pragmatic Aquarist on September 15, 2016 | |||||||
| Use the following to select the medication most appropriate for your set up. Once you've picked something, confirm the selection by reading the official Seachem web page. Things change! | |||||||
| Cupramine | KanaPlex | MetroPlex | NeoPlex | ParaGuard | PolyGuard | SulfaPlex | |
| Highlights by Seachem | - Copper reatment for external parasites - Active at low concentration (does not precipitate) - Bound on amine so it is not as toxic to fish - 100% Removable with carbon or Cuprisorb |
- Broad Spectrum Antibiotic - Treats fungal and bacterial fish diseases - Easily absorbed through both skin and gills; ingestion not required |
- Treats protozoan parasites and anaerobic bacterial
diseases - Little danger of overdose - No impact on bio-filter - Well suited for medicated food mix for internal parasites |
- Broad spectrum antibiotic effective against most external
infections - Safe for marine and freshwater - Minimal impact on bio-filter |
- Eradicates ectoparasites and fungal, bacterial, and viral
lesions - Safer to dose than formaldehyde, formalin, and methanol - Will not adversely effect bio-filter |
- Treats bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases - Very broad spectrum freshwater medication - Good choice when unsure of the disease |
- Treats many bacterial, fungal, and protozoan
infestations - Broad spectrum antibiotic and anti-fungal medication - Most effective of the sulfa drugs in saltwater - Absorbed through gills |
| Parasitic Infections | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Fungal Infections | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Bacterial Infections | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Viral Infections | Yes | ||||||
| Ailments Mentioned | - Ich (White Spot, Ichthyophthirius) - Velvet (Piscinoodinium) - Oodinium [mentioned in FAQ] - Cryptocaryon [mentioned in FAQ] - Amyloodinium [mentioned in FAQ] - Gill Flukes (FAQ) |
- Popeye - Cloudy Eye - Fin Rot - Mouth Rot (Columnaris) - Hemorrhagic Septicemia (Aeromonas hydrophilia) - Dropsy - Tropheus and Petrochromis with bloat [mention in FAQ] |
- Ich (White Spot, Ichthyophthirius) - Velvet (Piscinoodinium) - Hole in the Head / Head and Lateral Line Erosion (Spironucleus) |
- Fin Rot (Bacterial Infection) - Bacterial Lesions - Mouth Rot (Columnaris) - Bloat |
- Ich (White Spot, Ichthyophthirius) - Velvet (Piscinoodinium) - Fin Rot (Bacterial Infection) - Flukes (Dactylogyrus trematodes (skin) - Flukes (Monogenenean trematodes (gills)) |
- Ich (White Spot, Ichthyophthirius) - Fin Rot (Bacterial Infection) - Mouth Rot (Columnaris) - Hemorrhagic Septicemia (Aeromonas hydrophilia) - Fungus |
- Fin Rot (Bacterial Infection) - Mouth Rot (Columnaris) - Hemorrhagic Septicemia (Aeromonas hydrophilia) - Fungus - Fur Coat Syndrome |
| Warnings | - Use with other products including dechlorinators dangerous. | - First round of treatment may stress fish limiting the possibility of a second round of treatment. | |||||
| Other Notes from Seachem | - Flukes or Lymphocystis are mistaken for Ich, and these are
better treated with ParaGuard. - Complete removal from aquarium via Cupramine. |
- Can be used with MetroPlex (mix with food) or Cupramine. | - Can be used with KanaPlex (mix with food). - Gentle so overdosing difficult. |
- It is particularly useful in hospital and receiving tanks for new fish and whenever new fish are introduced to a community tank. Use for 2 weeks in these scenarios. | - PolyGuard is the single most effective medication to keep
freshwater fish free of disease! - Use whenever introducing new fish. |
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| Safe for Plants* | not mentioned | not mentioned | not mentioned | Yes | Yes | not mentioned | not mentioned |
| Safe for Inverts* | No | Yes (when used in medicated food mix) | Yes (when used in medicated food mix) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Safe for Bio Filter | not mentioned | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | not mentioned | not mentioned |
| Add to Food | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Add to Water | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Internal Ailments | No | Yes | Yes | ||||
| External Ailments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| * Seachem doesn't promise that all plants and/or invertebrates will be unharmed by a medication that is "safe". Instead, when something is marked as safe it means few or no reports from testing/customers of issues. | |||||||