I prefer to try and stay away from chemical meds whenever possible due to them usually containing carcinogenic components.
There are several advantages to a FW bath over a Paraguard bath for fish that are healthy and strong.
1. FW is free.
2. FW is non toxic
3. FW does not need to be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner
4. FW is not a carcinogen
5. FW will not stain your skin, clothes or the aquarium silicone
6. FW works no matter what the concentration
7. FW is safe for human consumption :-) Important if you have young kids.
8. FW does not leave a fish injured
9. FW does not stress a fish by burning it's gills and skin like Paraguard does.
I have observed lots of fish show no stress reaction at all when going into a FW bath. Even anthias and fairy wrasses don't freak out. I can only remember two fish going into shock out of 100's that I have given FW baths too. One was a rabbitfish and the other a pacific sailfin. I have only lost 4 or 5 due to pre existing ick infections that were quite severe. As a wholesaler I have been doing FW baths on fish for about 10 years so have done a lot of them.
If a fish is in a weakened condition due to parisitization then a hyposalinity treatment in a QT may be a better option.
|