RCreations, it is not wrong to be conservative with administering any type of medications in a fish tank. Your comments sounds like it is ok to view the display tank as a place where experimenting with medications is ok? And it is most certainly not ok. Personally, I tend to trust more those who have actually conducted real experiments under controlled circumstances and who have considerable experience and expertise with marine health and diseases, and not advocate for hobbyists to experiment (especially new hobbyists). Fenner, at best, gives quinine based drugs a mixed outcome, especially when administering it in a display tank. Expect some mortalities of invertebrates and perhaps unknown long term effects to your system. Quinine Hydrochloride is used more for Amyloodinium aka marine velvet. Amyloodinium also is commonly referred to as “ich”. However, it is not Cryptocaryon irritans (the white spot ich that is being discussed in this topic).
Quinine based drugs are typically used to treat malaria in humans, and they do have some off label uses in treating immune diseases in humans. I had even wondered if they might be effective in treating HLLE since there is an immune factor with that disease. But that is off topic here.
People can try anything they want with their own fish tanks. That doesn’t mean its alright, or even preferable. No “expert” will ever say that putting medications in your fish tank is ok compared to quarantining and treating the fish outside of the display system. Hobbyists, however, diving headlong into this hobby instead of taking careful steps and researched preparation, end up with only half the equipment they need to be effective in this hobby. Thus, they have to deal with problems such as this one, ich in their display tanks.
The quinine based drugs do appear to have a degree of effectiveness. They have been used in display tanks, but with some invertebrate mortalities. They still do not reach the effectiveness levels of copper and hyposalinity, and they certainly are not as safe for fish as hyposalinity and treating your fish in a well established quarantine tank.
Salt nate, at some point, you’re just going to have to decide what to do with your situation, and take the responsibility for the outcome—good or bad.
This topic is a testament as to why the hobbyist should ensure that they have everything they need before adding marine animals to their display. At the top of the "need to have list" is a refractometer and a well cycled quarantine tank.
Please do not take my comments here personally or as a slap down. My comments are more directed to all those who silently read topics at SWF.com and may come away with the impression that some of things expressed here are viable options, when, in my view, they are not. For whatever its worth.
