Medicated Feeds General Information
In general, medicated feeds are made by adding medication to the dry feed ingredients and then processing the ingredients with water, followed by extrusion (or flaking) and drying using heat. Often, the medication is adversely affected by the heat used in the drying process. This can create a product that offered benefits in its raw stage, but fails to provide the medication needed to resolve the animals issue. Furthermore, care should be taken when using medicated diets over long periods of time as a preventative measure. This process can cause the fish to develop a resistance to the medication and reduce their natural ability to fight disease. We strongly recommend the use of medication, in any form, only as a specific treatment for a know disease condition. Preventative measures can be achieved by monitoring and achieving superior water quality, feeding healthful diets which provide a balance of nutritional sources, amino acids and vitamins and minerals while avoiding any fatty deposit buildup and helping your fish maintain a healthy slime coat. Focusing on these three areas can help your fish stay in their best condition year round without continual medication.
On this site we offer two options to use the Aquarium Solutions line of treatments to develop your own food. These processes will allow you to offer your fish a diet that will help them recover as quickly as possible with a minimum amount of stress.
Dry Food Based method usually results in a food that will sink depending on the feed ingredients you choose.
Gelatin Based method can be used to make a food that sinks rapidly.
Dry Food Based
Start with 4 ounces (~1/4 lb, 113 g) of dry flake, granular or pelleted feed.
Place the dry feed in a suitable clean and dry container with a tight-fitting lid. (a wide mouth jelly jar works great) Measure out 1 tablespoon of the dry medication. (BiFuran+™ or Metro+™)
Mix the dry feed and medication thoroughly by gently stirring or by closing the container and vigorously shaking contents.
Add exactly 1 ounce (~30mL) of 190 proof grain alcohol to the container while gently mixing with ingredients already inside.
Close the container and shake it vigorously to insure the feed and medication are intimately mixed.
Examine the mixture to make sure it has been well mixed and all ingredients have been wetted by the alcohol. DO NOT perform this procedure around an open flame or other source of ignition; alcohol fumes are highly explosive.
Open the container and allow the alcohol to evaporate completely (this may take up to 24 hours). Gently heating the container by placing it in a container of hot water will accelerate the process. DO NOT do this around any open flame of any kind. DO NOT allow water to splash in to the mixture. DO NOT microwave the wet mixture.
Store the dry medicated feed in its container. Keep in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, high humidity or excessive heat. Keeping the container at room temperature will prevent moisture from condensing on the food.
DISCARD any food that acquires mold.
Gelatin Based
Start with 3 ounces (85 g) of unflavored gelatin and 1 ounce (~28 g) of flake, granulated or pelleted feed.
Grind the flake, granulated or pelleted feed to a size similar to the dry gelatin.
Mix the ground feed and the dry gelatin together in a suitable mixing container (e.g. plastic bowl).
Add 1 tablespoon of the dry medication (BiFuran+™ or Metro+™) to the dry gelatin and feed mixture. Stir to insure complete mixing of the three dry ingredients added to this point.
Heat 1 pint of tap water to near boiling (DO NOT bring to a boil).
Turn off heat source.
Add 2 to 3 ounces of the three mixed dry ingredients above while stirring vigorously.
Once the mixed dry ingredients are thoroughly wet, add an additional 2 to 3 ounces of hot water and continue to stir until the mixture starts to cool and stiffen. If the mixture appears to be too dry to easily spread flat on a piece of wax paper, add more hot water. If the mixture appears to be too watery you can add a small amount of the mixed dry ingredients (this is typically not necessary if done properly).
Spread the mixture to an even thickness of on a piece of wax paper and allow it to cool in a refrigerator.
Once cooled, cut the gelled mixture in to squares and place them in a plastic bag. Immediately place plastic bag in freezer for storage.
Feeding Your Medicated Food
Use the medicated feed you have just prepared in place of your usual diet.
Feed at least twice daily the amount your fish will completely consume within a few minutes (no more than 5 minutes).
Always remove any uneaten food after the feeding period to eliminate the chances of it negatively impacting your fish's environment.
Continue feeding for at least three days beyond the disappearance of all signs of the disease you initiated the treatment for. Stop feeding this food once a cure is affected, and NEVER use the medicated feed as a general food when disease treatment is not being attempted or as a preventative as this can result in development of drug resistant diseases that will be more difficult to cure.
NEVER USE PREPARED MEDICATED FOOD THAT IS MORE THAN 10 DAYS OLD, FRESHNESS IS A KEY TO SUCCESS. For this reason we suggest you do not mix more feed than you will use within a short period of time.
Feedings can be accompanied by bath or dip treatments using the same medication as you have incorporated in to the feed.
