"MAREX" Velvet cure? Need your advice, My battle continues.....

[Bulletsworld]

Need your experience with MAREX......

My battle with Velvet continues with trying the transfer method & freshwater dips (temporary solution), Rally by Ruby Reef (Waste of money) & now finally got my hands on this product, "MAREX"by Aquatronic. Started my first dose yesterday in a new QT tank, three caplets of Marex as directed in my 29 gal.

I notice my porcupine puffer & helmet cowfish have both turned really dark in color. Puffer dark yellow with dark brown spots and cowfish is dark brown. Both are breathing heavier. Boxfish tail is bent by side.

Is this normal when dosing with MAREX or is this signs of disease taking over? Does Marex cure Velvet like they say or is it meant to be a pre treatment before copper?

Advice needed and greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Bulletsworld]

MAREX (chloroquine diphosphate) works?


Steve Pro says:
Treatment Option 3: Chloroquine diphosphate
“Chloroquine diphosphate is a safe and proven effective treatment for Amyloodinium ocellatum. A single dose of 5-10 mg/l will render a fish clean of infestation in ten days (Noga & Levy, 1995). Sounds great, but it too has its drawbacks. First, it is hard to find. I know of only one company that markets this drug for the aquarium industry, Aquatronic's Marex. And while it is reported to be safe for fishes, it is "highly toxic to micro- and macroalgae and to various invertebrates" (Noga & Levy, 1995). So this is yet another effective treatment that, like copper, cannot be administered in a display tank.� http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-0...ture/index.htm

ATJ’s site says:
“Noga and Levy (1995) report on success with the use of chloroquine diphosphate (an antimalarial medicine). It was found to be very safe and effective in killing dinospores on excystment. It is non-toxic to fish, but very toxic to algae and many invertebrates, so, like copper, should only be used in an hospital tank. Treatment involves maintaining chloroquine diphosphate at 5-10 mg/L for 10 days.�

University of Floridia IFAS Extensions says:

“An antimalarial compound, chloroquine, has been used with some success for the control of amyloodinium; however, it has never been approved for this use by the Food and Drug Administration. Unless a registration (Investigational New Animal Drug Application) is pursued for this compound, it will no longer be appropriate for use in U.S. aquaculture industries.�

[Bulletsworld]

bump

[Steven Pro]

Originally posted by Bulletsworld
Is this normal when dosing with MAREX or is this signs of disease taking over?

It is hard to say definitively which it is, a reaction to the drug or the disease. The problem is what do you do now. Even if you think the medication is bothering the fish, the only other possible remedy is copper which is unlikely to be any less irritating.

[Bulletsworld]

Originally posted by StevenPro
It is hard to say definitively which it is, a reaction to the drug or the disease. The problem is what do you do now. Even if you think the medication is bothering the fish, the only other possible remedy is copper which is unlikely to be any less irritating.

Yeah, thats what I thought. Just thought maybe someone gone through this.

I noticed when I used MAREX:
Pros: Fish would stop scratching. Cons: Product is light sensitive . After the third day in the same dose the fish twiching rapidly in one spot and then dart to other side of the tank. I figured this to be from reattaching parasites. After the first dose the water went slightly yellow. Also all the fish turned dark in colors. My cowfish turned almost black!

To prove to myself if it was the disease or the reaction to the drug. I decided to FW the fish and transfer back to clean tubs for several days. I noticed after the first day the fish started slightly lighten back up and turning back normal color.

So I set up the other tank again, new water, old bacterial sponges and put fish back in and treated with Marex again. Sure enough, fish after one day went almost black in colors, foggy eyes...I figure its the marex! The puffer & the cowfish showed these signs.

So forget MAREX! It didn't work for me and I have tried many other products with no luck either. I realized I can control the Velvet with doing "transfer- method" (Every three days to a new tub) but I can't seem to beat this. I guess copper (my worst fear) is all thats left. Velvet should be called cancer. Damn I hate the thought of copper, especailly when I have never tried and heard over dose stories.

This battle has been going on for almost three months now with the fight to beat Velvet. Copper your my last hope or the demise of my fish.

Any suggestions?