ich medication

[polosniffer]

I just added some ich medication to my tank. The stuff is called "Liquid Super Ick Cure" and is produced by "Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc" from PA. I know most ich treatments use malachite green as the active ingredient. The person at the store told me it work but now that I've looked at the label, the only active ingredients mentioned are Benzaldehyde Green and Povidone/Colloid moxture. None of those compounds is a synonym for malachite as far as I know - my knowledge of chemistry is a little rusty but I seem to recall malachite's a copper carbonate derivative, whereas povidone is iodine based, and benzaldehyde is just a pure organic compund... though the green could be caused by a copper oxide component... Sorry, I'll stop rambling. Has anyone used this stuff before and found it to work?

[OrionGirl]

Benzaldehyde Green is reportedly another name for malachite green.

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/copper.html for more.

[KateA.]

I have never used this product and it sounds like it should work. Just make sure to follow the directions exactly as stated, time and amount wise.

From my dictionary, benzaldehyde: a clear, pleasant-smelling liquid, C6H5CHO, found in the oil of the bitter almond and used in making dyes, perfumes, etc. Can't find the povidone. Malachite green: A mineral that is a green basic carbonate of copper used as a medication against external parasites.

FYI my fish health book says: "the most effective treatment is formalin or a formalin/malachite green combination added directly to the aquarium water. Piranhas, neons, sunfish and some scaleless fishes have a heightened sensitivity to malachite green. Use a half-dose on these fish. Purchase your formalin medications from a store with a rapid product turnover as formalin degrades into paraformaldehyde, which is a toxin. An indicator of this is a white precipitate. Use strong aeration and don't use in tanks over 85 degrees F. Copper sulfate can be used safely also, but never when the hardness is below 50 ppm. Optimum effectiveness is 200 ppm. Copper levels should be checked twice daily as it is highly toxic if overdosed. And it won't be effective if under-dosed. "

[Harry Tolen]

According to the sources I checked, benzaldehyde green is defiitely a synonym for malachite green. See the link below as one confirmation.

http://cee.uiuc.edu/werth/FinalDemoPaper.htm

As it is generally regarded as most effective when used in combination with formalin, my preferred medication is Quick Cure by Aquarium Products, which contains both.

This doesn't really address the effectiveness of the medication you are using, although you could just get some straight formalin and use both if you wanted to play it safe.

[125gJoe]

I've used 'Super Ich Cure' in the past, and it worked. I just bought a new bottle -- just in case... :eek:

[polosniffer]

thanks guys - I guess I got confused by the fact that Malachite Green isn't actually malachite (the mineral).