Jennie, the concentration you are going for is 0.1 mg/liter for saprolegnia. Converting that to drops/gal, 1 drop per gallon is exactly right. This treatment should be repeated once a day for three days.
So the bottle is correct. The medication makers don't know what you're treating for (ich, fungus, parasites, etc) so they give the maximum dosage on the bottle. This would be way more than necessary for ich, but it's just right for sap.
Since you're doing water changes every day, measure the amount of water you remove and add exactly that amount of fresh water back to the tank so the total gallonage in the tank stays the same. Malachite green degrades over time, so repeating the dosage daily will maintain a 0.1% level of the medication in the water. After your water change, add the required amount of medication and you're good to go.
Be sure to handle the med carefully. It is carcinogenic and stains easily! Dump medicated water straight down the drain at water changes and definitely do not use it for your houseplants!
You may also want to cover the tank or move it to a dark corner, since malachite green degrades with water.
So the bottle is correct. The medication makers don't know what you're treating for (ich, fungus, parasites, etc) so they give the maximum dosage on the bottle. This would be way more than necessary for ich, but it's just right for sap.
Since you're doing water changes every day, measure the amount of water you remove and add exactly that amount of fresh water back to the tank so the total gallonage in the tank stays the same. Malachite green degrades over time, so repeating the dosage daily will maintain a 0.1% level of the medication in the water. After your water change, add the required amount of medication and you're good to go.
Be sure to handle the med carefully. It is carcinogenic and stains easily! Dump medicated water straight down the drain at water changes and definitely do not use it for your houseplants!
You may also want to cover the tank or move it to a dark corner, since malachite green degrades with water.
erv:
