If you are like us, we do not have a fish store on Moloka'i where we live, therefore we have to mail order everything we need or take a trip to another island to buy it, and that takes time. In some situations, immediate action may need to be taken and time to waste is something you may not have. For this reason we feel it is important to keep an emergency first aid kit on hand, and with help from Don Carner we have combined our efforts to create this list of basic items we feel an aquarists should have readily available.
- A Quarantine Tank
- Test Kits
By testing your aquarium water regularly, if water quality changes are occurring, you can take steps to prevent or head off any potential problems.
- Ammonia Destroyer/Water Conditioner
- Don's and Our Top Choice: Amquel® Water Conditioner by Kordon.
- When poisonous fish are present in an aquarium, if these fish release their poison, this product can be used for immediate action in "helping" to neutralize the toxcity of the poison during the time it takes you to perform a complete water change.
- If you need assistance for treating personal cuts, bites, or stings, go to the Human First-Aid Care Resources Index for help.
- Fish Slime Coating Aid/Water Conditioner
- Don's Top Choice: NovAqua® Water Conditioner by Kordon, known as the original "bandage in a bottle". It has many purposes, but foremost, it provides a protective colloid (slime) coating on an injured fish's body.
- pH & Alkalinity Buffer
- Don's Top Choice: SeaBuffer® pH & Alkalinity Booster by Aquarium Systems.
- Read Canseekers Product Review
- Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) can be used as a quick band-aid to raise the pH in a tank. It will temporarily suffice in an emergency situation until a water change can be made, and it can be found in most kitchens. Just dissolve one teaspoon of baking soda for each 20 gallons of tank water in a cup, then slowly pour it into your aquarium. The pH change will not be noticeable immediately, so wait for about an hour and test again before adding more. Keep doing this until you obtain the pH level you desire. To bring the pH down you can add distilled white vinegar in the same way.
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