Dear Helen:
You’re very welcome.
Yes, Furanace, Furanase (by Aquarium Products), and nifurpirinol are all synonymous, meaning the active ingredient in all of them is the same. Aqua Furan also uses nifurpirinol as its active ingredient. Any of those medications can be combined safely with neomycin.
However, the antibiotic in these medications (i.e., nifurpirinol) is different then neomycin sulfate. Neomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic, whereas nifurpirinol is one of the nitrofuran antibiotics. While it is appropriate to up the dosage of neomycin when treating seahorses, as we have discussed, you should not do that when treating with nifurpirinol. Just use the nifurpirinol or Furanase according to the directions on the package. Follow the instructions the nifurpirinol/Furanase comes with regarding the dosage.
I have never used neomycin combined with triple sulfa and nifurpirinol/Furanase at the same time, so I cannot say for certain whether or not that particular combination of antibiotics is safe. I would not use all three of those antibiotics together. I would either stick with the combination of neomycin + triple sulfa or switch to the combination of neomycin + nifurpirinol/Furanase, depending on how your seahorse is responding to the medications you are using now. If your seahorse seems to be responding well to the nifurpirinol + triple sulfa and is improving, then continue on with the medications you are using now.
However, if the neomycin + triple sulfa does not seem to be helping, then don’t hesitate to switch to neomycin + Furanase instead. However, I would not try the Furanase if its expiration date has come and gone; there is an excellent chance to the medication would no longer be effective.
I’m sorry you couldn’t open the link I referred you to, Helen, but if you will contact me off list at the following e-mail address, I will be happy to e-mail the information to you instead. It’s a long file. You can reach me at the following e-mail address: [email protected]
Best of luck treating your ailing female, Helen! Don’t forget to reduce the temperature in your treatment tank, which can be very helpful when treating bacterial infections.
Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna
Post edited by: Pete Giwojna, at: 2006/04/23 18:48
Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.
