# How long would you keep meds?



## SweetPoison (Jan 16, 2011)

I have quite a few meds from my Discus days. None have been opened and there is no expiration dates on them. I also have a huge container of Epsom Salts, unopened. 

They could be anywhere from 3-5 years old. Give or take. I have gotten them all together to toss a kazillion times!

Should I?

Would be terribly wicked to hit a tank with meds, only to have the meds do more harm than good...


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## DKRST (Jan 11, 2011)

Don't know about the others, but the sealed epsom salts should be good almost indefinitely. Most meds won't get toxic with age, but they usually become less effective past a certain point. The biological dyes (methylene blue and malachite green) would stay effective a long time, but anything with formalin would be suspect since components of formalin will evaporate over time. Copper sulfate, assuming the concentration had not changed due to liquid loss over time from evaporation, should be good a long time. Much depends on the quality of the container the meds are stored in, exposure to light and storage conditions.

The above is a long-winded version of "it depends", sorry!


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

DKRST said:


> Don't know about the others, but the sealed epsom salts should be good almost indefinitely. Most meds won't get toxic with age, but they usually become less effective past a certain point. The biological dyes (methylene blue and malachite green) would stay effective a long time, but anything with formalin would be suspect since components of formalin will evaporate over time. Copper sulfate, assuming the concentration had not changed due to liquid loss over time from evaporation, should be good a long time. Much depends on the quality of the container the meds are stored in, exposure to light and storage conditions.
> 
> The above is a long-winded version of "it depends", sorry!


+1


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## SweetPoison (Jan 16, 2011)

DKRST said:


> Don't know about the others, but the sealed epsom salts should be good almost indefinitely. Most meds won't get toxic with age, but they usually become less effective past a certain point. The biological dyes (methylene blue and malachite green) would stay effective a long time, but anything with formalin would be suspect since components of formalin will evaporate over time. Copper sulfate, assuming the concentration had not changed due to liquid loss over time from evaporation, should be good a long time. Much depends on the quality of the container the meds are stored in, exposure to light and storage conditions.
> 
> The above is a long-winded version of "it depends", sorry!


 Good info! I have Quick Cure, lots of bottles that, not opened...The containers are good and they have been in a dark cabinet and dry as well.

Thank You!


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## SweetPoison (Jan 16, 2011)

aunt kymmie said:


> +1


Oh. _Okay_. 

Thank you too.:lol:


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

SweetPoison said:


> Oh. _Okay_.
> 
> Thank you too.:lol:


LOL, I don't think you're going to need all those meds anyway. Discus are the drama queens of the fish world, ALWAYS needing attention. Community fish are sooo much easier! But, better keep the meds on hand, as somehow I see a discus in your future. At least that's what my crystal ball tells me.


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## SweetPoison (Jan 16, 2011)

aunt kymmie said:


> But, better keep the meds on hand, as somehow I see a discus in your future. At least that's what my crystal ball tells me.



Oh you do huh?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Meds that do expire should be disposed as a precaution. Enrofloxacin can expire but my fellow goldfish moderator used expired enrofloxacin as a last resort to her fish injecting it using the insulin syringe. I can't remember if the fish responded positively but I do remember her fish eventually recovered in the end from dropsy, thanks to enrofloxacin. It's available as Baytril.

I agree with DRKST so far.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

With exception of possibly Quik Cure, I would responsibly trash the rest. This has a tendency to train ones efforts on observing fishes and water conditions as opposed to treating sick fish or worse yet,, treating as preventitive measure.
Keeping medications that may or may not have exceeded their shelf life, or expiration date provide little comfort for me.


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## SweetPoison (Jan 16, 2011)

1077 said:


> Keeping medications that may or may not have exceeded their shelf life, or expiration date provide little comfort for me.


 Yeah. Me too ~ I agree!


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## DKRST (Jan 11, 2011)

I concur with the previous comments - it's not worth saving a few $$ to medicate your fish with questionable medications. I generally get rid of anything over a year (or it's labeled expiration), or stuff that's proven ineffective - usually ineffective when I purchased the "cheap stuff"!


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