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Is Seachem ParaGuard safe for loaches, plants, rays, shrimps and snails?

Seachem ParaGuard is used to treat Fin Rot, Flukes, Ich and Velvet in for community fish in freshwater, brackish water and saltwater aquariums.

So, is this solution also safe to use for the other inhabitants in your fish tank? You can find out in this guide from Aquarium Blueprints.

Quick Summary

Seachem ParaGuard is mainly designed to treat freshwater, brackish water and saltwater community fish. It is not safe at all to use for plants, calms, corals, frogs, snails, shrimps or other invertebrates.

If you have a mixed community tank that you want to treat, then you should relocate the plants, calms, corals, frogs, snails, shrimps and/or other invertebrates first before adding ParaGuard to the aquarium.

Catfish, eels, loaches, rays, sharks and other types of scale-less fish are more sensitive to Seachem ParaGuard. To make the medication as safe as possible for these species, you can start with using 1.25 mL or 2.5 mL of ParaGuard for every 10 gallons or 40 liters of tank water. For subsequent dosages, you can then slowly increase the amount until you reach eventually reach the normal dosage amount of 5 mL for every 10 gallons or 40 liters of tank water.

What is Seachem ParaGuard?

Seachem ParaGuard contains a mixture of aldehydes, malachite green and polymers that will treat the Ichthyophthirius, Cryptocaryon, Piscinoodinium, Amyloodinium, Dactylogyrus trematodes, Monogenenean trematodes and/or Fin Rot parasites that are infecting the fish in your aquarium.

This solution does not contain any formaldehyde or methanol. It will also not change the current pH level in the tank.

Is Seachem ParaGuard safe for plants?

Live plants will be stressed if you add ParaGuard in your fish tank. Therefore, it is advisable that you remove plants from the fish tank before treating your aquarium with this solution.

Is Seachem ParaGuard safe for shrimps and snails?

The Seachem ParaGuard is not safe for invertebrates. Thus, you shouldn’t use it if you have calms, corals, frogs, snails and shrimps.

If you do need to use this product, then make sure you rehome all the invertebrates before dosage. You shouldn’t put them back in to the tank until you are done with the treatment and the ParaGuard has dissipate from the tank water.

Is Seachem ParaGuard safe for eels, loaches, rays and sharks?

While you can use Seachem ParaGuard for catfish, eels, loaches, rays, sharks and other types of scale-less fish, these species are more sensitive to this product.

To be extra safe, Seachem recommends that you use either ¼ or ½ of the recommended dose during the beginning of the treatment regime and then slowly increase the amount during subsequent dosages.

The normal dosage for Seachem ParaGuard is 5 mL for every 10 gallons or 40 liters of tank water. For these sensitive fish species, you can start with 1.25 mL or 2.5 mL for every 10 gallons or 40 liters and then work your way to the full 5 mL dosage.