API General Cure and Seachem ParaGuard are both water treatments that you can use to help your sick fish recover. So, what are the main differences between these products?
You can find out in this article at Aquarium Blueprints.
Quick Summary
Both API General Cure and Seachem ParaGuard can be used to treat velvet, fill flukes and skin flukes. With that said, General Cure is a lot quicker at threating these infections when compared to ParaGuard. Not to mention that it is a lot less complicated to use General Cure than the other product.
Unlike the other product in this comparison, API General Cure will also treat Fish Lice and Hole-in-the-head.
On the other hand, Seachem ParaGuard is the only one of the two to treat Ich and Fin Rot.
API General Cure vs. Seachem ParaGuard Comparison Chart
You can take a look at our comparison table for the General Cure and ParaGuard below.
| API General Cure | Seachem ParaGuard | |
|---|---|---|
| Infection Treatments | Fish Lice Gill Flukes (Dactylogyrus) Hole-in-the-head Disease (Hexamita spp. and Spironucleus) Skin Flukes (Gyrodactylus) Velvet | Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius) Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon) Freshwater Velvet (Piscinoodinium) Saltwater Velvet (Amyloodinium) Fin Rot Gills Flukes (Monogenenean trematodes) Skin Flukes (Dactylogyrus trematodes) |
| Treatment Length | Fish Lice: 5 days Gill flukes (Dactylogyrus): 5 days Hole-in-the-head Disease (Hexamita spp. and Spironucleus): 5 days Skin Flukes (Gyrodactylus): 5 days Velvet: 5 days | Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius): 14 days Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon): 28 days Freshwater Velvet (Piscinoodinium): 14 to 21 days Saltwater Velvet (Amyloodinium): 14 to 21 days Fin Rot: 7 days or until infection is cured Gills Flukes (Monogenenean trematodes): 14 days or until infection no longer appears Skin Flukes (Dactylogyrus trematodes): 14 days or until infection no longer appears |
| Dosage Instructions | Packets Version: 1 full packet for every 10 gallons (or 38 liters) Bulk Powder Version: 5 mL of General Cure for every 20 gallons (or 75 liters) | 5 mL for every 10 gallons (or 40 liters) |
| Dosage Frequency | Twice during treatment | Daily during treatment |
| After Treatment Removal | Activated carbon and water changes | Activated carbon and water changes |
| Pricing | Check price on Amazon. (#CommissionsEarned) | Check price on Amazon. (#CommissionsEarned) |
Infection Treatments
Aside from Velvet and Flukes, the two treatments are designed to treat different infections.
You can find the full lists below:
API General Cure:
- Fish Lice
- Gill Flukes (Dactylogyrus)
- Hole-in-the-head Disease (Hexamita spp. and Spironucleus)
- Skin Flukes (Gyrodactylus)
- Velvet
Seachem ParaGuard:
- Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius)
- Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon)
- Freshwater Velvet (Piscinoodinium)
- Saltwater Velvet (Amyloodinium)
- Fin Rot
- Gills Flukes (Monogenenean trematodes)
- Skin Flukes (Dactylogyrus trematodes)
Treatment Length
With General Cure, the treatment length for all infections is just 5 days, which is a lot sooner than ParaGuard.
For the Seachem product, the length can take anywhere from 7 to 28 days depending on the infection you are trying to treat as well as the type tank water.
You can take a look at the treatment lengths below:
API General Cure:
- Fish Lice: 5 days
- Gill flukes (Dactylogyrus): 5 days
- Hole-in-the-head Disease (Hexamita spp. and Spironucleus): 5 days
- Skin Flukes (Gyrodactylus): 5 days
- Velvet: 5 days
Seachem ParaGuard:
- Freshwater Ich (Ichthyophthirius): 14 days
- Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon): 28 days
- Freshwater Velvet (Piscinoodinium): 14 to 21 days
- Saltwater Velvet (Amyloodinium): 14 to 21 days
- Fin Rot: 7 days or until infection is cured
- Gills Flukes (Monogenenean trematodes): 14 days or until infection no longer appears
- Skin Flukes (Dactylogyrus trematodes): 14 days or until infection no longer appears
Dosage Instructions
When it comes to dosage, you need to add 1 full packet for every 10 gallons (or 38 liters) of tank water if you have the normal version of API General Cure. If you have the bulk powder version, then you need to add 5 mL of General Cure for every 20 gallons (or 75 liters) of tank water.
As for Seachem ParaGuard, you need to add 5 mL for every 10 gallons (or 40 liters) of tank water.
Dosage Frequency
When it comes to dosing frequency, you only need to dose API General Cure twice with the first dose at the start and then the next dose being 48 hours later.
With Seachem ParaGuard, you need dose daily for the duration of the treatment length.
After Treatment Removal
Once you are done treating your fish, you can get rid of both API General Cure and Seachem ParaGuard from your tank water by doing water changes.
Adding activated carbon will also help as this chemical filter media will absorb the medications.