How to test Chloroquine for its effectiveness without a lab?

[ThRoewer]

Got a few new fish I need to get quickly into my display (they got an urgent job to do there and 2 months of QT are just out of the question!) and was considering TTM in combination with PraziPro and CP to treat them against all the usual suspects: Cryptocaryon, Monogeneans (aka "flukes"), Amyloodinium, Covid-19,...

I have 2 bottles of NLS Ick Shield Powder but they are somewhat old (one is from 2014) and so I don't know if the CP in them is still working. Is there a simple way to test if it is still effective?

I was thinking to test it on some algae and see if it kills them. After all, it is an algaecide, and Amyloodinium is somewhat of an algae.
Would that be a conclusive test?

What other tests would there be (aside from seeing if it cures a fish with severe Amyloodiniosis)?

 

[TriggerFinger]

I don’t have an answer to that but interested in what others say, here’s a bump

 

[DeniseAndy]

Do not use the out of date meds. Not a great idea ever.
I treated my fish for 14 days on CP, then had them in observation for 10 days with prazipro. I also fed food with metro and prazi in it. Fish are healthy and in my display. This took a bit longer than the 24 days as I made sure, before medicating, that they ate.
I would say TTM would be the quickest, but I have never used it.

On a side note, do not try to cheat on qt. Resistant bugs is what will happen. Also, if they have a job to do, you will have to do it for them until they are ready. Not sure what the job is, but if algae or flatworms, best to take care of most of that before they come. Always get a handle on the problem before just adding the animals you think with help. Sometimes they have different ideas.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

algae test would not be conclusive as even slightly active cp would kill it. No way to know if it would be therapeutic.

expiration date would indicate a point in time where the med might lose a percentage of effectiveness. You could dose to the higher end and give it a try. No harm to do, except a possibly failed qt.

The drawback to cp is inability for hobbies testing.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Got a few new fish I need to get quickly into my display (they got an urgent job to do there and 2 months of QT are just out of the question!) and was considering TTM in combination with PraziPro and CP to treat them against all the usual suspects: Cryptocaryon, Monogeneans (aka "flukes"), Amyloodinium, Covid-19,...

I have 2 bottles of NLS Ick Shield Powder but they are somewhat old (one is from 2014) and so I don't know if the CP in them is still working. Is there a simple way to test if it is still effective?

I was thinking to test it on some algae and see if it kills them. After all, it is an algaecide, and Amyloodinium is somewhat of an algae.
Would that be a conclusive test?

What other tests would there be (aside from seeing if it cures a fish with severe Amyloodiniosis)?

How it was stored will play a big part on how it held up. If it was stored in a closed dry container with no exposure to sunlight and no extremes in temperature then it ‘should’ be fine. If any moisture was able to get to the powder then I wouldn’t trust it. Unfortunately accessing CP is very difficult right now so you may not have many options.

I don’t see an advantage of administering CP alongside TTM. CP is thought to kill the free swimming stage. If a cyst falls off a fish, hatching wouldn’t lead to reinfection unless you significantly under dose. I have used CP much lower than 40mg/gallon and had excellent results. CP does cause appetite suppression, lethargy, and some fish just don’t tolerate it well. I would try to limit any stress while treating with CP.

 

[ThRoewer]

The issue with NLS Ick Shield Powder is that it doesn't have an expiration date on the bottle. It doesn't even have a manufacturing date if I remember right.
The fact that you can't test for it in a hobbyist setting is one of the reasons why CP is not one of my preferred medications. Another issue is that bacteria can degrade it quickly.