Hello, I apologize in advance if this is the wrong newsgroup(s) for this
question. But I am not sure where to look. I am curious about how quinine
affects planaria and other pests like malaria.
I am trying to rid my saltwater aquarium of a pest known as c. retrogemma,
or the red flatworm. These planaria multiply vegetatively and swarm in the
aquarium, and I want to kill them. I have tried biological controls with
no success and am now trying chemical agents. The principal agent I know
of is an aquarium product (usually used for ich) called Marin Oomed which
contains:
75.7 mg Hexamethyl pararosaniline
1261.7 mg quinine hydrochloride dihydrate
252.3 mg 9-aminoacridine hydrochloride monohydrate
504.7 mg Benzyl dodecyl-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) ammonium chloride
per 100 ml. The recommended dosage (for ich) is 1.5ml per 10 gallons of
aquarium water. I am assuming the main ingredient is quinine.
I have dosed the aquarium and 72 hours later the worms are still alive.
They reacted violently when I first added it but they seem to have
recovered. Does this mean the medication does not work? Or are they
slowly dying? Someone else I know used it in tests to kill the worms in 24
hours at higher concentrations. Does that mean if the worms are not dead
in 24 hours that they are going to make it? Or is there a chance they
will still die?
Since no one seems to know how quinine affects planaria I am hoping the
action of quinine upon malaria may provide some insights. How long does
quinine take to do its job on malaria organisms?
Thanks
Gary
