Ornamental fish imported to Australia undergo a mandatory post-arrival quarantine period. The fish are isolated at a registered Class 7.1 Approved Arrangement (AA) site. This applies to both freshwater and marine ornamental fish.
Only approved chemicals, treatments, and antibiotics can be used on imported ornamental fish during quarantine.
Importers and AA Site Operators must comply with all state and territory regulations.
Approved chemical lists
We provide 2 lists of approved chemicals (treatments or antibiotics) for ornamental fish. The first is for marine and freshwater ornamental fish, excluding goldfish. The second is for goldfish as well as marine and freshwater ornamental fish.
The lists act as pre-approval for use during post-entry isolation. We review and approve all chemicals before they are added to the list.
For marine and freshwater ornamental fish
Table 1 lists the chemicals approved for use on marine and freshwater ornamental fish.
This list of chemicals in Table 1 are excluded for use on goldfish.
| Common name | Alternative names | Active ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| Acriflavine | Euflavine | |
| Amoxicillin | Amoxycilin | |
| Benzalkonium chloride | ||
| Doxycycline | ||
| Enrofloxacin | Baytril | |
| Erythomycin | ||
| Ick guard | Malachite Green and Acriflavine | |
| Multicure | Malachite Green, Methylene Blue, and Acriflavine | |
| Parasite guard | Praziquantel, Diflubenzuron, Metronidazole, and Acriflavine | |
| Peracetic acid | ||
| Spectovet | Lincomycin Hydrochloride and Spectinomycin sulphate | |
| Sulphadiazine | ||
| Terramycin | Oxytetracycline hydrochloride | |
| Tetracycline | ||
| Trimethoprim | ||
| Triple Sulpha | Sodium sulfathiazole, Sodium sulfamethazine, and Sodium sulfacetamide |
Chemicals safe for goldfish
Some approved treatments are not safe to use on goldfish (Carassius auratus). This is to manage the risk of:
- masked clinical signs, and
- interference with accurate disease diagnosis.
Antibacterial treatments must not be used on goldfish, unless approved by us.
The chemicals in Table 2 are for use on goldfish. They can also be used on other marine and freshwater ornamental fish.
| Common name | Alternative names | Active ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| Aquasonic Ichonex | Copper sulphate and Malachite Green | |
| Aquasonic Oodonex | Copper sulphate | |
| Aquasonic Paragone | Trichlorophon, sodium chloride, magnesium stearate | |
| Bactonex | Methylene blue, Aminacrine hydrochloride | |
| Blackwater Extract | Water conditioner | |
| Calcium carbonate | ||
| Calcium chloride | ||
| Chloromon | ||
| Copper | ||
| Copper salts | ||
| Copper sulphate | ||
| De-los | Dylox treatment | |
| Dimetridazole | ||
| Dipterex | Trichlorfon | |
| Disodium phosphate | ||
| Fenbendazole | ||
| Formaldehyde | Formalin | |
| Hydrochloric acid | ||
| Hydrogen Peroxide | ||
| Ivermectin | ||
| Levamisole | ||
| Magnesium sulphate | ||
| Malachite Green | Victoria Green, Aniline Green | |
| Methylene Blue | ||
| Monosodium Phosphate | ||
| Phosphoric acid | ||
| Potassium Permanganate | ||
| Praziquantel | ||
| Quinine Sulphate | ||
| Rift Lake Conditioning Salts | ||
| Seachem Cupramine | Copper sulphate | |
| Sodium Bi-carbonate | ||
| Sodium chloride | Sea salt | |
| Sodium hypochlorite | Bleach | |
| Sodium thiosulphate | ||
| Tea Tree Oil | Melafix | |
| Trichlorfon | ||
| Conditioning salts | ||
| White Spot Remedy | Formaldehyde, Malachite Green |
Care of fish in quarantine
The biosecurity industry participant (BIP) is responsible for fish during the mandatory post-arrival quarantine period.
They must:
- Use chemicals according to the manufacturer’s direction (or veterinary prescription).
- Comply with Approved Arrangement Class 7.1 Conditions, including:
- recognised aquatic animal husbandry practices
- training for anyone handling biosecurity-controlled items, and
- a contingency plan for unexpected events that may compromise biosecurity.
Chemicals not on the list
If it’s not on the list, you cannot use it unless you have both:
- a written veterinarian diagnosis or prescription, and
- approval from us.
How to add a chemical
If you want a chemical added to the list, email your request to imports@aff.gov.au.