SCP Survival

Best Survival Gear and Supplies

Boats: The Open Water Bug-Out Alternative

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Bug Out Boat for Survival

According to the NOAA, the oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth’s surface. This means that if you’re looking for an open, off-the-grid destination to take your group when the SHTF, heading out on the water can’t be beat. Most people expect their feet to stay on solid ground, but if you live near the ocean or in the Great Lakes region, going offshore might be the smartest–or perhaps only–option. However, the equipment and training you need to bug out on a boat is much different than prepping a four-wheeled vehicle.

The Best Type of Boat for Bugging Out

You might be able to survive for a time on a 30-foot weekender, but after a few days, everyone will be pretty uncomfortable. Your best bet is to choose a boat built to be on the sea for long periods of time: a blue water sailboat.

Designed and constructed for round-the-world treks, these boats can be crewed by one or two people and have an interior similar to that of a motor home. This agile bug-out shelter can not only get you to safer ground, it will keep your group comfortable while you travel the open water.

Make Sure Your Equipment is Seaworthy

Conveniently, most newer-models come equipped with water survival tools and contraptions. Sail boats have a battery bank that can be recharged by wind power, an electric desalinization system for producing fresh water, storage space for supplies (i.e. food, first aid kit, clothing) and radar and radio equipment to keep in contact with other water crafts–whether you want them to find you or not.

Some even have entertainment systems and climate controls, but in a time of chaos, you’ll likely have all the “entertainment” you can stand.

Sail Boat Training

It is absolutely necessary to get a formal training on how to control the sail boat; do not take boating education lightly, because you could find yourself in a situation where you’re responsible for more lives than your own. The ideal method of training is to have an experienced sailor take you out on multiple trips with your boat, each one longer than the last. You’ll get more comfortable with steering and maneuvering, as well as learn methods of dealing with varied weather conditions.

You should certainly take your boat out as much as possible before it’s a survival shelter, but you can learn a lot about boating basics and water survival by taking a boating safety course or cold water survival training (check out the American Sailing Association if interested).

The Downsides of Bug Out Boats

Water bug outs are pretty ingenious and a blue water sailboat sounds like a legitimate survival vehicle and shelter, although there are some downsides to using it as a long-term solution. First, not everyone can deal with an indefinite length of time on the water; seasickness is a very real possibility and without the proper training, it will be difficult for one to control a seasick stomach once it’s already a problem.

You can supplement meals with dried vegetables and other staples, but to stay offshore for a long period of time, it’s fishing and diving for food, so you never know exactly when your next meal will be.

Also, cabin fever (figurative term for the claustrophobic reaction to isolation in a small space for an extended time) will likely set in at some point, setting irritability high and trust levels at low. Finally, and maybe the most important, when it comes to self-defense, you’re severely limited in a boat. You can use firearms to repel boarders and pirates, but if the worst happens and they take control, you’ve got no other means of escape.

How To Make a Solar Grill [Easy DIY]

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How To Make a DIY Solar Oven (1)

Solar cookers harness the power of the sun’s rays to heat and cook food. Because they use only the sun, they are not reliant on a source of fuel, like propane and wood stoves are. This makes them great as a backup cookstove for emergency situations.

Also known as “solar ovens”, “solar grills”, or “solar stoves”, these cookers are also awesome for people that live off-grid full time. While off-gridders will usually have a wood or propane stove for their primary cooking needs, having a solar stove allows you to take advantage of sunny days and save fuel. It’s also cleaner, quieter, and doesn’t emit any smoke or fumes.

There are a million uses for a solar cooker. They can be used to bake bread, cook chicken, heat water, make soups and stews and tons of other things.

So, how do solar cookers work?

To put it simply, solar cookers operate on the principle of reflection. With multiple panels that can be adjusted to capture maximum light, the sun’s rays are then reflected into the center of the stove, to create a concentrated area of heat (much like you might do with a magnifying glass).

What are the main types of solar cookers?

If you are looking around at these suckers, you will have already seen that there are basically 4 main types of solar ovens, that look and function slightly differently.

Solar Box Cooker

1. Box Cookers

This group includes the most conventional, “box with a lid” looking cookers. Most of them are rated to cook as high as 200-300 degrees Farenheit in good conditions.

Panel Cooker Solar Cooker

2. Panel Cookers

These are the more scaled down, cheaper models that you see. They can be great cookers and are generally on the more affordable end of the spectrum, although their construction isn’t quite as sturdy, and coatings not always as reflective as other cookers.

Solar Cooker Parabolic

3. Parabolic Solar Cookers

Also called “curved concentrator cookers”, these are the things that look like metallic satellite dishes. They can heat up to 600 degrees, but they use a tiny little cookpot, making them not a good fit for many uses.

Gosun Style Solar Cooker

4. Gosun Style “Grillers”

The Gosun unit (and other similarly styled solar ovens) are nifty but a little limited in size/application (everything has to fit in that little tube). Plus, they are expensive as hell!

Within these 4 different types, you will see millions of different little homemade variations. You will also see some types of stoves that don’t really fit into any of the styles above (such as the tire cooker), but by and large, these are the main styles that you will see.

How long does it take to cook in a solar oven?

Like you might guess, it depends on what you’re cooking and how much sun is out when you’re doing it. It also depends on what type of solar cooker you are using, the size of your sun panels, the thickness of the pot you are cooking with, whether there are clouds in the sky, and even things like the temperature and altitude where you are cooking (although with solid enough sun, you can cook just fine even in freezing temps in the dead of winter).

Here is a handy chart of rough time estimates to cook 4 pounds of food on a sunny day:

How Much Time Does It Take to Cook With Solar Cookers?

How much do solar cookers cost?

Commercially available solar stoves can be expensive. The official “Sun Oven” is listed at $349 (although you can usually find it for quite a bit less online). Folding panel cookers are less. The Sol Cook comes is very popular and sells for just under $100. As mentioned above, the Gosun is extremely expensive, with their “grill” model selling for $700 (I actually saw it on the Home Depot website listed for $822!).

However, there are also plenty of folks creating their own DIY sun ovens. With a little ingenuity and some household materials, you may just be able to come away with a cooker for much less.

DIY Solar Cooker Made Out of A Sun Shade

There are several different kinds of DIY solar stoves out there. One that I had often seen is an oven made out of a reflective windshield sun blocker. I finally made one, and when I did, I was surprised at the results. Works pretty good!

solar oven 4 shade

What You Will Need:

  • Large reflective sun shade (Walmart, gas station or Amazon)
  • 5 gallon bucket
  • Oven bags (like the kind you roast a turkey in)
  • Dark-colored pot
  • Clothes pins, or something else to hold the sun shade in its conical position

How To Cook With It

Solar Oven 3

I picked up a sunshade for $2, clipped it together in a conical/parabolic shape (like the pictures above), and added a five gallon bucket underneath.

Solar oven 1

Put your food in the pot, and then place the dark-colored pot inside the oven bag. It takes a few hours and works best if it is above 60 degrees, but you can cook without fuel!

solar oven 2

The Slightly More Heavy Duty Solar Cooker

The sun shade solar cooker is awesome and does work, but it certainly isn’t heavy duty. If the pot is too heavy, the sun shade alone will not be able to support it. Then if it’s too light, it can be blown over in winds. Even if it isn’t blowing over, the sunshade itself can be blown around in the wind, causing less consistent exposure from the sun’s rays (and less heat).

For these reasons, I decided I would try my hand at putting together a slightly heavier duty solar cooker.

2 boxes

I scrounged up 2 plastic boxes in the basement. The bigger one is from some kind in-ground fountain that someone gave me, and the other one is some kind of bin.

Yes, the outside box could have been cardboard, but with snow and rain in Minnesota, and the potential for dogs getting into my meal, and given that I had one on hand, it just seemed like the thing to do. After all, the goal with this cooker was heavier duty.

insulation

I put a sheet of clear plastic in the bigger box and put a garbage bag around the smaller box. Then I put the smaller box into the bigger box and stuffed insulation all around it.

I pulled the smaller box out and taped it thoroughly. YES, I know that this insulation is frowned upon because of fumes, but in Minnesota, I believe in insulation! It is also thoroughly taped and as you will see, it will have a Mylar coating on it so that it should never even get warm.

lined box with finished edges

Mylar on top of the insulation to reflect the sun’s rays and Mylar on the sides of the inside box – not sure about that yet, but I have another box with no Mylar that I’m going to test.

frame on box

Then I looked for an old picture frame that I could use as a lid to the cooking chamber. I swear this solar cooker was meant to be because I had a picture frame with glass that fits it perfectly!

cardboard top and sides

At this point I still wasn’t sure this was going to work, so I just cut my sides and top out of cardboard and siliconed on the Mylar. Then I duct-taped the flaps onto the box for a trial run.

oven bag and granite ware

A dark colored pot is preferred with solar cooking. The reusable oven bag is to add more heat and capture the heat from the pot.

cooker in snow bank

This is the first test run. Got to 150 degrees in that snow bank!

almost done

This proved to me that it would work, so I cut up some quarter inch plywood I had laying around and re-siliconed the mylar onto the wood.  I drilled holes in the wood and corresponding ones in the plastic, and used cable ties to hinge the flaps.

I put screws in the two outside flaps to lean the back on, for times when I wanted to get the solar rays at a better angle, and used garden twisties to hold them together. Then, I siliconed the glass to the picture frame, and ran some foam strip sticky seal that I had around the frame to ‘tighten” it a bit more.

So far so good!

screw

I then put a screw in the frame so that I could tell where the full sun was. I have been experimenting with this, and the last test I did, the temperature was about 15 degrees Farenheit, and I got it to 225 degrees – not to shabby (this was with the cooker sitting on the garbage can, not in the snow).

More Iterations and Refinements

Although 225 degrees is pretty solid, I still want to refine this more.

I’m thinking another panel on the front. And a way to tilt it up. The cable ties snapped at just 5 degrees above zero so I replaced them with electric fencing wire. And I am looking for a glass container to put the cooking pot in because the glass will amplify the solar heating.

bottom adjustments

To make a riser for tilt, I cut three strips of wood and siliconed them onto the bottom of the box.

box riser

Then I took a scrap of 2×4 and a board, screwed them together to complete the riser.

3 screws

Well, then I had to add more screws to the side flaps  for more adjustments on the top flap.

more finished

I added a bottom flap that I made adjustable just by drilling a hole on either side of that and a hole in each of the side flaps and lacing garden plant ties through it.

Oops! Got so hot it warped and melted holes in the inside plastic box! So then I took some aluminum flashing scrap I had around and made an aluminum box for it, painted it black – I need to keep my eye out now for an old metal box, maybe a bread box or something for the inside.

All in All

So, with materials I just had laying around the house I created this solar cooker that is pretty much weather resistant, dog and cat resistant, not nice enough where anyone would want to walk off with it, and it all folds into itself so it is easily stored.

Why should I bother doing this now? My experience has been that even though someone on YouTube or in an article can do this or that, doesn’t mean I can. And there is always a learning curve! It didn’t cost me anything and I have the time right now to build it and learn how to use it.

If the grid should go down tomorrow for a month or a year, how will you cook (in reality, not in theory)? Do you have what you need and know how to use it?

Videos, Plans, and More DIYs

Printable PDF – One of the best downloadables I’ve found on solar ovens, how to make them, and how to use them. From Solar Cookers International.

Solar Cooking Wikia – Several plans and DIYs (basically the motherlode of all things solar cooking)

Solar cooking IS a PROVEN technology. That said, you have to have sunshine. In Minnesota the sun does not always shine, and it gets cold. At this post, we are again below zero at night… Will winter ever end???

Because the sun does not always shine, I am also creating a thermal cooker that can be used whether there is sun or not. Much like a Wonderbag, the thermal cooker I’m making is kinda like an off grid slow cooker. If interested, check it out here.

Survival Soup with Rice and Beans [Recipe]

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Survival Soup

Soups have long been the mainstay of any cook who is trying to stretch the larder to feed more people, or the budget to save money. Soup is the basic survival food. And for that reason (among many others), it should always have a place on your survival food list.

This is the first in a series of Survival Soup recipes that you can make from commonly stored foods, your garden in season, foraging wild edibles, or what is seasonally plentiful on the homestead.

This recipe comes from a post written by MsKYprepper “Feed a Family of Four for 1 Year for Less Than $300” and can be seen here: https://seasonedcitizenprepper.com//feed-a-family-of-4-for-1-year-for-less-than-300/

Don’t have time to prepare and cook soup? There are some really great dry soup mixes available. Oregon Lakes has 15 different recipes, and is all natural. See all their flavors here.

Recipe #1 Rice & Beans Soup

Measure out:

  • 8 oz (1 cup) of rice
  • 2 oz (1/4 cup) of red kidney beans
  • 2 oz (1/4 cup) of pearl barley
  • 2 oz (1/4 cup of lentils
  • 1 oz (1/8 cup) of split green beans
  • 1 oz (1/8 cup) of chick peas/garbanzo’s

(The chicken bouillon and salt are optional, but highly recommended!)

Put the ingredients into 6 quarts of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 hours. When I cooked this it didn’t thicken up for me in two hours, but once I turned the burner off and let it sit for a while it did thicken up into a very hearty soup!https://survivalusb.com/products/survival-recipe-vault

If you decide to make this soup, I would suggest going to 1/4 to 1/2 of the recipe and adding liberal amounts of salt and chicken bouillon. Think of it as a very hearty chicken and rice soup with beans, etc. adding protein. This is a very basic recipe that you can add nearly any meat, including jerky, too. It will fill your belly and stick to your ribs. MsKYprepper said it is especially good with cornbread.

I bought all of the ingredients (3 lb. bag of rice and 1 lb. bags of the rest) for less than $10 at Walmart. If I purchased it in larger quantities, it would cost far less for the same amount, but I wanted to try it before I committed myself to larger quantities, and I’m glad I did! If necessary, I’m pretty sure it would feed us (2 adults) for at least a week, maybe two! No, it may not have all the calories you need, but it is meant to be a base for your foraging other foodstuffs from your garden or wherever.

I decided to vacuum seal this, with the recipe, as a gift for one of the kids, to start them on emergency food storage.

packaged food

Then, to keep it all together in a package they could stash almost anywhere, I put it in a clear baggy that I got with some sheets I just bought – I love to repurpose things!

packed done

How To Feed a family of 4 for 1 year, for less than $300

This plan is the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to start a food storage program. It has become semi “internet famous”, and is appropriately referred to as “survival soup.”

Think about this:

  • You are done in a weekend.
  • There are no hassles with rotating.  Pack it and forget.
  • It’s space efficient – everything is consolidated into a few 5-gallon buckets.
  • You’ll sleep content, knowing that you have a one-year food supply on hand for your family should you ever need it.

With the exception of dairy and Vitamin B12, this bean soup recipe will fulfill your basic nutritional needs.  It won’t fill all of your wants, but using this as your starting point, you can add the stuff that you want.

All of the food and storing supplies listed below plus 2 55-gallon recycled barrels to be used for rain catchment cost me $296, including taxes.  I purchased rice, bouillon and salt from Sam’s Club.  You can buy small bags of barley at the grocery store, but if you don’t mind waiting a few days, special ordering a bulk bag from Whole Foods was cheaper.

All of the beans I purchased from Kroger’s in 1-lb bags.  Supplies can be purchased online, although it is usually possible to find more opportunistic deals “on the ground.”

Survival Soup

Supplies you need for Survival Soup:

How To Store It

Install the gamma lids on the bucket and insert mylar bags.  Place 2 or 3 bay leaves in the bottom and fill the buckets, adding more bay leaves after each 1/3 to full.  Place an oxygen absorber in the top.  Label buckets with the contents and date. Fill:

  • 3 buckets with rice (shake it down good. Get it all in there!)
  • 1 bucket of kidney beans
  • 1 bucket of barley
  • 1 yellow lentils
  • In 1 bucket, store the split green peas, garbanzo beans, salt, measuring cup and bouillon (I removed the bouillon from the box and vacuum sealed it as bouillon contains a small amount of oil.).
  • Yep, that’s a total of 7 buckets, so far.

I place a broom handle across the bucket and wrap the ends of the mylar bag over the broom handle to give me some support. Then, slowly and smoothly, run a hot iron over the mylar bag to seal all except the last 2 inches. I press out as much air as possible before sealing the remaining 2 inches.

Make sure your mylar is completely sealed from end to end. Now, stuff the bag into the bucket and rotate the gamma lid into place. This will protect your food for roughly 25 years. You’ll have excess mylar bag at the top. Don’t cut it off, that way if you have to cut it open to get into it, you have enough bag remaining to reseal.

Where To Store Your Soup Supplies

It’s pretty easy to find a place for 7 to 8 5-gallon buckets, even in the smallest of apartments. You could:

  • Discard a set of box springs and lay a kid’s mattress on top of the buckets
  • Line the back of a large closet with the buckets
  • Make a couch table by stacking buckets two high between the couch and the wall.  The buckets are about 6” taller than the back of the couch.  Add a shelf and drape and it looks fine; a convenient place for a lamp and books.

Get creative!

Cooking Your Survival Bean Soup

Measure out

  • 8 oz of rice
  • 2 oz of red kidney beans
  • 2 oz of pearl barley
  • 2 oz of lintels
  • 1 oz of split green peas
  • 1 oz of chick peas/garbanzo’s

Add 6-7 quarts of water.  Add bouillon or salt to taste.  Then add any other meats, vegetables, potatoes or seasonings you have on hand. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for two hours.  You should have enough to feed 4 people for two days.  This is thick and hearty.  You will be warm on the inside and full with one large bowl.  Kids usually eat half a bowl.

After The Emergency Is Over

This system allows you to open the Mylar bags, retrieve as much of the ingredients as is needed and then reseal everything after the emergency has passed.  Just be sure to replace the ingredients used so that you always have a one-year supply.

Other Survival Food Items I Would Want (Keep These in The 8th bucket)

This list isn’t included in the $300.  This falls into the “what I want” category.  As money and resources became available, I’d just go crazy adding all of my indulgences, starting with coffee!  You can add what you want, but I’d fill it with:

  • Dry onion.  Let’s face it, what’s bean soup without onion! Sprinkle on the onions just before serving.
  • “Just add water” cornbread mix packets.  I just can’t eat bean soup without cornbread.
  • Beef jerky and Vienna sausages.  Add protein and zest to the bean soup
  • Instant oatmeal.  Do you really want bean soup for breakfast?  Freeze the oatmeal for 3 days before packing to kill any bugs.
  • 10 lbs of jellybeans.  Now, don’t laugh – it’s a bean.  Jellybeans don’t melt like chocolate might.  The high sugar content is quick energy, and a morale booster – with just enough of a high to help you over the really bad days. Easter is about here – stock up!

Before Filling Your Final Bucket

Buy small bags of the ingredients and fix a big pot of bean soup for dinner.  Eat the leftovers the second night, and 3rd night, until it’s all gone.  Find out now – rather than later – what your family might like to add to it.  Anything tastes great the first meal, but quickly becomes boring after the 3rd or 4th repeat.

Don’t wait until the emergency happens to discover what you SHOULD have stored in your 8th bucket. … Maybe some Beano!

How to Make Your Own Saline Solution [Recipe]

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How To Make Your Own Saline Solution for Wounds Care

I was just reading a post about making your own DIY sterile saline solution, but it didn’t call for canning the product, and they expressed concern over keeping it “clean enough” during storage (sterile).

Here’s the thing: If you employ a canning process, you should not need to worry about sterility.

I believe everyone should have some home-canned water on hand for cleaning out wounds, eyes, etc., but it should not be municipal or even water from a well, because you can not control what’s in it – fluoride, other people’s drugs, leeched contaminants, etc.

If you must use tap water, this is where I would bring it to a rolling boil for 5 minutes BEFORE trying to can it. (Allow to cool before canning.) Otherwise, I believe it is best to use the highest-quality bottled spring water you can buy.

You could use commercially prepared distilled water, which would be a very good idea for wound treatment, but using bottled spring water (read your labels carefully) will allow greater flexibility, should you need to drink it, rather than treat wounds or wash eyes out with it.

Distilled water has had all minerals removed and is not “healthy” for human consumption in the long term; however, drinking it on a rare occasion will not hurt you – just, not a great long term habit.

You could just add sodium chloride (salt) tablets to your water; you can buy these online at amazon, among other places (100 tabs to a bottle).

Homemade Saline Solution Recipe

If you want to ensure that you’ll always have some saline solution around, without paying an arm and a leg for it, here is the best homemade way to do it:

  1. Combine 1 pint water and 4 grams sodium chloride tablets (each tablet is 1 gram, so, 4 tablets per pint).
  2. For a quart, simply double to 8 tablets of 1 gram each.
  3. If using a granulated product (such as salt), use one teaspoon per pint, or two teaspoons per quart. DO NOT USE TABLE SALT; it probably contains added iodine, but it most surely will contain anti-caking agents, which you don’t want in your water for this purpose (It’s ok to use all natural salt, as long as it is iodine and caking agent free).

How To Sterilize Your Water

To sterilize your water, simply can it, using a pressure canner (NOT a pressure cooker). Here’s how:

  1. Wash and sterilize your jars – I prefer running them through the dishwasher
  2. Put your tablet or teaspoon of salt in the bottom of the jar using a canning jar funnel to keep rims clean
  3. Wipe rims with a clean paper towel dipped in hot water to remove any stray grains – a clean paper towel for each swipe, to avoid transfer;
  4. Sterilize your caps for 30 seconds in boiling water and place them,
  5. Sterilize your rings for 30 seconds in boiling water and place them,
  6. Then process @ 10 lbs pressure: pints = 75 minutes; quarts = 90 minutes.

Basically, you’re processing your water as though you are canning a meat product.  This will dissolve the salt products and sterilize the water. This water can be stored for a very long time. How long? Depends on HOW it is stored, and WHERE. Keep out of direct sunlight and away from heat source, in a non-humid environment, and it should be good for years, but you can certainly drink it whenever needed.

Note: this is not a sports drink (replacing electrolytes, etc.). If you wanted to create that, you would need to add a carb (sugar, usually) and as a bonus,  potassium and magnesium, and maybe some L-Glutamine powder. While making a home made sports drink is easy, I’ll leave that for another day.

Check Out The Mini Sentry .22 Caliber Tripwire Alarm

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Mini Sentry Trip Wire Alarm (1)

It’s 3:00 AM and you are sound asleep. The loud crack of a firearm fills the air, awakening you, instantly letting you know that someone is trying to steal your property. You grab a light and some protection and head out to find the culprit, but there’s no one around.

When the Mini Sentry Trip Wire Alarm discharged, the thief took off running, no confrontation, no loss and a warning for future attempts.

The trip wire alarm uses a readily available, inexpensive .22 blank, and is constructed of machined brass, steel and stainless. It can be used to alarm large areas with a trip wire, gates, pastures, meadows, doors, vehicles, equipment, products and more.

The Mini-Sentry can be installed with a zip tie, wire or screws. A distinct advantage to a trip wire with a gun shot repeat is the trespasser knows that you are aware of his presence – a huge deterrent.

How much is your stuff worth?

Can You Use Fish Antibiotics for Humans? [Doctor’s Opinion]

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Best Fish Mox For Humans

Accumulating medications for a possible collapse may be simple when it comes to getting Ibuprofen and other “over the counter” medicines, but it can be a major issue for those who need to stockpile prescription medications.

Antibiotics are one example of medications that will be very useful in a collapse situation. However, obtaining these drugs in any kind of quantity will be difficult, to say the least.

For these and other reasons, many people have explored using fish antibiotics for human use in an emergency. * (see disclaimer below). 

What is Fish Mox? (and Other Fish Antibiotics)

Fish mox is one of the many fish antibiotics that are used to treat bacterial infections in ornamental and pet fish. The antibiotics that are used to treat them are the same or similar to the antibiotics that are provided for human use, as well.  Fish antibiotics currently on the market don’t require a prescription and mainly come in lots of approximately 30-100. Labs make several forms of them, including capsules, tablets, single- use powder packets and pure bulk powder jars.

Now it may be a little reckless to rely on fish antibiotics when civilization ihttps://survivalusb.com/products/survival-usbs our safety net. Still, in the absence of such amenities, you’ll want to be thinking ahead to provide enough antibiotics to protect your family or group in a collapse situation. 

Many survivalists often stockpile these fish meds in anticipation of emergencies where they might not have access to prescription antibiotics. This type of creative thinking can help you get much-needed medicine, thereby increasing your odds of long-term survival and putting you exactly where you want to be once disaster strikes.  

11 Best and Most Common Fish Antibiotics

Fish antibiotics are commonly sold over the counter. Labs make several forms of them, including capsules, tablets, single-use powder packets and pure bulk powder jars. Keep in mind that dosages listed on the containers vary for different brands, and they only represent what is added to fish tanks during treatment.

The list below discusses how these antibiotics treat ornamental fish and pet fish, their common brand names and price ranges, followed by a discussion about their human equivalents. Any prices listed are subject to change, and they don’t include taxes or shipping costs. 

1. Fish Mox

Fish Mox, as it is generically known, is Amoxicillin for fish. It treats common bacterial diseases such as red pest, dropsy, fin rot and infection of the gills and cottonmouth. You can buy a 250 mg, 100-count bottle for $18.99 online. As a refresher, Amoxicillin prescribed to humans is used to treat bacterial infections such as bronchitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia, and those of the ear, nose and throat.

2. Fish Penicillin

Fish Penicillin is used to control common bacterial diseases, such as fin and tail rot and Flexibacter infections. Fish Aid Antibiotics carries bottles of Fish Penicillin for $14.99, while Fish Pen that’s made by Thomas Labs retails for around $18.99. Penicillin is the oldest true antibiotic invented, and bacterial infections in humans treated with it include syphilis, gonorrhea, strep throat, meningitis, pneumonia.

3. Fish Cillin

Fish Cillin, as it is generically known, is Ampicillin for fish. In humans, Ampicillin is prescribed for treating the infection of tissues and organs caused by bacteria that is ampicillin-sensitive. 

More importantly, Thomas Labs, the manufacturer of Fish Cillin and all Ampicillin products, announced they were discontinuing the line. They recommend you talk to a qualified veterinarian about which of the following alternative products to Fish Cillin is the right for treating your fish.

  • Fish Flox and Fish Flox Forte (Ciprofloxacin)
  • Fish Flex and Fish Flex Forte (Cephanlexin)
  • Fish Cin (Clindamycin)
  • Fish Sulfa Forte (Sulfameth / Trimethoprim) 
  • Fish Mox and Fish Mox Forte (Amoxicillin)

You may find some places online that still carry Fish Cillin, but ones such as A to Z Pet Supply show a 100-count bottle for $48.99 as being back ordered. 

4. Fish Zithro

Fish Zithro, as it is generically known, is Azithromycin for fish. It’s used in the aquarium for treating fish infections such as tail and fin rot, popeye and more. You can get 500mg tablets in packs of 3-6, and prices for those range from about $14.99 to $24.99, respectively. Azithromycin treats infections related to ears, eyes, skin and respiratory system, while also treating sexually transmitted diseases.

5. Fish Doxy

Fish Doxy is the generic name for Fish Doxycycline. Fish Doxy is a tetracycline antibiotic that is used to treat Mouth Rot, Septicemia and Fin and Tail Rot in fish. Fish Aid Antibiotics lists a 100 mg, 30-count bottle of Fish Doxycline for $43.99. Doxycycline works in the human body to treat an array of bacterial infections that include periodontitis, eye infections, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. 

6. Fish Zole

Metronidazole for fish is generically known as Fish Zole. Metronidazole for fish is used in the aquarium to treat bacterial infections known as Cottonmouth and Gill Disease, along with some common parasites. Fish Zole sells for around $39.99. The human equivalent of it treats bacterial infections of the brain, heart, stomach, intestines, liver, joints, skin and respiratory tract.

7. Fish Sulfa Forte

Fish Sulfa Forte, as it is generically known, is Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim for fish. Fish Sulfa Forte is used in the aquarium to treat Gill Disease and Cottonmouth. Its human equivalent is Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. You can get a 30-count bottle of it online for about $20. Doctors use this combination antibiotic to treat ailments such as middle ear infections, UTIs, and infections of the intestines. Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim treats pneumocystis-type of pneumonia, too.  

8. Fish Flex

The generic name of Fish Cephalexin is Fish Flex, and it is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used to treat the most active and multiplying stages of infection of certain pathogenic bacteria in fish. It is priced very reasonably online, and $10.99 will get you a 30-count, 250 mg bottle of it. The human equivalent of FishFlex is Cephalexin, and it treats a host of bacterial infections, including those of the upper respiratory, skin, urinary tract and bones.

9. Fish Cin 

Fish Cin is the generic name for fish clindamycin. Fish Cin treats Gill Disease and Cottonmouth. At one website  you can get 150 mg, 30-count bottle for $26.95 and 150 mg, 100-count bottles for $74.95. Clindamycin belongs to a class of known as lincomycin antibiotics. They work by slowing or halting bacterial growth. Certain types of bacterial infections it treats in humans include those in the blood, skin, lungs and female reproductive organs.

10. Fish Flucon

Fish Flucon is generically known as Fluconazole for pet and ornamental fish. However, Fluconazole is not an antibiotic and is an antifungal instead. Fluconazole is used in the aquarium for treating protist and fungal infections such as Ichthyophonus hoferi (Ick) and Saprolegnia. You can purchase a 30-count, 100 mg bottle of Fish Flucon for roughly $60.00. In humans, Fluconazole is used to prevent and treat certain fungal and yeast infections.

11. Fish Flox Forte Ciprofloxacin

Fish Flox Forte (Ciproflaxin) is generically known as Ciprofloxacin for fish. Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) for fish is a powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotic that treats fin rot, skin ulcers and Black Patch Necrosis Syndromes. Fish Aid Antibiotics offers an equivalent to Fish Flox Forte (Ciprofloxacin), and you can buy a bottle of 30-count, 500 mg tablets for $32.99. 

In humans, Cipro should only be taken for infections that don’t respond to safer antibiotics. Cipro, also known Fluoroquinolone (flor-o-KWIN-o-lone), can cause a laundry list of serious and irreversible side effects in some people. We’re betting that the fishy version does, too.

Keeping that in mind, if it’s a case of survival after a collapse situation, consider that Cipro is known to treat serious bacterial infections in the body. People who have been exposed to anthrax and certain plagues are treated with it, too.  So, weigh the option of stocking this one for a SHTF scenario wisely. More importantly, if it’s not doomsday, Ciproflaxin for fish shouldn’t be considered a part of your prepper’s arsenal. 

Are Fish Antibiotics Safe For Humans?

As most of us already know, healthcare in the United States is really costly. Sick people and preppers alike have been known to stock up on fish antibiotics because they are a fraction of the cost that they would spend on getting a conventional prescription.

It’s important to remember that if you have a Penicillin allergy, you should not take Fish Penicillin, Mox, or Fish Ampicillin. Cephalexin is in a different drug family than Penicillin, but is quoted as having a 10% cross-reactivity rate with Penicillin. 

What Is The Fish Mox Dosage for Humans? (or Fish Mox Forte)

Most penicillin and cephalosporin meds are taken at 500mg dosages 3-4 times a day for adults, (250mg dosages for children) and will treat many skin and respiratory infections. 

Metronidazole (250mg) and Doxycycline (100mg) are taken twice a day and will treat many types of diarrheal disease.

Fish Mox comes in a pill dosage of 250mg and Fish Mox Forte comes in 500mg. According to Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy, an Amoxicillin dose is usually administered 3 times a day. Usually, 20-50 mg per kilogram of weight (20-30 mg per kilogram for children less than 4 months old). 

A common child’s dosage would be 250 mg and a common max dosage for adults would be 500 mg. Works out conveniently that these are the exact amounts that they come in the bottles. The drug is taken orally 3 times a day (2 for children) for 10-14 days.  

If it is a child or somebody that can’t swallow a pill, it is possible to crush the capsules up and mix into a liquid (flavored even if you want), but don’t do this with any medication that has a “time-released” marking on them. These are intended to be absorbed over time, and too much at once may not be good. 

One of the most important things to do when using an antibiotic is to not stop taking the medicine, even if your condition starts improving. Many times, patients will improve after 3 days, because most of the bacteria are killed, but if you stop taking it, the remaining bacteria can multiply (sometimes even with resistance). 

Case Studies of People Using Fish Antibiotics

Read some of these case studies from people who have successfully used fish antibiotics:

Broke College Student Cures UTI

Carrera Howie described the experience  when she used fish antibiotics for a urinary tract infection. Howie, who was a cash-strapped college kid at the time she used the fish meds, said she got the idea to turn to fish antibiotics from her mom.

Howie explained that her mom gave her a bottle of fish meds she’d purchased from a pet store to take for the UTI after finding out that Carrera couldn’t afford to go to the doctor. 

Howie added that “urgent care and doctors’ copays are so expensive and it sometimes feels like I have to make a choice between having a provider and having groceries. They worked incredibly. The UTI was completely gone within a week, and I didn’t get another one for at least 4 more years.”

WBUR Boston Interview

One man, Andy Shecktor, said he turned to fish antibiotics 15 years ago when doctors started tightening up. The 63-year-old told WBUR Boston how it all started. Shecktor said doctors at that time were cutting down on prescribing antibiotics to patients in response to the growing prevalence of strains that no longer responded to the first round of antibiotics.  

He told WBUR that he understood the importance of antibiotic resistance. When he met some resistance to getting antibiotics from his doctor for the phlegm in his chest and sinuses, he took matters into his own hands. 

He discussed the main reasons why he turned to the aquarium for answers instead of his doctor saying, “It’s not so much the cost as the availability. It’s just the way the medical industry is these days. It’s just tough to get the care you need. It’s tough to get the medications you need. It’s tough to even see a doctor.”

He and his wife have an aging cat, a rabbit and some guinea pigs. They even had bottles of penicillin lying around that they’d gotten for the cat, he explained. The Shecktors no longer had fish but still had some of the fish antibiotics stowed away that had been bought for them. Knowing he had a little stash, Shecktor performed a little research online to see how to use them.  

He decided to try them in an attempt to cure his infection. After all, he used them on the guinea pigs once when they got sick with success.  Shecktor told WBUR, “The penicillin used for fish and that sort of thing are actually the exact same pills [as antibiotics for humans].” He also said the meds made him well, and that “he’s had great success with it actually”

Is Fish Mox Effective on Other Animals? 

Aquarium fish are dosed with many of the same antibiotics as we are, including clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin, penicillin and more. Is Fish Mox effective in treating other animals though? Yes; bacterial skin wounds and pneumonia in birds, dogs, cats, horses, ferrets, rabbits, and other small animals can all be successfully treated with fish antibiotics. 

Fish Mox works so well because it contains Amoxicillin which is an effective, all-purpose antibiotic. However, it doesn’t clear up Staph infections.  Cold Spot for Healthy Pets recommends dosing the animals with 9-18 mg of antibiotic per one pound of animal every 8-12 hours. 

Be sure that the particular fish antibiotic that you use on your animals only has antibiotics in it, though. When inspecting the label, it should indicate that the only ingredient contained is antibiotics, just the same as those you pick up with a prescription at your nearby pharmacy. For instance, an antibiotic with fish scale brightener added to your aquarium helps the ornamental fish within get shiny. On the other hand, it might make your animal or someone in your household very sick if ingested.

Where to Buy Fish Antibiotics

You can buy fish antibiotics at just about any place that carry pet supplies such as Thomas Labs, WalMart, and Gotta go retailers. Don’t look for Fish Mox on Amazon, though. Amazon tends to shy away from carrying anything controversial and has since discontinued carrying them. 

A search for it yields results for Ampitrexyl, which sounds like an antibiotic, but it’s probably disappointingly not for people looking for fish antibiotics. Amazon appoarently dropped products such as Moxifish right after careless tweets debuted from certain verified buyers.

The one below for instance, extolled the virtues of how perfectly the Moxifish cleared their fish’s infection after their wisdom teeth were removed probably raised a few eyebrows. 

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With increased attention shining a light on this certain self-diagnosis and medication movement over the past few years has led pet stores to review their sales tactics, too.

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One social media user tweeted that a pet store employee told them that “they caught onto us and took them out” when he into a store to buy some. 

How Expensive Are Fish Antibiotics?

Prices are pretty reasonable for fish antibiotics, but they can sometimes vary depending on brand and quantity. One thing that becomes glaringly obvious after a little online legwork session is that, for the most part, infection-fighting fish meds are cheaper than ones you’d have to get with a scrip, especially if you don’t have healthcare insurance. 

Some of them are cheaper than the copay you pay to your primary caregiver with insurance. That, and the fact that fish are given the same antibiotics as their human equivalents are what leads people to check out fish antibiotics as a viable alternative to human ones.  

So, Can Humans Really Take Fish Antibiotics? [A Doctor’s Opinion]

from  Dr. Bones of The Doom and Bloom Hour with Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy

The following advice is contrary to standard medical practice, and is a strategy that is appropriate only in the event of societal collapse.  If there are modern medical resources available to you, seek them out.

However, thinking long and hard for a solution has led me to what I believe is a viable option: fish antibiotics.

For many years, I was a tropical fish enthusiast.  Currently, we are growing Tilapia as a food fish in an aquaculture pond.  After years of using these medicines on fish, I decided to evaluate these drugs for their potential use in collapse situations.

A close inspection of the bottles revealed that the only ingredient was the drug itself, identical to those obtained by prescription at the local pharmacy. 

That’s right, there are NO added ingredients in fish antibiotics–Amoxicillin, Doxycycline, Penicillin, and more. 

If the bottle says FISH-MOX, for example, the sole ingredient is Amoxicillin, which is an antibiotic commonly used in humans.  There are no additional chemicals to makes your scales shiny or your fins longer. 

I understand that you might be skeptical about considering the use of aquarium antibiotics for humans in a collapse.  Those things are for fish, aren’t they?

Yet, if this is the case, then why are all of the above antibiotics also commonly used on humans?  More importantly:  Why are these antibiotics in the exact same DOSAGES that are used in humans?  Why would a guppy require a dosage of FISH-MOX FORTE that would suffice for a 180 pound human adult?  It is my opinion that they are manufactured in the same way that “human” antibiotics are made; I don’t have proof that this is true, but I suspect that they might even come from similar batches.

These medications are available without a prescription from veterinary supply stores and online sites everywhere. They come in lots of 30 to 100 tablets for less than the same prescription medication at the local pharmacy. If you so desired, it appears that you could get as much as you need to stockpile for a collapse. These quantities would be close to impossible to obtain from your physician.

Of course, anyone could be allergic to one or another of these antibiotics, but it would be a very rare individual who would be allergic to all of them. There is a 10% chance for cross-reactivity between Penicillin drugs and Keflex (if you are allergic to penicillin, you could also be allergic to Keflex).

This one additional fact:  I have personally used some (not all) of these antibiotics on my own person without any ill effects.  It’s important to note that I am speaking primarily about aquarium antibiotics, as some dog and cat medications also include other chemicals and are not just the antibiotic.

These antibiotics are used at specific doses for specific illnesses; the exact dosage of each and every medication is beyond the scope of this handbook. It’s important, however, to have as much information as possible on medications that you plan to store, so consider purchasing a hard copy of the latest Physician’s Desk Reference.

This book comes out yearly and has just about every bit of information that exists on a particular drug.  The book lists medications that require prescriptions as well as those that do not. Under each medicine, you will find the indications, which are the medical conditions that the drug is used for. Also listed will be the dosages, risks and side effects. I don’t have to tell you that this is a large book!

Strategies for Getting Other Prescription Medications

For medications that treat non-infectious illness, such as cholesterol or blood pressure drugs, you will also need a prescription.  These medications are not available in aquarium supply houses, so how can you work to stockpile them?

You may consider asking your physician to prescribe a higher dose than the amount you usually take. Many drugs come in different dosages. If your medicine is a 20 milligram dosage, for example, you might ask your doctor to prescribe the 40 mg dosage.  You would then cut the medication in half; take your normal dosage and store the other half of the pill.  It’s very important to assure your physician that you will continue to follow their medical advice and not take more medicine than is appropriate for your condition. Your success in having your request granted will depend on the doctor.

Others have managed to obtain needed prescriptions by indicating that they are traveling for long periods of time out of the country or telling their physician some other falsehood.  I can’t recommend this method, because I believe that dishonesty breaks the bond of trust between doctor and patient. Consider having a serious discussion with your healthcare provider. Describe your concerns about not having needed medications in a disaster situation. You don’t have to describe the disaster as a complete societal collapse; any catastrophe could leave you without access to your doctor for an extended period.

If we ever find ourselves without modern medical care, we will have to improvise medical strategies that we perhaps might be reluctant to consider today. Without hospitals, it will be up to the medic to nip infections in the bud. That responsibility will be difficult to carry out without the weapons to fight disease. Accumulate equipment and medications and never ignore avenues that may help you gain access to them.

Alternative therapies such as herbal supplements and essential oils should be stockpiled as well.  Honey, onion, Silver, and garlic have known antibacterial actions; be sure to integrate all medical options, traditional and alternative, and use every tool at your disposal to keep your community healthy.  If you don’t, you’re fighting with one hand tied behind your back. Remember that traditional medicines and even essential oils will eventually run out in a long term collapse. Begin your medicinal garden now and get experience with the use of these beneficial plants.

by  Dr. Bones of The Doom and Bloom Hour with Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy

Final Thoughts

When summing up reasons for stockpiling fish meds when the SHTF, one benefit of the practice is that it allows you to have an alternate supply of antibiotics when needed. That being said, there are ways you can easily stockpile antibiotics that would otherwise be difficult to get your hands on in large quantities. 

However, before you go on to play survival doctor and ‘heal thyself’ during a collapse situation, consider that there are downsides to consider before taking meds intended for your aquarium creatures. For instance, Cipro is an antibiotic that’s not to be trifled with in any circumstance unless you really have the training and background that goes with administering it.

Additionally, preppers that know what they are doing may want to stockpile human antibiotics and antivirals, along with fish antibiotics in the event of a doomsday scenario. 

The following plan is a good short-term fix and will give you one to two courses of antibiotic or antiviral therapy. Simply, tell your doctor that you are going out of the country and would like something prescribed to combat “Travelers’ Diarrhea.” 

You can also ask for Flagyl and human-grade Doxycycline and Amoxicillin for protozoal and bacterial infections during your doctor’s visit. Likewise, you can ask for the antiviral Tamiflu during peak flu seasons by telling the physician you are experiencing flu-like symptoms.

You may also want to team your stockpiled medicines with alternative medicines, too, in order to have a longer-term solution. Survivalists know that it is always a good idea to be prepared and to not put all your eggs in one basket.

*Disclaimer

While many people have used fish antibiotics to successfully treat their infections, they have not been reviewed or approved by the FDC, and are specifically labeled “not for human consumption.” This article is for reference purposes only, and should not be construed as medical advice. Misdiagnosing, self-treatment and misuse of any antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance. We assume no responsibility for using any substances in a way contrary to their indicated use.