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Bacterial? What to use? | |
CrimsonaX Hobbyist Posts: 130 Kudos: 57 Registered: 30-May-2007 | After looking at some images and having no luck thus far, I'm concerned my fighter may have a bacterial infection... On hand I have a general antibiotic and a some tetracyline, i beleive thats how its spelt. Temporarily he's sharing his tank with a bristlenose catfish which I'm worried may be affected too, even though he isn't showing any symptoms. Also have Jungle Fungus eliminator if that might help. |
Posted 23-Mar-2008 06:34 | |
Brengun Big Fish Posts: 355 Kudos: 187 Votes: 110 Registered: 22-Jun-2007 | I have never used an antibiotic also I now have some on order for future ailments in fish. Do they interfere with the tank cycle at all? |
Posted 23-Mar-2008 11:56 | |
CrimsonaX Hobbyist Posts: 130 Kudos: 57 Registered: 30-May-2007 | Been told on the package excessive use of may impact |
Posted 23-Mar-2008 13:40 | |
longhairedgit Fish Guru Lord of the Beasts Posts: 2502 Kudos: 1778 Votes: 29 Registered: 21-Aug-2005 | Depends on the drug to some degree, but yes, most furans, tetracyclines, enrofloaxazin, triple sulfa etc all do some damage to a bacterial filter colony, and depending on concentration may of course, completely uncycle an aquarium. Most are better used in QT with ammolock to prevent the fish from ammonia damage, but if youve gotta treat a whole tank because the infection is water spread and the fish are internally infected with bacteria so theres no choice but to use antibiotics ,you can do cunning things like take the cycled filter off, for the week, keep it running in a bucket with neat ammonia added as you would for fishless cycling,(often kills harmful bacteria to some degree, use organic dyes with the filter in the bucket to sterilise the filter of harmful pathogens without killing off the filter entirely, and treat the main tank with ammolock and antibiotics, and just a pump or a minifilter, in which you can use carbon to take the meds out when the treatments are done. Then in theory you can ( after treatments are up and meds removed,do water changes to drop meds and ammolock,) return original filter still cycled and purged of infection,and experience the most minimal level of ammmonia and nitrate exposure post treatment possible. Bit of lateral thinking you can always get round these issues. Basically you can QT a fish... ... or when needs must, segregate the filter into a bucket, feed it, keep it running, and use your original aquarium as the treatment area. Its all a pain in the backside of course, but you dont ever have to accept a tankload of fish under treatment have to be exposed the the start of a cycle over again, or experience any ammonia or nitrite while under treatment. All it takes are a bucket , some ammonia, and a mini filter or a pump and some carbon, and a bottle of ammolock. Weve had the tools for years , but hey, people are slow on figuring stuff out .lol. All but for a single bit of information, which is that outside a fishs body, harmful bacteria are easily killed and their dna damaged by simple cures like melafix and pimafix, methylene blue and malachite green, often in combo with formalin ,which when used to cure a seriously affected fish arent that useful because they arent systemic treatments, more of an equivalent of an antibacterial wipe, it wont save a fish from septacamia or progressive internal bacteria, but can be used to clear tankwater and a filter of infection since the bacteria are very exposed. In a fishs body though, thats where the antibiotics need to get, and since fish need ammonia and nitrite free water for their breathing and consequently their immune system to work, you can use ammolock instead of a filter to temporarily provide relief. Thats real cure. The filter though, doesnt need to be exposed to any of that antibiotic to get the harmful bugs out, and it can be treated seperately with more filter safe meds. You have an option to segregate either fish (when individual fish are infected but not terribly contagious)- or filters(when an aquarium entire needs purging of extremely contagious diseases that only real antibiotics can beat, or when so many fish are affected it becomes impractical to segregate fish). |
Posted 24-Mar-2008 01:34 |
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