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Does anyone here medicate as a form of prevention, what I mean is does anyone add medication to the tank when doing water changes or other maintenance? Is it ok to medicate if there is no signs of illness? What negative impact would it have on healthy fish? Just something I was thinking about, it makes sense to me that if I medicated in advance I wouldn't have to worry about future problems.

Justin

Colts Fan For Life
30g platy tank: 2 sunburst wag platys, 2 redtailed white calico platys, 2 red wag platys, 1 fry(not sure who it belongs to), 1 Golden CAE.
Bettas:1 VT male

If you define medications (as it should be) to cure ills the answer is no.

Yes I do add Sera Nitrivec ( a good bacteria) at every water change, and in the Betta tank 32Lt only I also add a little Melafix reason being some water supply problems.

I can see no reason at all to add medications, what would you be treating and why. Over a period of time you could be doing far more damage than you think. The fish could build up immunity to the medications and when they are required they would not work. Also just think of the cocktail of medications that could easily build up in the tank.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

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Keith

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Keith,
Good response, I was just curious to see what the general thought was towards the question. Tetra aquasafe is the only thing I have ever added to the water. Luckily I have never had to medicate any of my tanks

Justin

Colts Fan For Life
30g platy tank: 2 sunburst wag platys, 2 redtailed white calico platys, 2 red wag platys, 1 fry(not sure who it belongs to), 1 Golden CAE.
Bettas:1 VT male

Yup it would be seriously harmful to use bactericide and fungicides such as methylene blue, malachite green , formalin etc premptively on a regular basis, all of them can cause skin , and gill damage used excessively, all of them will eventually effect dna, and that often causes cancer, it would also prevent much of the normal microfauna that help to contribute to a mature aquarium from ever getting established, youd always experience lousy water quality and filthy looking tanks covered in diatomic algae if any silicates were remotely present.

The fish themselves would also likely die of renal failure within a few months from the literal toxicity, and youd get organ failure dropsy regularly, and as for using antibiotics regularly, well you could end up producing resistant strains of bacteria, and that eventually threatens everyones fish. Thats why vets and doctors arent keen on handing the stuff out like candies. The more you use it, the more chance bacteria have to become immune to it, or evolve past it.

Drugs are there for when you need them. If you want a control you can use everyday, that would be UV sterilisation. Doesnt stop everything, but stops a lot.Plus theres no becoming immune to it. Protecting your fish is what quarantine is for, with current technology there is nothing else that guarantees fish health as well as quarantine in any practical aspect. Observation and segregation can always be relied on when you acquire new fish, it is your primary weapon against disease and protecting your community. Theres no shortcut. Meds are for when you get definite symptoms.

If wholesalers , importers, LFS'and home owners took quarantine seriously and used it as a standard part of their commitment to the hobby, everyones fish would be better off, disease less persistant, common, and resistant. Its keepers using meds on fish they put into community without quarantine that made diseases med resistant in the first place.

The responsible fishkeeper uses quarantine, not only for his own fish, but also for the continued health of other keepers fishy pets. Using drugs sparingly and only when you need them is EVERYONES responsibility, and its important not only in fish care, but in every aspect of the pet industry and in human medicine too.

Also, a lot of fish meds are known to the state of California to cause cancer to humans, and repetitive contact with it may give you cancer. That is why i dont like to get any meds on me. Plus, it is a horrible stainer!!!!

Definately a NONO

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im gonna have to agree with LHG on this one. its the same kinda thinghappining with human meds. people using them way more than what is needed is causing alot of resistant strains to pop up. it makes it soo much harder to treat diseases. so unless your fish are sick then no do not treat the tank! and if you do treat it then make sure you doit all the way. stoping right when the fish seem better might seem like a good idea but you have to keep treating for a little while afterwards. if you dont then resistsnt bacteria could also pop up.

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