Post Medication...

sly2kusa

sly2kusa

Lover of Esox
Jul 25, 2006
181
0
0
Hello -

I'm preparing to come off of a round of medications next Saturday at approximately 8pm (from my 90g). I was using 2 different sets of meds that were safe to "stack" according to the manufacturer (the meds were from Virbac Animal Health - specifically their Mardel products for Ich, and a broad spectrum Anti-Biotic for general bacterial problems).

My question is this - I have 2 Emperor 400's attached to this 90g which currently have no filters in them at all (took them out even though they were old so as to not disturb the meds). I am wanting to do the following, and would appreciate input as to whether this is the best approach:

- Install a total of 8 Rite-Size "E" Carbon Filters back into the 2 Emperor's (each slot doubled up so that a total of 4 cartridges are in each Emperor).

- Water test the next morning (12 hours later) to see where the parameters are and if there were any problems after the meds have been completely removed.

- Regardless to parameters - am going to do 2 different water changes on that Sunday (am going to have to in order to properly vacuum the gravel with my Python). This should constitute approximately 75-80% change in water, but could be more depending on how fast I can vacuum the gravel.

My hope is that the water will obviously clear up, and the meds will be completely removed. I also just recently started to use both Evaporated Sea Salt and Garlic as additives for all my tanks. My plan is to put the full amount of Salt back in (1Tbls per 10g) and the recommended Garlic (1 drop per 10g).


Is this a green light solution/approach? Or should I modify my considerations here in some way?

Regardless - thank you all for your input!
 
after about a week or so the carbon isnt acitve anymore. i would test your waters every day. by taking out the media out of the filters you are taking out all your good bacteria. well not all but most.

i wouldnt use medications for ick. there is a really good page on ick. http://aquariumboard.com/forums/articles/25-ich-fw.html

basicly raise the tank temp up to 82-86 and add 2 tsp. per gallon of salt.
 
Dont add salt as a preventative it shortens the life of freshwater fish and can allow for salt tolerant diseses to become present in your tank which defeats its purpose anyhow. Just use salt when your fish are sick. Long term exposure is not healthy. I havent heard much about the garlic. I dont really know if it would do anything on a preventative level. As for wasteing 8 filter cartridges which would be quite expensive just buy some bulk carbon and get an old pair of nylons or buy a pair, cut a peice of the nylon off about the leangth of the filter and fill it with carbon. Rinse it out so all the dust if removed and lay it into the filter. This will be much cheaper and remove much more of the meds than the little amount that comes in the filter cartridges. As for the beneficial bacteria that magamer mentioned you probably lost some by takeing out your cartridges but being as you run emporers your bio wheels will be full of it so I wouldnt worry in the least. The rest of your plan sounds good. You probably dont need to do a double water change as the carbon will absorb most of the meds within 24 hours.
 
fishfreak21 said:
Dont add salt as a preventative it shortens the life of freshwater fish and can allow for salt tolerant diseses to become present in your tank which defeats its purpose anyhow. Just use salt when your fish are sick. Long term exposure is not healthy. I havent heard much about the garlic. I dont really know if it would do anything on a preventative level. As for wasteing 8 filter cartridges which would be quite expensive just buy some bulk carbon and get an old pair of nylons or buy a pair, cut a peice of the nylon off about the leangth of the filter and fill it with carbon. Rinse it out so all the dust if removed and lay it into the filter. This will be much cheaper and remove much more of the meds than the little amount that comes in the filter cartridges. As for the beneficial bacteria that magamer mentioned you probably lost some by takeing out your cartridges but being as you run emporers your bio wheels will be full of it so I wouldnt worry in the least. The rest of your plan sounds good. You probably dont need to do a double water change as the carbon will absorb most of the meds within 24 hours.
Click to expand...

Thank you both for your input. I guess my question is a bit of a conflicting one to everything else I have heard about using Salt. It's branded as 1Tbl spoon per 5g on regular water changers, and the Garlic has been written up as a fresh water Ich destroyer...

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-10/sp/index.php


Do you have any articles that has been written on these dangers of long term exposure to salt? I'm using it both in my quarantine tanks, and my main tank.
 
http://www.aquascienceresearch.com/APInfo/Salt.htm
Here is an excellent link to the issues associated with useing salt in the aquarium or pond. It also tells you the ammounts that are realy needed to do the two things that salt are good for but is unnessacary if your fish are healthy and unstressed.
 
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Garlic will not kill ich nor prevent it. That's a new one ;)

Any antibiotic poses a threat to your biofilter. Antibiotics kill bacteria and they don't care if the bacteria is friend or foe. IMO use the salt method and you've nothing to worry about.

Treating Ich with salt:
http://aquafacts.net/wiki/index.php/Ich

The Salt Myth:
http://aquafacts.net/wiki/index.php/All_Salt_Was_Not_Created_Equal


Fishfreak -- not a bad article, but 1 teaspoon per gallon is more salt than is found in Lake Tang, so I disagree with his cichlid comments -- even for the ones that enter brackish. There's more Ca, Mg and K in brackish than salt.

Roan
 
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