Tetracyclin treatment

[arpan]

Hi All,

Wanted to treat my fish with antibiotics as they had fin rot for a long time.

I used tetracyclin and terramycin together @ 1 gm per 100 litre water.

They started jumping out of the water after a froth started forming on the top of the water.

All parameters are within range and wc is 75% daily stored over night. temp. 32 degree celcius.

I did give an immediate water change.

Kindly let me know what wrong did i do and how can i treat my fish with antibiotics.

Thanx for the quick help.

Arpan

[Graham]

Why would you the two drugs at the same time. They are in the same family of antibiotics and both look after gram negative and gram positive........The foaming isn't unusual when antibiotics are added to the water and it probably just spooked the fish.

With a temp that high I hope that there's lots of air going into the tank.

G

[arpan]

Hi Graham,

Thanx for the help.

I dosed them because last time i got good results.

So you mean that both of them have the same effect and that both of them are Gram Negative and Positive. Thus i can use only one - is this right?

There was a lot of air and they stay in this temp. all summer.

The heavy breathing has gone now after a water change and one of them seems to have his head at 45 degree upward. Is this normal?

Some have also bruised themselves and skin is coming out at a few places.

Was my dosage enough or too much?

Please help.

Arpan

[Harriett]

Arpan,
There are toxicities related to medications in the best of circumstances, let alone when given in the wrong dosage or combination of drugs or under the wrong circumstances. It sounds like you were unclear about what you were doing, although obviously well intentioned. My advice is to NOT medicate until you have thoroughly researched the issue going on with the fish and it's potential etiology and then researched the appropriate medication regime, dosage, and schedule. There is a great archive section here on Simply and there are many highly experienced discus keepers here also that would be glad to assist you in treating the fish, as well as all the potential online sources and books available to hobbyists. By giving 2 medications of basically the same class of drug each at full dosage rates, you effectively overdosed the discus by 100%. This sort of situation can easily cause either or both short and long term damage to organs.
Hope this helps, I am not intending to bust you, just to suggest that you approach the problem in a different fashion---hope all goes well.
Harriett

[arpan]

Hi Harriett,

Thanx for the suggestion. Yes. my intention was good.

I gave the dosage according to the book by "Untergrasser".

When i last gave it, it was half the dose and both of them at the same time as Terracyclin seems to be the same as Tetracyclin, but has something more in it.

I am sure i overdosed and need to put in more air in there.

thanx for the suggestion.

Any more comments welcome.

Arpan.

[arpan]

what is the dosage that you all give for Tetracyclin?

Thanx for reply.

Arpan

[brewmaster15]

Hi Arpan,
One thing about tetracycline based meds is they irritate Discus and probably fish in general...Its not uncommon for discus to literally try to jump out of the water when being treated with them. best used when the tank lights are off and the covers are secure...I had a discus literally crack the glass lid once. Very large water changes are needed before each dose.

Its believed that these meds irritate the discus externally and in doing so promote slime production , contributing to the Froth and organics floating on the water.....this is pretty well documented...so well in fact its been used as means of causing pairs of discus to produce slime for their offspring in strains that are notoriusly poor at slime production.

hth,
al

[Graham]

Both drugs are in the same family of antibiotics....Tetracycline and the Terramycin is Oxytetracycline...both are good drugs but you only need to use one of them.

The general dosing for them is 250 > 500mg per 20 gallons, your 1g/1000mg per 25 gallons was double that dose.

[arpan]

Hi Al,

Thanx for the great info.

What should i use as an antibiotic then and at what dosage, which will not stress my fish out ?

Arpan.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Arpan,

Can you post some pictures of the fish and the fin rot? How long has it been present and at this point is it affecting the hard bony spines of the fins or just the soft tissue?


-al

[arpan]

Hi,

Will try and get some pics.

It has been torn completely for a month now.

Arpan