Originally Posted by
brewmaster15
Hi Liz,
Good question. Burned tissue is very susceptible to infection and the redness you see in the picture is indicative that its begun, The Burn is deep, past the skin. Salt is great for exterior abrasions and small cuts, but with an extensive area like this it could make it worse by drawing out the water from the fish and act as irritant stressing it out more. Meth Blue is a decent antifungal agent but I would not want to use it on a raw open wound.
Oxytetracycline is broad spectrum and absorbed by the fish even if it stops eating. This gives me a better chance of success. Its also the only antibiotic I have on hand. Its more slower acting than things like Kanamycin but its inexpensive and still very useful and easy to obtain. Its only real side effect in the fish is they can become skittish and jumpy.
hth,
al