Modern Dosing of Metronidazole

[Fishworks]

Hey Everyone,

The University of Florida applies Metronidazole at 200mg/10gallon every other day for 3 treatments.
Check link below:
https://articles.extension.org/sites/default/files/w/0/02/Management_of_hexamita_in_ornamental_cichlids.pdf

The article is dated January 1994, over 25 years ago.
Is this dose even still usable/practical?

I question because many of our members dose Metronidazole at approximately 500mg/10gallons everyday for 10-12 days with the reason that Hexamita has developed resistance to 200mg/10gallons. I've seen others dose 250mg/10gallons at 2x per day for 5 days while others dose 3x per day for 7 days. There is a lot of variance in dose and schedule which confuses a beginner (like myself).

Next, many have said that Hexamita cannot be eradicated.
I found the next article stating that Metronidazole administered orally at 50mg/kg bodyweight for 5 days dropped parasite number to ZERO.
Link Below:
https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?id=3981436&pid=11108

The article says that 1 oral treatment was equivalent to 3 baths in terms of reducing parasite load.
That is 1 oral treatment being equivalent to 600mg per 10 gallon.
So 5 oral treatments makes 3000mg per 10 gallon?
Since many will agree that 500mg per 10 gallon is the dosage for effect against Hex...
Then 3000mg divided by 500mg makes 6 treatments to rid us of the Hex?

I am quite lost...

[Filip]

I use the 400-500 mg per 10 gallon for 10-12 days dose , my self . I always combine it with high temps. 94-95 F to ensure treatment results . I have dosed this dose up to 3 times a day (after a big WCs) for the first 3-4 days of treatment with no I'll effects on discus .
I don't have a microscope to follow the results of my treatments so I tend to make sure that doses are efficient enough to do the job and heal the fish .
Currently I started treating my non eating / odd pooping discus with 2 doses of metro per day along with 95 F and I plan to switch to once daily on the 3-4 th day of the treatment and stay there until I finish the full 10-12 day course .

[Fishworks]

I use the 400-500 mg per 10 gallon for 10-12 days dose , my self . I always combine it with high temps. 94-95 F to ensure treatment results . I have dosed this dose up to 3 times a day (after a big WCs) for the first 3-4 days of treatment with no I'll effects on discus .
I don't have a microscope to follow the results of my treatments so I tend to make sure that doses are efficient enough to do the job and heal the fish .
Currently I started treating my non eating / odd pooping discus with 2 doses of metro per day along with 95 F and I plan to switch to once daily on the 3-4 th day of the treatment and stay there until I finish the full 10-12 day course .

Filip, I think I will adopt your dosing strength and schedule. How do you keep your water at 95F during WC? aged water with heater and aeration?
Actually, I think I might install a bathroom heater unit at my Tap Source. I don't really age my water since PH is the same before and after aeration and aging.

[Filip]

I age only 20 gallons of water and straight tap the rest 20-30 gallons of water .My tank is total of 55-60 gallons of water. I mix the hot tap water with the colder unheated aged water in the aging barrel during the process of refilling my tank (mix cold and hot while the pump is reffiling my tank )and it ends up the way I like it with a little practice .
Be careful of microbubbles during large WCs with unaged water because they can be more harmfull for discus than the PH swings if there are plenty of gasses in your tap water .
Be patient with regaining the lost appetite , because IME once discus loose appetite and white poops it's a long process to get it back to eating again(talking weeks) .in the past my discus started pecking on food even after the whole 2 week treatment was over .
And good luck for both of us :)

[Fishworks]

I age only 20 gallons of water and straight tap the rest 20-30 gallons of water .My tank is total of 55-60 gallons of water. I mix the hot tap water with the colder unheated aged water in the aging barrel during the process of refilling my tank (mix cold and hot while the pump is reffiling my tank )and it ends up the way I like it with a little practice .
Be careful of microbubbles during large WCs with unaged water because they can be more harmfull for discus than the PH swings if there are plenty of gasses in your tap water .
Be patient with regaining the lost appetite , because IME once discus loose appetite and white poops it's a long process to get it back to eating again(talking weeks) .in the past my discus started pecking on food even after the whole 2 week treatment was over .
And good luck for both of us :)

I just read one of your older posts, that the new water coming in during WC should be a few degrees cooler to combat this microbubbles issue?
My tank is at 86F and my tap is about 81F. After a 75% WC, My tank is at 82 or 82.5F. Is this okay?
I mean, Now Im worrying about these microbubbles harming my fish while worrying about stressing my fish due to temperature fluctuation?
Water coming in should be cooler but not too cold?

[Filip]

The best way to combat tapwater gasses is to prefilter the tap water through a sponge or a filter floss filled bottle during refilling your tank .That way the bubbles gets trapped in to sponge and floss instead of leaking in the water . Slower refilling and good tank water circulation during WCs can help here too . I usually change with 2-3 F colder water but I avoid temp . lowering when I heat treat .
There are many examples of microbubbles prefilters on this forum . Here is mine, a protein shake bottle filled with filter floss(beware of the annoying sound during the video :) ) :

http://youtu.be/rZ6pYO4-idE

[Fishworks]

The best way to combat tapwater gasses is to prefilter the tap water through a sponge or a filter floss filled bottle during refilling your tank .That way the bubbles gets trapped in to sponge and floss instead of leaking in the water . Slower refilling and good tank water circulation during WCs can help here too . I usually change with 2-3 F colder water but I avoid temp . lowering when I heat treat .
There are many examples of microbubbles prefilters on this forum . Here is mine, a protein shake bottle filled with filter floss(beware of the annoying sound during the video :) ) :

http://youtu.be/rZ6pYO4-idE

Wow, im going to build one of these prefilter devices.
Thanks Filip!

[Fishworks]

I use the 400-500 mg per 10 gallon for 10-12 days dose , my self . I always combine it with high temps. 94-95 F to ensure treatment results . I have dosed this dose up to 3 times a day (after a big WCs) for the first 3-4 days of treatment with no I'll effects on discus .
I don't have a microscope to follow the results of my treatments so I tend to make sure that doses are efficient enough to do the job and heal the fish .
Currently I started treating my non eating / odd pooping discus with 2 doses of metro per day along with 95 F and I plan to switch to once daily on the 3-4 th day of the treatment and stay there until I finish the full 10-12 day course .

Hey Filip, I just realized I will only be able to dose once daily since I have to go to work. I should still be okay right?

[Filip]

Hey Filip, I just realized I will only be able to dose once daily since I have to go to work. I should still be okay right?

Once daily should be also enough Harry .
I dose twice a day in the first days of treatment just to boost up and ensure the process of recovery , I don't think it's essential for the effects though.

[Fishworks]

Thats a relief. Thanks Filip!
-Harry