What the heck is this ????

[TW]

gentamicin dose is 7.8mg/L 1 treatment only is needed. it will stay active for a week, this is a problem with discus cause i like to do daily water changes.

erethromyacin dose is 15mg/L repeated daily with a 25-30% water change inbetween (i like this cause it gives me a chance to keep the water quality up), i usually treat for 5 days in opther contires they treat for 10 due to antibiotic resistance, my fish show recovery within 72hours and i figure the extra 2 days is enough to keep down mutants.

erethromyacin sounds the better choice then, so that I can do the daily wc. Think that's best in a hospital tank - to keep the water really clean. So, only 1 dose a day.

when using any drugs like this treat in a hospital tank.

They are isolated in a QT tank - have been since I brought them home from LFS. But, what to do with the cannister filter that runs on that tank. I assume it needs to be treated, so the disease doesn't stay with in. Just so that I am forwarned though, will erethromyacin nuke the good bacteria?

Also, another suggestion given to me was to treat with Kanamycin. What's your thought on that?

[ILLUSN]

KANAMYACIN is a close relative of gentamycin, both are used for treating gram negative anerobes, Kanamyacin doesn't cross the gills quite as easily as gentamycin, kanamyacin is usually reserved for fish TB, will have to double check the dosage for you.

because erethromyacin targets gram negative bacteria the gram positive bacteria should be ok, with any antibiotic you run the risk of some cross reaction with other species, it should be ok.

[ILLUSN]

just double checked the dose, Kanamyacin 3.5-7mg/L adminstered every 48hrs with a 25% change inbetween, treatment should be continued for 5-10 days.

this will probably kill your filter.

[TW]

Thanks so much Jothy. This is really helpful stuff.

One thing I'm a little confused about the gram negative & gram positive stuff.

So both erethromyacin & Kanamyacin target gram negative bacteria, but the Kanamyacin is likely to kill my filter and the erethromyacin should be ok with the filter?

So, it's not the gram negative or positive which is a factor in whether or not it will kill my filter - but something else?

[TW]

Sorry, Jothy

Another question. Earlier you said that gentamicin is the best choice, because it travels across the gills well. But the issue is the daily wc & that this med is 1 dose only, staying active for a week.

Could I get around this by doing 100% wc a day, and then redosing each day?

[ILLUSN]

You could, just seems like a bit of a waste, also if you do pour the treated water onto the garden, far away from any drains, dont tip it down the sink or to storm water, gentamycin is one of those drugs we use to treat VERY stuborn infections in people, while not a "last line" drug its still one of the ones we turn too when nothing else works. The last thing we want is to create gentamycin resistant organisums in the enviroment.

generally most aerobic bacteria are gram positive, (they have a thick cells wall of peptidoglycan) gram negatives are anerobic or faculative anerobes(can live without oxygen) these bugs cause more diseases (although the most common infection in people strept throat is a gram positive organisum)

[TW]

thanks for all that info Jothy

I'm still working with my vet to decide the best drug to use. Doxycycline seems a likely candidate, as it's one the vet says he uses almost daily at his work place (but not with fish).

Do you know what the dose rate for fish of Doxycycline would be?

[ILLUSN]

Doxycline is a very good drug, i just find it a little expensive the dose is the same as erethromyacin 15mg/L repeated daily with a 25-30% water change inbetween.

[TW]

I almost did get erethromyacin, but accordig to this link on http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FA084 on the use of antibiotics in ornamental fish aquaculture from the University of Florida, erethromyacin is most effective against gram positive bacteria. I thought that earlier, you mentioned that I should be looking for gram negative. That's why I was after Doxycline. Whilst, I'm not rich & every $1 does count, I'm not too worried if it's the more expensive choice. The fish I am at risk of losing are 2, each costing $275, so total cost of $550.00

Vet can give me Doxycycline, but won't without dosage information. Otherwise, he has told me to try & find oxytetracyline from my LFS. But they don't know what I'm talking about.

So do you think that erethromyacin is gram negative?

[TW]

You wouldn't happen to know the dosage of Doxycycline for fish at all, would you?