How do I make Kanamycin-laced food?

[JohnPaul]

I have a 29 gal tank with 6 zebra danios, 5 dwarf neon raindbowfish, and 3 cory cats. Tank is not fully cycled (a Bio-Spira partial success, grrr), so ammonia fluctuates in the 0 - 0.25 ppm range and nitrites about the same. Nitrates 5 ppm or lower. pH 7.0-7.2, temp 76.

About a week ago all my rainbowfish developed mouth "fungus" (columnaris). I tried MelaFix and PimaFix for just a couple of days, but things seemed a bit worse so I figured I needed a real antibiotic. Went looking for Kanamycin, since that is recommended as a treatment, but couldn't find it anywhere. So I went out on a limb, got some Maracyn and Maracyn-II, and am now on day 5 of what is supposed to be a 5-day treatment with those. Unfortunately, they haven't helped. The cotton mouth on the rainbows has not gotten better (though it isn't really worse, either), however now at least one of the zebras has it, and one of the rainbows seems to have the early stages of fin rot--no physical damage to the fin yet, but a section of it is discolored from its normal red color to a faded, black color so I am guessing that is the problem.

Well today I finally went to my 4th fish store and found one that carries a Kanamycin antiobiotic. So I picked up two packets of capsules of Kanacyn by Aquatronics. However, the packaging only contains directions for dumping the capsules directly into the tank--yet I have read others say the best way to deliver Kanamycin is to soak food in it.

Does anyone know how to do this? (Or have any other suggestions)?

Thanks.

[An t-iasg]

I have fed my fish food soaked in the Aquatronics Kanacyn before. My method was a little unscientific. I just got RO water in a cup, or you could use some dechlorinated tapwater, and opened a capsule and dumped a little medicine in. I didn't measure it, but I think it took a week to use up a capsule. I soaked freeze-dried bloodworms in this mixture for 15 minutes. They were soggy by the end of 15 minutes, so I used a plastic spoon to get them out of the cup and put them in the tank. You could soak frozen food too.

I can't find Kanacyn anymore. I just tried to order the Seachem brand of kanamycin and it's on backorder. Here is a binder ingredient that Seachem sells to mix their brand of kanamycin with food. http://www.seachem.com/products/prod...ges/Focus.html

[Menagerie]

I use frozen foods when medicating. Allow the frozen food to thaw and there will be "juices" then add the meds. It's very unscientific, but it works.

[beblondie]

kanacyn is absorbed thru the skin don't worry about mixing it into food -Anne

[Menagerie]

Athough that is true, the fish gets a more potent dose by swallowing it. You use less meds and spend less money this way.

[JohnPaul]

thanks all. Since I really don't know what I'm doing with the food, I decided to medicate the tank using the directions, and then also try my hand at putting a bit of kanacyn in some water and soaking some food in it a few minutes. Figure if that helps get the meds to the fish, great, and if it doesn't, well I still have the medicine in the tank water itself hopefully doing its thing.

[An t-iasg]

I thought of something else to add: I used a plastic yogurt cup (6 oz.) and filled it with about 2 oz. of water. I opened the capsule and gave it one or two taps to sprinkle some powder into the water. I stirred the water to dissolve the meds, then added the food. See, I told you it was unscientific!