Antibiotics and Re-cycling tank!

[katefshaw]

Hi there,

I recently had an outbreak of columnaris disease in my freshwater tank. My water quality was good at this point and I started treating my main tank with kanaplex antibiotics as I did not have a quarantine tank. I am now really concerned that my nitrifying bacteria were killed off by the antibiotics as my ammonia levels are off the chart. I have been doing a 50% water changes every day and ammonia levels keep rising to at least 1ppm after each water change. Does this now mean that I am going to have to recycle my tank with fish in? My tank was an established tank and I had done a fishless cycle before I added fish. I am really concerned as my fish are under stress with ammonia. What should I do?


Thanks for your help
Katie

 

[BBradbury]

Your Tank

Hi there,

I recently had an outbreak of columnaris disease in my freshwater tank. My water quality was good at this point and I started treating my main tank with kanaplex antibiotics as I did not have a quarantine tank. I am now really concerned that my nitrifying bacteria were killed off by the antibiotics as my ammonia levels are off the chart. I have been doing a 50% water changes every day and ammonia levels keep rising to at least 1ppm after each water change. Does this now mean that I am going to have to recycle my tank with fish in? My tank was an established tank and I had done a fishless cycle before I added fish. I am really concerned as my fish are under stress with ammonia. What should I do?


Thanks for your help
Katie

Hello kat...

Large, daily water changes are needed and you'll need to do a good job of vacuuming the bottom material, but avoid the areas close to your planted plants.

Using standard aquarium salt is also helpful if you've caught the bacteria in the early stages. A couple of teaspoons added to every 5 gallons of new, treated tap water.

Ease up on the feedings. Sick fish aren't likely to want to eat and uneaten food will foul the tank water even more.

I would continue this until you see improvement.

B

 

[mudraker]

You will very likely have a prolonged minicycle before your tank BB bounces back.

Check the label on your dechlorinator. Prime and Amquel will neutralize ammonia and nitrite at certain levels, keeping your fish safer. It may take a week or two before your filter is fully loaded again.

Just keep monitoring the ammonia/nitrite levels, use appropriate amount of dechlorinator (follow directions for amount needed to detoxify ammonia/nitrite) and it should resume normal function soon.

 

[katefshaw]

Thanks for your help, I feel better about it all now. ��
I use Api stress coat as a dechlorinator I read that's quite good and I regularly add aquarium salt with each water change as I'm aware that columnaris cannot survive above a certain salinity.
Thanks again guys ����