Getting water clear after antibiotic treatment

[rossm808]

Hi,

One of my tropical fish had signs of tail rot. Used the pictured antibiotic treatment after removing the filter for four days.

The tail rot seems to be resolved, and fish are doing well.

I re-inserted the filter and rotated out about 20% of the water, but the water isn't much clearer.

Any suggestions on clearing the water?

 

[Aiken Drum]

Was the water cloudy before your treatment?

Its likely that one, other or both of you removing the filter and the medication has crashed your cycle, causing an excess of nutruents in the water and causing a biological bloom, which makes the water cloudy.

Any idea what you water parameters are?

 

[rossm808]

It was extremely clean before the antibiotic treatment. The treatment says it will make it cloudly, just can't find info on how to clear it effectively.

I've been testing a couple times per week, PH 7.0, ammonia < .25

 

[Aiken Drum]

If the cloudiness is the result of the medication in the water rather than a biological bloom, then it should clear with time and water changes. Or drop some carbon in the filter.

Remember though that anything antibiotic doesn't distinguish between what you want to kill off and the beneficial bacteria responsible for your cycle. You are seeing ammonia, and that ammonia could be feeding a biological bloom.

Either way, it should clear up with time. How long have you had this cloudiness?

 

[rossm808]

thanks!

just a couple of days. it clouded immediately with the treatment and hasn't cleared since putting the filter back in.

Is a carbon filter a different type of filter? I'm only 2-3 months into being an aquarium owner so sorry if this is an obvious question

 

[Aiken Drum]

Activated carbon absorbs organic compounds, which includes medication. Same as the carbon in your cooker hood absorbs smells.

You can buy it loose and put it in a media bag and drop it in your filter. You can buy it pre-bagged and drop it in your filter. Most cartridges have some carbon in them or some cartridge filters have specific carbon cartridges.

I really think this is caused by your cycle being crashed when you took out the filter though. Carbon wont do anything for that, and you will need to reestablish your cycle.

 

[rossm808]

What do you mean by my cycle being crashed and re-establishing my cycle?

 

[Aiken Drum]

What do you know about the nitrogen cycle? The processes that go on in the tank to consume the waste (ammonia) your fish produce and convert it to less harmful contaminants (nitrate)?