just curious about sick fish and meds...

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rubysoho

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I clicking through the posts on AA and I wasreading about people treating their fish when this question popped up in my head. When you treat a fish, you have to do it in the tank (obviously) so they are swimming in their meds. Now, with a human, using a lot of antibacterials can actually weaken the immune system because it becomes dependent. Does the same thing happen when you medicate your fish?? And if so, it would probably be better to keep that fish in QT, without meds, for some time after treatment, right?
 
That's an excellent question rubysoho. The answer is rather complex as it depends exactly what you're treating for. I prefer to treat bacterial infections in a hospital tank for just that reason. Also the QT is smaller and will use less medication. When dealing with parasites such as ich or flukes the entire tank and all it's inhabitants must treated.
 
With regard to the question of keeping the fish in a hospital tank after meds are administered, I think that would depend on how well controlled the ammonia and nitrite levels are in the hospital tank. If the meds cause a mini-cycle in the hospital tank, it may be better to put the fish back in the main tank soon after completing the meds, because you're balancing the stress of transfer and low immunity against the stress of the conditions in the hospital tank. Behavioral considerations also can apply here for sociable and schooling fish.

I am not convinced that a fish would become dependent on meds, but they can kill off normal bacterial flora (gut, skin, mouth, etc). Antibiotics may increase susceptibility to other bacterial conditions immediately after the end of the course of treatment. Anti-parasitics and anti-fungals are more likely to weaken the fish through toxicity mechanisms and leave it more susceptible to subsequent infections.

All in all, I think it sounds like a pretty good idea to leave the treated fish in the hospital tank if the water conditions are good, at least for a few days to monitor health and allow recuperation. Good point, it is not something I had really thought about.
 
Good question Rubysoho! Most of my posts were about sick fish (I've endured ich and a fungus within two weeks). I was thinking that very thing because the fungus seemed to result from the ich treatment (malacite green). When I began the ich treatments, I had 12. I'm now down to 5. :x

Anyone with some guidance in this area would be greatly appreciated.
 
The thing with parasitic infections is that if one fish in a tank has it they all do. Plus you're going to have to kill off not only the parasite but any unhatched parasite eggs which are in the tank. Fluke and ich eggs are often on plants and gravel. So you have to keep medicating until well after the eggs hatch. This is one reason why parasitic infections reoccur. People tend to stop treating once the symptoms are gone. Then the eggs hatch and a new batch of nasties are in the tank.

I really wouldn't worry about whether or not a hospital tank has been cycled either. Many of the meds kill off the nitrifying bacteria along with whatever bacterial infections the fish might have. IME the only way to deal with ammonia in a hospital tank is with water changes. Of course, then you have to replace the appropriate amount of meds with the new water. One should also feed a hospital tank very sparingly if at all and remove any uneaten food at once. This is another way of minimizing the amount of ammonia produced. :wink:
 
Thanks everyone! It'd be neat to see if there was any scientific evidence like there is with people. Kudos to everyone for answering yet another one of my questions :wink:
 
The other very important thing is to treat with antibiotics for the FULL course, not just for a few days, symptoms gone, stop treatment. This kind of half-treatment (in humans, too) enables bacteria to strengthen and no longer be affected by certain antibiotics over time, so always deliver the full course of medicine per the instructions.
 
I always keep fish in the hospital tank for at least a week or two after treatment has ended and their symptoms have gone. I like to give the recovering fish some extra time to regain its strength in solitude, where it won't be subjected to tankmate-induced stress. Another reason I don't immediately throw recently sick fish back into the main tank is the possibility of them becoming infected with some low-level pathogen that may be present in the show tank, but that the healthy fish are able to ward off.
 
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