Metronidazole stripping oxygen from tank.

[waterflash]

I hope someone can help me. I recently had a blue diamond discus who's belly was becoming quite distended. I started to go to the back of the tank and was being bullied. I removed it and placed in a hospital tank with one other discus. I spoke to a local vet who has an interest in Cichlids and he thought it may be protazoa in the gut and recomended metronidazole 400mg/tablet. The tank is 95lts and he recomended 1 tablet every second day for 5 treatments with a 10% water change before each treatment. Well I didn't even get to the second dose. I disolved the tablet in about 20ml of metelated spirits as recomended by the vet and placed in the tank. The next morning I woke to find one discus dead and the other gasping for oxygen at the top of the tank. I transfered the live discus into onther tank and it picked up straight away. Can someone give me some insight into what went wrong, I have checked the dose rate and according to info on this sight and elsewhere it appears to be correct. By the way the tank also had an airstone with a good supply as well as good waterflow from a cannister filter.
Any help would be appreciated.
Waterflash

[dreamer]

using meth spirit to dissolve metro is something new ...

[Merrilyn]

Hi waterflash, and welcome to the forum.

Hmmm - must say, I have never heard of adding methylated spirits to any tank, for any reason. It's not something I woud do.

It's usually recommended to dissolve the tablet of metro in acetone, and add the mixture to the water. But I prefer to just use a small quantity of warm aquarium water. The tablet dissolves quite easily, and any white residue left in the tank is simply filler from the tablet.

I do think the problem is with the meth being added to the tank, rather than the metro itself. Leave your surviving fish in clean water, do daily water changes of about 30% and hopefully, with time he will recover.

[waterflash]

Thanks guys,
I must say I was thinking along the same direction, even when the vet first recommended the metho. But when questioned he managed to convince me that 20ml in a 95 litre tank wouln't be a problem.

I am still interested to hear from others who may of had problems with metro.

The same vet also told me that clown loaches and tetras were not excessively knocked around by praziquantel. My reading tells me otherwise. What do you think?

Cheers

Waterflash

[Kaza]

Dont believe him, I was told the same thing by my vet, they handled the first treatment of prazi however when I repeated it a week later they all died.
I am going to stick my neck out here, I dont like any thing in with my discus, firstly when you treat for hex you should have the water temp up on 32-34 this will harm the tetras. Secondly I lost a couple of discus to a fungal infection which one of my neons had. So I figure why risk my discus. In my display tank I still have 3 neons left out of a school of 40, my discus love to have a little snack from time to time. I do have cory cats as well but when they die I wil not replace them. I sold my loaches as they would take the food out of the discus mouth and were quite agressive. I know my sister had the same problem with her loaches.

I know many people who sucessful keep discus with other fish, but I guess they must isolate the discus when they are sick and need the temp way high?

[wild_amazon]

Waterflash sorry to hear about discus. Maybe needed more oxygen and I usually like to big water change before I medicate my tank.
--
By the way do you have spare metronidazole that I can buy from you? I need some to medicate my discus in a 100 liters tank. Thanks.

[pitchblack]

I wouldn't even be tempted I think I would be crazy to put meth into my tank.... a big NO NO

[waterflash]

Thanks for all the quick answers. It just goes to show that vet or not, you don't really know. This forum is great and has been of assistance to me more than once even though this is the first time I have posted anything. Cheers for all your support. By the way Wild_Amazon I don't really have any spare metro but can point you in the direction of a good vet...lol

[leanne31]

Its def not the metro stripping the oxygen out of the water as I had a severe sick fish and was dosing with metro double the strength, twice a day for 10 days and the oxygen levels were ok.

Leanne

[CKY]

Hi guys. I'm new to this forum and was asked to join by a member of the 'boronia aqua forums' as I have a background in the feild of metro and antibiotic treatments. The metro is not causing any reaction with the O2 in your water. I would say the meth spirits is playing havock with your supply. The vet who told you to mix with spirits is a silly individual. When mixing tablet form of antibiotic you may do so in plain water/or sterile if you wish. If your inpatient just boil some water and mix in a medicine cup with 50/50 cold/hot water, try a mortar and pessel even, if you do only use it for animal antibiotics and for not for human consumption. I usually leave the anti's in a urine spec jar, clean of course and let them dissolve over an hour then com back and mix. You can also crush the tablet and add it to your food. If you need Metro please let me know as I can

[Bill T.]

CKY - don't suppose that guy with the crook U.V. turned up in ICU?

[CKY]

Not to my knowledge :)

[Merrilyn]

ROFL at Bill :lol: :lol: :lol:

[waterflash]

Hey all
Thanks for all the advice. Just as an update I went back to the vet and told him what had happened and he couldn't work it out, however he assumed that the antibiotics and the metro had a reaction with the sugars in the tank water and daaadaaaa dead discus.

Anyway used the same metro without metho in the display tank and no problems. next time I will trust my instincts.

Thanks again

Robin

[ctvu]

Hi guys. I'm new to this forum and was asked to join by a member of the 'boronia aqua forums' as I have a background in the feild of metro and antibiotic treatments...... When mixing tablet form of antibiotic you may do so in plain water/or sterile if you wish. If your inpatient just boil some water and mix in a medicine cup with 50/50 cold/hot water...

Hi cky

Welcome to DF and thanks for joining us. The old says " 2 heads are better than one head". With your backqround I believe you will be a big helper around here.
And also thanks for your tip


ctvu

[nicholas76]

Its def not the metro stripping the oxygen out of the water as I had a severe sick fish and was dosing with metro double the strength, twice a day for 10 days and the oxygen levels were ok.

Leanne

HI all,

Leanne how do you measure oxygen levels? just curious?

People,

Most medications deplete the available dissolved oxygen in the water, so you need to provide extra aeration while using most medications.

In other words add an airtsone.

in the case of treating """HEX"" with Metronidazole the above applies.

Handy hint !! - Also be sure to remove carbon in the filters. :)

Regards

Nick

[leanne31]

Well obviously if the fish is swimming around fine and not gasping at the surface for air the oxygen level must be fine

[nicholas76]

HI Leanne,

just wanted to know if you were measuring oxygen or making an assumption.


it would be handy to know if your oxygen is getting less and less prior to the floating sideways on the surface stage.

[Benny]

i didnt have any problems with oxygen and metro in my tank, and also the fish will be gasping @ the surface for air before they suffocate anyway?

[leanne31]

I was just assuming that as my fish was in the metro for long periods of double dosing and was not gasping for air or even looked like he was uncomfortable then there must of been enough oxygen in the water or I guess it would of been dead.

[nicholas76]

HI all

Some people might also not realise this but by even just putting the temp up you are also automatically reducing the oxygen levels in your tank.

so by adding medication this is a double dose of trouble if you dont go the extra precuation of adding that airstone.

your fish might look fine but it would suck to find floaters the next morning.

Regards

Nick

[leanne31]

I will have airstones in my tank anyway I think they are a necessity but if you raise temp or add meds you must def have a airstone.

[kkiu]

My tank sits on 29~30 and I never have had an airstone in the tank.
I sometimes get concerned about oxygen levels on really hot days, but I havent had an apparent signs of oxygen deprivation.

I assume there are kits to test the oxygen level? Is there any other way to test for oxygen levels? (cheapo methods :) )