Some curious questions

[silkieboy]

Hi guys, i've just got some curious questions and they are as follows....
1) If i was to treat my discus with metronidazol, would i have to move my community fish which consists of cories, bns, angels? or can they stay in the tank and get treated too.
2) Is metro a very effective drug as in would i see signs of better health at a short period?

The reason i ask, is that my blue turq has been hiding at the back recently and not eating as well. I also saw it had some white thick jelly like poo. If it sounds like hex, pls reply with the precautions i should take.

Cheers guys

Johnny :)

[DarrenJThomas]

If possible i would quaranteen the sick fish and treat with Metro. That way you can slowly increase the temperature of the water as well.

Are you sure about the jelly like poo, its not worms is it?

If the fish is still eating you can administer the drug in its food.

[Merrilyn]

Hi Johnny, how long have you had the blue turk, and is he in with your other discus.

If he is turning dark, not eating properly, hiding in the back of the tank, and showing white jelly like poos then he is showing classic signs of hex.

You can treat him in the main tank, but it's going to be very costly to do that. It's much better if you can isolate him in a hospital tank, and begin treating with Metro at the rate of 250mg per 40 litres of water, repeated every 8 hours. You need to do a 30% waterchange in between each treatment. Treat for at least 5 days, and then check his progress.

If he is still eating, then the best thing is to soak some of the dry food in some dissolved metro and water, before adding the whole lot to the tank. That way, you will be treating the water, as well as putting the medication right into his stomach, where it will do the most good.

Please keep us posted on his progress.

[silkieboy]

Hi Merrylyn, i think i'll have to treat the whole tank unfortunatley due to some other discus which might have some initial symptoms. Will the treatment be safe for other fish such as angels, cories, bn's, gibbies.
i've got the metronidazole now and am waiting for further instructions.
Cheers Guys

Johnny :)

[Merrilyn]

Yes, you can treat the whole tank. It won't hurt the other fish, but make sure you dissolve it well before adding it to the tank.

[fishgeek]

personally i think mixing metro in food is a better solution
it is poorly water soluble and will be better ground and mixed in vegetable oil and something that your fish like the taste of

absorbtion through the gut is better than in water medication
absorbtion in oil is better than in water

obviously in advanced case's of hex and other GI tract parasitism inappetance precludes oral mediations

andrew

there are no precautions for metronidazol at the correct dose

[Merrilyn]

Thanks for confirming that Andrew. I'm very interested in the feeding of metro in an oil, Can you elaborate on that method please.

[fishgeek]

i have smaller fish , so for me i crush the tableted medication and mix with oil which i then allow white worm to wiggle through before feeding
if you wish for medicated food
seeing as it is a discus forum then mix into beefheart mixture that your probably already making
dont not make more than a couple of days worth

as metro is more soluble in oil this will work nicely
fish oil seems more attractive to fish! though it is recorded that vegetable oil will give better carrying/absorbtion properties

perhaps try cod liver oil if fish have poor appetite
small amounts of commercial food can also be mixed with oil and metronidazol

do you need oral dosage's

andrew

[Merrilyn]

Yes please Andrew. That would be very helpful for our members.

[silkieboy]

Yer oral dosages would be great Andrew.

Thanks

Johnny :)

[fishgeek]

100mgs/kg once daily for 3 consecutive days
although i have a reference which suggests that in feed medications should all be continued for 10-14 days minimum, as metro is relatively safe i cant see that longer term treatment is likely to be problematic

that is 100mgs of the metronidazol for every 1 kg of fish you are treating

when mixing with food most of you will know what your fish eat roughly on a daily basis
or assume approx 1% of their bodyweight is there daily intake of food

you are best to mix the drug with slightly less food so that it is all taken

another method is by gavage ie calculate accurately the dose and syringe it into the fish's mouth/
not advisable in already stress/debilitated animals unless you are accepting the damned if i do damned if i dont bart simpson scenario

[Merrilyn]

Thanks for the info Andrew.