The Planted Tank Forum - View Single Post - bacterial infection

**Karackle** · 04-10-2008, 04:45 PM

I'm sorry to hear about your losses! I've seen a similar flesh-eating type infection, it's not fun, it sounds like you're waging a good battle against it though! I don't have much to add in the way of advice, i have very little experience with antibiotic fish treatments, but I will say that the salt method has been highly effective for me in other instances, and it does seem to help the healing process. good luck!

I just also wanted to say regarding antibiotics....I'm not an expert by any means but I will say from a biological/medicinal standpoint, the gram-negative bacteria are the harder ones to get rid of, which means that antibiotics used to zap them need to be stronger, more penetrable to the outer wall of the bacterium itself, which seems to me would mean it certainly COULD still effect the "good" bacteria. Antibiotics are not specifically targeted per species of bacteria, which is why when people take antibiotics we can get some secondary effects because our "good bacteria" are getting attacked as well. I'm not saying Maracyn WILL kill your nitrifying bacteria, i am simply suggesting you should be careful because it seems to me that it COULD and i'd agree to always be careful with antibiotics and i wouldn't take it as a certainty that ANY type of bacteria-targeted antibiotic is "safe" for certain types of bacteria.

I don't know if that made any sense at all, and I'm sorry....i didn't mean to go on a rant or hijack the thread...the biologist in me got the better of me...just thought i'd throw in my $0.02...well $0.08 on the topic...

04-10-2008, 04:45 PM	#23 (permalink)
Karackle Tankaholic (View User Tanks) PTrader: (6) Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Albany, NY Posts: 1,185	I'm sorry to hear about your losses! I've seen a similar flesh-eating type infection, it's not fun, it sounds like you're waging a good battle against it though! I don't have much to add in the way of advice, i have very little experience with antibiotic fish treatments, but I will say that the salt method has been highly effective for me in other instances, and it does seem to help the healing process. good luck! I just also wanted to say regarding antibiotics....I'm not an expert by any means but I will say from a biological/medicinal standpoint, the gram-negative bacteria are the harder ones to get rid of, which means that antibiotics used to zap them need to be stronger, more penetrable to the outer wall of the bacterium itself, which seems to me would mean it certainly COULD still effect the "good" bacteria. Antibiotics are not specifically targeted per species of bacteria, which is why when people take antibiotics we can get some secondary effects because our "good bacteria" are getting attacked as well. I'm not saying Maracyn WILL kill your nitrifying bacteria, i am simply suggesting you should be careful because it seems to me that it COULD and i'd agree to always be careful with antibiotics and i wouldn't take it as a certainty that ANY type of bacteria-targeted antibiotic is "safe" for certain types of bacteria. I don't know if that made any sense at all, and I'm sorry....i didn't mean to go on a rant or hijack the thread...the biologist in me got the better of me...just thought i'd throw in my $0.02...well $0.08 on the topic...