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Possible bacteria cures


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Been doing some research and found some possible bacterial cures from a couple SKF posts:

 

"Jenbenwren: Sorry it's taken so long but I've finally got some time to do an update on how my RCS with the nasty bacterial infection are going.  I found an article on treating diseased freshwater prawns with Levimisole HCL and noticed the bacteria they were using in the study were from the same family/genius? as in this thread, when I was searching the net for any info that might help combat the infection quicker than just water changes. Here's the link http://www.sciencepu...h0303_82_85.pdffor any one interested.
I have Levimiasole HCL at home from when I had guppys infected with Camalanus Worm so I decided to give it a go. It's not pure form HCL as that's very expensive, but a product called Big L's pig and poultry wormer. Levimiasole HCL is the active ingredient in it and it can be brought on line or from some livestock produce supply stores. The starter dose is 1ml per 7 litres of aquarium waster. Within 48 hours of the first dose all clinical signs of the bacterial infection had disappeared and shrimp deaths from it stopped.
You can dose with Levimiasole HCL every 48 hours and can triple the dose in stubborn cases as well.
I was lucky and it only infected the one tank with RCS &Chameleons. I don't know how CRS, Mishlings, TB's or other shrimp might be affected by the use of Levimiasole HCL."

 

and another post:

 

"Unfortunately for this shrimpkeeper it was too late to save these shrimps, but hopefully this experience will help someone else.

250+ shrimp were lost before the bacterial infection was halted.

A vet was consulted and eventually ended up contacting a senior lecturer of aquatic animal health at University of Adelaide school of veterinary science.

He stated that bacterial infections being internal or external are almost always gram negative in aquatics and recommended using oxytetracycline at a dose rate of 1000-2000mg per 40ltr of water....

 

Dosing method:

Oxytetracycline is available in 2 forms. Powder and injectable. The injectable form was used as it is a stronger form so could use less to obtain the required dosage.
Dosed at 1000mg per 40ltr of water.

Drug worked very well and reasonable quickly. Deaths stopped within 2 days and no more deaths since.
The drug will stay active in the water for 2 days.
Dose the required amount on first day. Then 50% water change on 2nd day and dose again. Then 30-40% water changes for the next 2 days and then did another full dose and left it. Waited 2 days and another 30% water change.
This medication will turn your water yellow, but disperses after about a week....

 

Caution:

Oxytetracycline and any Tetracycline based product is an antibiotic.

As with any antibiotic product, there is a strong chance that it will impact your filter media bacteria in a negative way. Please take all precautions to save the bacteria in your filter media. Turn off the pumps to your filter temporarily. Remove some or all your filter media and place in another location with aeration."

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My red tigers have a bacterial infection right now.  I should try one of those antibiotics instead of just letting the rest of the colony die.

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Wow! That was some sweet info. I have a kind of an idiot question but I think the stupid question is really the one we don't ask.

Can I use the medication as a preventive measure like every two months without affecting the shrimps?

I think that could affect the beneficial bacteria but I prefer to add more beneficial bacteria from time to time rather than trying to exterminate the infectious ones.

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This is awesome info and I cant wait to hear results from Oblong if he tries it.   

 

On a side note, when I was going through my tank of death, I spoke to my veterinarian about it.      He gave me Ciprofloxicin to try.    I never did try it because right after he gave it to me  my tank cleared up .     I have no idea if it would have worked and was scared to death to try it.   I only mention it because I wonder if it is close to any of the antibiotics talked about above. 

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hi soothing thank you for this great post... very informative indeed... just not sure how oxytetracyline would work as i remembered reading off the API tetracyline package that tetracycline is not safe for shrimps.... i have used tetracyline indeed to great success in kois in treating possible bacterial infections and ulcers... very potent stuff be sure to have alot of aeration as this would tint your water a slight amber color.... (same color as what you would get with fulvic acid or IAL )...

 

another form of oxytetracyline is thru capsules... if the dosage of 1000mg tetracyline or oxytetracyline for 40 liters would be quite economical as tetrycline is not a very expensive antibiotic

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Go with oxytetracycline unless you have information that tetracycline is also safe and effective. Being the same class of drug is nowhere the same as being the same drug. Lots of thinga to be concerned about.

Cipro is a different class of drug if I remember correctly.

I use levamisole quite a bit as a dewormer. It's more of an old school drug and I think people feel that there are safer alternatives now (that are also easier to dose because they do not taste as bad, and then from another standpoint you can make more money off newer drugs). But it is great in aquatics because it is water soluble and works without needing to be ingested.

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I don't have anything animal or shrimp-related to add, but the above is correct.

 

Tetracyclines are a type of antibiotic (antibacterial), same as Cipro.  Cipro however is a quinolone antibiotic, as opposed to tetracycline/oxytetracycline (actually called tetryacyclines).

 

Levamisole is an anti-parasitic agent.  

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Forgot to add - please do NOT use antibiotics as "preventative" medicine. Aside from possibly forcing a re-cycle of the tank (which is arguably much more harmful than anything you would treat), you're killing off everything but the toughest bacteria. These guys will have a party now that you've killed off their competition. You really don't want that, they're going to be resistant to the antibiotics you've used.

If you are concerned about disease, quarantine all new arrivals for 4-6 weeks (the lower the temperature, the longer the time).

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