Antibiotics For Large Injury.

What antibiotics can be used if a fish has like a large chunk missing from it like if a fish suffered a bite. Would any antibiotic like the ones for people work?would adding that to the water or the fishes food be able to save it?

 

I don't know but are you going to do the surgery?

 

I don't know but are you going to do the surgery?

Yea I got curious as to what if surgery was needed on a fish or if it got heavily injured what could be put in to stop an infection

 

Nitrofurazone will work and is found at Walmart for 4 dollars. Called jungle's "fungus cure"

 

Nitrofurazone will work and is found at Walmart for 4 dollars. Called jungle's "fungus cure"

If it's for fungus how would that help against bacteria?

 

It kills both. "fungus" does not just grow on a fish, it eats dead tissue that bacteria has killed both. This cheap med, should work for a simple injury. If the injury gets worse and spreads, combine the furan with an antibiotic called "kanamycin"

 

Oh okay thanks

 

I've had high success using Methylene Blue dips and baths when it comes to injured fish. It's like washing the area with soap and water, and it can be applied directly to the wound as well. Can be applied by a swab or just a drop directly on the wound. Acts like Neosporin on the wound.

 

Okay thanks guys I'll keep that in mind would there be a harm in mixing methylene blue with the fungus cure

 

I don't really think there is any need to. And as the other person should have warned you, methylene blue will kill all your biological bacteria filtration, while furan green won't harm anything. Methylene is very messy too, stains on anything fabric WILL NOT come off.

 

You only want to use methylene blue in a container as Dragones5150918 mentioned as it will kill your cycle. Kordon makes it and it does make a good antiseptic, as well as malachite green which is in many medicines.

You can also find nitrofurazone in other medicines such as API Furan 2 and Tetra Fungus Guard since I'm not sure what stores are around you.

 

I don't really think there is any need to. And as the other person should have warned you, methylene blue will kill all your biological bacteria filtration, while furan green won't harm anything. Methylene is very messy too, stains on anything fabric WILL NOT come off.

I didn't think to put in about it killing the cycle because I figured when I said dip or bath it would mean in a separate container and not dosed directly to the tank.

 

Oh, sorry. My bad. Just making sure. Methylene is good stuff but its the same stuff they put in toilets, so didnt want ppl to read that and think its okay to add to their display tank.

 

Oh okay so like right after surgery or an injury do a methylene blue dip and then move it to a tank with the fungus medication?

 

That would work, but might be overkill. Furan2 or also "fungus cure" is an effective anti-microbial, working on both bacteria AND secondary fungus.

 

The way I use Methylene Blue is 2 ways depending on injury. A mild injury like a few missing scales or torn fins, I would just do a light dip like 1 drop per gallon. A more deeper injury like decorations injury or fighting with bite wounds I would do 2 to 3 drops per gallon. For deeper wounds such as deep holes in the body I would do up to 5 drops per gallon dip for 10 seconds then direct application of Methylene Blue to the wound at least twice a day. It really depends on the injury on how I would work with it.

Also I would not mix paraguard with blue dips, though there should not be any drug interactions, over medicating is not a good thing.

Methylene Blue is a rather safe product. It has multiple uses such as elevate Osmotic Shock, PH shock, Ammonia Poisoning and is a brod spectrum antibacterial, fungual, antiparasitic treatment. Because it is safe to use when done right (dips, baths, and direct application) I highly recommend the use of it. It takes 10X the dose before it becomes toxic to fish as well.

Malachite Green (which is in Paraguard) is milder then Methylene Blue, but does the same things. Just can be slower.

At the other end of the spectrum is potassium Permanganate. This is the strongest one. You must follow the directions with it because it becomes toxic at I believe 2X the recommended dose.

Like I said, I prefer Methylene Blue. I have used it for years.

 

The way I use Methylene Blue is 2 ways depending on injury. A mild injury like a few missing scales or torn fins, I would just do a light dip like 1 drop per gallon. A more deeper injury like decorations injury or fighting with bite wounds I would do 2 to 3 drops per gallon. For deeper wounds such as deep holes in the body I would do up to 5 drops per gallon dip for 10 seconds then direct application of Methylene Blue to the wound at least twice a day. It really depends on the injury on how I would work with it.

Also I would not mix paraguard with blue dips, though there should not be any drug interactions, over medicating is not a good thing.

Methylene Blue is a rather safe product. It has multiple uses such as elevate Osmotic Shock, PH shock, Ammonia Poisoning and is a brod spectrum antibacterial, fungual, antiparasitic treatment. Because it is safe to use when done right (dips, baths, and direct application) I highly recommend the use of it. It takes 10X the dose before it becomes toxic to fish as well.

Malachite Green (which is in Paraguard) is milder then Methylene Blue, but does the same things. Just can be slower.

At the other end of the spectrum is potassium Permanganate. This is the strongest one. You must follow the directions with it because it becomes toxic at I believe 2X the recommended dose.

Like I said, I prefer Methylene Blue. I have used it for years.

Is direct application like catching the fish then apply a drop onto the damaged area then putting it back into the tank?

 

Catching the fish, dab with a swab if you can and the wound isn't bad, or put a drop on the wound if it's deep. Wait a few second and release back to the tank. The fish will be blue in the spot for an hour or so, but it will go away. Again it depends on the wound. If it's a bad one, I would do the swab twice a day and a dip in-between to make sure it stays clean. Also when you catch the fish you can look for signs of necrosis (dieing of tissue).

 

Okay thanks for that information I'll keep that in mind where can I get methylene blue? Does petsmart sell it or it has to be ordered online? Also is it expensive or relatively cheap?

 

I ordered mine through Amazon and if I remember correctly it was pretty cheap. Kordon makes it.

 

A proper fish only store should sell methylene blue for no more than 7 or 8 dollars, sometimes online it is only $1.99, but then you gotta pay shipping
Don't pay 15 dolars or some ridiculous amount of money for it, and if the store is selling methyelene for that much, I would avoid the store all together, as they obviously only care about profit.

 

Two things I'll like to say. First, please keep in mind methylene blue has antibacterial properties, it does not disquinish between good bacteria and bad, so please do not use it in your main tank. Only use it in a hospital tank, hatchery, or a dip/bath. Second, if the wound your treating is very close to the gills, eyes, or mouth, do not use the drop treatment. Full strength dose in the eyes, gills, and mouth can harm the fish and could lead to death. If the wound is close to those areas, please use the swab. If it's mid body to tail, you can just use the drop.

If you can give me more info about the wound like cause and location, I can better help with doses for either dip or bath and duration of treatment.

 

Like if there's an incision on the belly or back to maybe take out a tumor or growth of some sort. Would swabbing be better in the case of the belly.

 

Oh! Hmmmm. That is a hard call. Fish do not heal like humans, so to surgically removed a growth anywhere would be a high risk. Plus in that location, a surgery will cut through the muscles that would be needed for swimming.

Are you doing the surgery or is a vet? What kind of fish is it?

This is what I would do post surgery. I'll use an angle fish as my reference to sizes and treatments.

I would use a 5 gallon tank, use prime in it 24 hours before the surgery, with a filter that just has floss no carbon, and a heater. I would also use some Stability in it even though the methylene blue will kill the bacteria. Methylene Blue does not play to well with dechlorinaters, so make sure the hospital tank is done 24 hours before the surgery. I would also set up a large 5 gallon bucket with water and prime in advance for water changes. After the surgery, I would put the angle in the 5 gallon with 10 drops of Methylene Blue and allow it to rest. I would use a turkey baster to remove any waste that the fish produces to help keep the water clean. After 24 hours, I would do a large water change using the bucket of water. At least 50% water change, and redose with Methylene Blue at the amount of water you change. So about 5 drops for around 2.5 gallons removed. After 48 hours after the surgery, I would then move it back to the main tank using dips and swabbing. I would get at least a gallon container that has 24 hour old prime water, and add 3 drops of Methylene Blue. You can save the water in the container as long as it has a good lid and nothing falls in it. Make sure you keep the container water at the same temp as your tank as well to prevent temperature shock. When I would move the fish over, I would dip the fish in the small container of Methylene Blue, net and all for about 20 seconds, then release into main tank. Then what I would do is twice a day dip the fish in the methylene blue. Once in the morning and again in the evening. Around noon, I would do the swab in the surgical area. I would do this for 5 days, or as long as the fish allows you to swab the area. Just dab the swab, do not rub the area. During this time look for any signs of narcosis. The fish will fight you during this, and they are very hard to hold still for it to be done. After 5 days of doing this, I would stop the swabbing, and move to just dips twice a day. After another 5 days, there should be enough healed tissue and wound closed enough that daily water changes should be enough to complete the healing process. Oh, and please make sure any tank mates do not bully or pick on it during this time. Also make sure you keep the main tank water as clean as possible with daily water changes.

This is what I would do. Others might have a different opinion.

 

If your going to actually do cutting, you should swab the wound with potassium permanganate(PP) and keep him in a small hospital tank with Methylene blue(MB) double dosage. Use gloves when using PP as it will absorb through your skin. If you overdose with PP, apply Seachem Prime to neutralize it. You will have to change the water in the hospital tank 100% daily because there is no way to maintain a biological cycle in the conditions. With that said, I suggest not having a filter on the tank at all but you should have an air stone. MB promotes oxygen exchange in the cells increase the heal rate of the fish, so the more you agitate the better.

Malachite Green is actually stronger than MB, but not as good of an antibacterial. It is best used with parasitic infections which is why you find it in most ICK and parasite meds under multiple names. It is toxic to fish and humans, the toxicity increases with the temperature and it builds up in the kidneys and liver of the fish. It also permanently stains silicon and other plastics, decorations... but will not harm your archaea in your filter. MB and MG are dyes that have been found to have medicinal purposes, it should be kept in mind when using them. The good news is that because they are common dyes they can be found cheap online, MB can be bought as a powder (Zinc free) added to water as needed.

 

If your going to actually do cutting, you should swab the wound with potassium permanganate(PP) and keep him in a small hospital tank with Methylene blue(MB) double dosage. Use gloves when using PP as it will absorb through your skin. If you overdose with PP, apply Seachem Prime to neutralize it. You will have to change the water in the hospital tank 100% daily because there is no way to maintain a biological cycle in the conditions. With that said, I suggest not having a filter on the tank at all but you should have an air stone. MB promotes oxygen exchange in the cells increase the heal rate of the fish, so the more you agitate the better.

Malachite Green is actually stronger than MB, but not as good of an antibacterial. It is best used with parasitic infections which is why you find it in most ICK and parasite meds under multiple names. It is toxic to fish and humans, the toxicity increases with the temperature and it builds up in the kidneys and liver of the fish. It also permanently stains silicon and other plastics, decorations... but will not harm your archaea in your filter. MB and MG are dyes that have been found to have medicinal purposes, it should be kept in mind when using them. The good news is that because they are common dyes they can be found cheap online, MB can be bought as a powder (Zinc free) added to water as needed.

What does potassium permanganate do if it's absorbed through the skin?

 

Potassium permanganate - Wikipedia

Methylene blue - Wikipedia



Malachite green - Wikipedia





Hope these links will help you.

 

First, it will irritate your skin and it eats away at skin fat. Large exposure causes blood pressure to drop and cardic problems. It takes quite a bit to harm your heart but the ulcers on your hands will not be fun.

 

Oh wow glad I asked

And thanks for the links