How Do I Clean A Tank With Medicine?

[Girgz]

About a few months ago I bought a 20 gallon fish tank, cycled it, and only about 3 weeks ago put fish in it. I got 3 platies and 2 african dwarf frogs (I was planing on getting more fish in about a week). A couple of days after I got the two african dwarf frogs, one died. I was planning on getting another frog soon, but i noticed my fish had tiny white spots on them. So after I diagnosed them with ich, I quickly set up my quarantine tank, but i only had one setup. So i looked up what to do, and somebody recommended quarantining the frog and putting medicine in the tank. I realize now that probably wasn't a very good idea, but now that the ich has passed my main tank has medicine thats not safe for the frog. How should I clean it?

 

[Mick Frost]

It would help to know what medication you used.
Most chemicals can be removed with Activated Carbon. Heavy metals need a Water Softener (pillows or pads, or ion exchange media). Salt is reduced with large water changes (helps with above as well).

 

[Girgz]

The medicine is kordon rapid cure, and it turns out one of my fish (who are all girls) just gave birth so right now i am taking out all the plants to catch the babies and i am wondering if I should go ahead and wash the plants with vinegar. Should I just empty the tank and refill it? From all the times I vacuumed it I don' think there is much medicine in the water

The tank is not very full right now and needs a vacuum and scrub

 

[OneLittleBubble]

If you want to rid your tanks of parasites just wait a month to kill them or scrub with bleach and wash thoroughly

 

[GuppyDazzle]

So after I diagnosed them with ich, I quickly set up my quarantine tank, but i only had one setup. So i looked up what to do, and somebody recommended quarantining the frog and putting medicine in the tank.

Your timing is off.

A quarantine tank is where you isolate new fish before you put them into an established tank to make sure you're not bringing some nasty disease or parasite home from the LFS. It lets you observe the fish so you have less chance of infecting your fish room if there is a problem.

You might be thinking of a "hospital tank," where you can isolate and treat fish that become sick without treating the entire tank, since medication is stressful for fish.

The problem with ich is that the entire tank is affected. It won't do any good to pull a fish infected with ich out of a tank. There are already zillions of little nasties, you can't see them. The visible white spots (looks like someone sprinkled table salt on your fish) are just one phase of the life cycle. The ich has infested the entire tank before they become visible.

You have to treat the entire tank, either with medication or the temperature method. It's actually easier, since you don't have to mess with another tank. I've used both the medication and temperature methods to treat ich, and both worked. Just make sure you treat for the entire duration, because if you stop treatment when the white spots disappear, it will show up again in a few days.

 

[Hunter1]

Sounds like you treated the tank and the ick is gone?

If so, add charcoal to your filter, it will remove the medicine.

Then do a bid water change and add your froggie back in.