Switching ADFs to an established tank where meds were used?

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Jamie D.

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Greetings all - it's been awhile since I posted (I have perpetual lurker syndrome, apparently). But I have a question that isn't really easily "searchable".

I recently lost my betta after several months of attempted cures (dorsal fin rot that I didn't catch early enough due to some bad health issues I was dealing with this past year). I started with Colin_T's salt protocol for bettas, then tried a couple different antibiotics, none of which worked. All that just to say, there have been a lot of meds and some salt in that tank over the past several months, which is the salient point.

Anyways, his tank is a very lovely long 6 gallon bookshelf tank that sits on my home office desk, and as I'm not sure I'll be getting another betta, I'd like to move my ADFs into that tank. I've been running carbon in the filter since the last medication round (a couple of weeks now), and have also done several water changes, plus I figured I could do a 100 percent water switch, removing the water from that tank and replacing it with the water from my current 6 gal. ADF tank (a quarter-round on the other side of my desk). I'll replace the wood I have in there as well, but I'd like to keep the plants (live) and not uproot them, if possible (my dwarf hairgrass is finally starting to take off a bit after nearly a year, and I have a small crypt that is looking pretty happy after months of doing nothing as well - I'm sure all the meds didn't help).

My question, finally, is...is that enough to insure my ADFs won't be exposed to any of the meds I used in that tank? Or should I pull out all the sand and replace it too? I don't want to risk my ADF's, but it's also a bit bigger project if I need to take all that out and completely replace it.

Your thoughts? Do I need to completely clean out the tank and start over, or should the meds all be gone/inactive by now?

Thanks for any input!
 
No advice (although I love ADF's and keep them myself) but do you remember what meds you used? That may help someone answer your question. I know a lot of fish meds can be toxic to frogs so might be worth tearing it down to be on the safe side?
 
Good point. The meds I used in the tank were doxycycline and erythromycin. But I think you're probably right - if I want to move the frogs over there, best to tear the whole thing down and restart.

A project for the new year, then. Thanks for weighing in!
 

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