Unpopular Opinions (fish related)

[Stan510]

On two or maybe three other aquarium plant boards they went straight to hostile when I said I use Erythromycin for the ultimate BGA killer. You would think I was a mad scientist breeding the next Covid 20. Those people never seemed to come to terms its LEGAL to buy and use those medications and I used them to save my fish from some infection and at the same time I saw it kill off the BGA,the gray smear algae and BBA took a beating.
They were all for more Co2 on their own tanks...to warm the planet-lol.

 

[Rocky998]

On two or maybe three other aquarium plant boards they went straight to hostile when I said I use Erythromycin for the ultimate BGA killer. You would think I was a mad scientist breeding the next Covid 20. Those people never seemed to come to terms its LEGAL to buy and use those medications and I used them to save my fish from some infection and at the same time I saw it kill off the BGA,the gray smear algae and BBA took a beating.
They were all for more Co2 on their own tanks...to warm the planet-lol.

More C02 would just kill the fish though right? So that doesn't make sense that they would do that... Its like choking your fish.
At the same time I don't think its right to use meds in a tank with fish JUST for algae. Because the meds could be harsh, especially if the fish isn't sick. But that is a nice find on it killing algae!

 

[Stan510]

Thanks. But I have to remind that the BGA are part algae,part bacteria. That's why algaecides and UV lights dont kill them off. So for saving plants worth hundreds of dollars,in a pinch Erythromycin seems reasonable.
My rainbow is looking better..and so is the whole tank.

 

[Alice B]

I have never used more CO2 than a simple sugar and yeast generator will create, a bubble every minute or so is enough to take out the cyanobacteria sometimes. Some cases erthromycin. In my reef, I got tired of using a single erthromycin tablet and setting the protein skimmer to foaming crazy, took the live rock to the kitchen, and with a toothbrush and hydrogen peroxide I took out the red cyano. I also quit feeding brine shrimp, which is full of phosphates, and started buying a shrimp for humans in the seafood section, freezing, and shaving it with a serrated knife to feed the reef. I know another reef owner that just treated her tank with carefully measured hydrogen peroxide. One thing cyano likes is too much light, 2nd is phosphate, 3rd is protein

 

[Essjay]

Those people never seemed to come to terms its LEGAL to buy and use those medications

Don't forget that in some places you cannot buy things like erythromycin - they are prescription only. It is actually illegal for individuals to import them from places where they can be bought.

 

[Alice B]

True. Used to be Maracyn was erthromycin. Truth be told I don't have any and haven't tried to buy any lately, looks like Chewy has it. I figured I would go with CO2 and peroxide, since not a really horrible case of cyano, despite my dead albino pleco male who ate it .....I noticed it but several days late. Part of why no background on tank, with a black background algae color would have been harder to see I think.

 

[Stan510]

I see that brown algae that grew where I could not reach at the far left corner-Syngonium roots and stems make it a hard reach- is now nearly clear of brown algae on the front panel. Most people would have said it was diatoms right?..well,brown algae can be a type of Cyano I would say now.

 

[Alice B]

I see that brown algae that grew where I could not reach at the far left corner-Syngonium roots and stems make it a hard reach- is now nearly clear of brown algae on the front panel. Most people would have said it was diatoms right?..well,brown algae can be a type of Cyano I would say now.

If an antibiotic killed it, yes.

 

[GaryE]

I'm one of the 'jump all over the use of erythro for cosmetic tank problems' people. Here, a group of us compared info on when we had outbreaks, and realized we had the problem when the lakes and rivers around us had it. It was a symptom of poor fishkeeping on a societal level - pollution.

With the old meet in person fish clubs, you could gauge who was a good fishkeeper in time, and sharing info gave better answers than what people online, in different watersheds and on different continents could say. I can get erythromycin and other antibiotics illegally - there is always a black market if you look for one. It's way easier than getting Potassium nitrate is here, and that chemical works very well against cyano even when the bacteria's coming in from outside sources.

Over the counter antibiotics are banned here, and I support that law absolutely. I can get black market meds, but I won't buy antibiotics for any reason. I lose no more fish to bacterial infections now than I did before the ban, and prevention, good fishkeeping practices and careful purchasing/QT make aquarium antibiotics pretty unnecessary.

 

[Stan510]

Eventually a fish will get sick on the best of fish keepers. Since my last posting the riddance of BGA has gotten even more complete. I treated for a Rainbow fish and to stop any spread in its tracks and got as a bonus bad algae removal. BBA? Still there. Seems to have reduced,but still there. I didn't even use Erythromycin as the antibiotic and that is why I hadn't thought it would kill off algae. But Doxycycline even though not as potent as erythromycin, got the job done eventually.
The plants have all flushed with new and better growth. Not bad for low light level plants. Alternanthera being a winner with that red-purple growth.

 

[Alice B]

I have to say that my baby julii corydoras responded well to antibiotics and a black sand bed and are alive and eating in their totally undecorated 10 gallon with a big sponge filter. I don't know if they would have lived without antibiotics, 1 of the 3 did not. 2 are ok. They had whisker rot and red blotch probably from poor conditions, high nitrate, glass bottom abrasions, and 1 had died before I realized they were sick, a 2nd died in the hospital tank. But the 2 remaining look pretty good and I guess I will be starting a thread on how to correctly set up a sand bed tank so that it doesn't get nasty gas pockets, etc. and ordering the smallest siphon available from pennplax. My plain siphon hose definitely got more sand than debris
The antibiotic I used was 22 years old, Furanace. I obviously believe in expiration dates.
Actually I do: on test strips, they really mean they expire. Take those dates seriously.

 

[Rubys.aquatics]

alright, everyone gets to share unpopular opinions they have. Fish related.


I'll start.

Neon tetras are mean little turds.

One of mine is that cardinal tetras are much better than neon tetras… it’s true, I think they look better too

 

[Alice B]

Cardinal tetras are much better than neons. I agree

 

[Rocky998]

Why can't neons just be loooved... They can highlight your life

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Why can't neons just be loooved... They can highlight your life

Neons are basic


Cardinals are just better. Fite me