Can you dose Metro in copper?

[Val1064]

Can I dose metro (or any other antibiotic) to treat any secondary infection from velvet while in coppersafe?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Can I dose metro (or any other antibiotic) to treat any secondary infection from velvet while in coppersafe?

Metronidazole is not a primary antibiotic - it really only works on protozoans and anaerobic bacteria. All external bacterial fish diseases would be aerobic, by virtue of being bathed in oxygenated water.

I do not dose metronidazole with copper - both can be stressful, and in combination, I worry the the stress would be additive.

If you think there is a secondary bacterial issue, you can dose a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic with coppersafe, something like Neoplex or Maracyn 2. Really though, velvet kills so fast (and copper can take a few days to begin to control it) that fish rarely have time to develop secondary bacterial infections until later on, as they begin to heal from the velvet.

Jay

 

[Val1064]

Metronidazole is not a primary antibiotic - it really only works on protozoans and anaerobic bacteria. All external bacterial fish diseases would be aerobic, by virtue of being bathed in oxygenated water.

I do not dose metronidazole with copper - both can be stressful, and in combination, I worry the the stress would be additive.

If you think there is a secondary bacterial issue, you can dose a broad spectrum, gram negative antibiotic with coppersafe, something like Neoplex or Maracyn 2. Really though, velvet kills so fast (and copper can take a few days to begin to control it) that fish rarely have time to develop secondary bacterial infections until later on, as they begin to heal from the velvet.

Jay

Thank you Jay!