Kanaplex - effect on biofilter

[Claus84]

Hi all,

I'm hoping somebody could clarify how much of an effect dosing kanaplex or antibiotics in general has on filter bacteria? I plan to dose my QT (rather than feed using focus) but often end up working away at short notice and so would rather avoid, or at least try and prepare for a situation where I need to be doing daily 100% wc's and re-dosing for 10 days+ to keep ammonia down if thats the case.

Thanks

Nick

 

[melypr1985]

Hi Nick! Antibiotics, like most meds, can put a dent in your bio filter but the bacteria can quickly bounce back. When dosing kanaplex, you'll need to do water changes every other day and re-dose. Antibiotics must be re-dosed in the water since they don't stay active in the water for very long.

 

[Claus84]

Hi Nick! Antibiotics, like most meds, can put a dent in your bio filter but the bacteria can quickly bounce back. When dosing kanaplex, you'll need to do water changes every other day and re-dose. Antibiotics must be re-dosed in the water since they don't stay active in the water for very long.

Thanks for the quick response! Sounds like I'll need to plan ahead then just to make sure I will be around, just to clarify is it a 100% wc that is required every other day and is its purpose to combat WQ issues caused by the reduction in bacteria or is itprimarily to remove any remaining antibiotics before the re-dose?

 

[melypr1985]

Thanks for the quick response! Sounds like I'll need to plan ahead then just to make sure I will be around, just to clarify is it a 100% wc that is required every other day and is its purpose to combat WQ issues caused by the reduction in bacteria or is itprimarily to remove any remaining antibiotics before the re-dose?

Just a normal 20% water change is needed. It dilutes what's left of the inactive medication as well as keeping the water quality up during treatment.

 

[Claus84]

That's great, thanks again for your help

 

[Claus84]

Quick follow up question, is it possible to use kanaplex (dosed into the water rather than fed) with live rock or will the rock absorb it rendering it less effective?

I only ask as I'm having trouble with ammonia in the QT that need's treating and not sure I can wait 48 hours between water changes. I have another QT I could move the fish into with gravel and liverock which has a much more robust biofilter which I figure can probably take more of a hit and remain functional during the 10 day treatment.

Thanks

Nick

 

[Humblefish]

Quick follow up question, is it possible to use kanaplex (dosed into the water rather than fed) with live rock or will the rock absorb it rendering it less effective?

Absorption is just one possible problem. IMO; the possible presence of biofilm in a DT would be an even bigger issue: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/qt-and-biofilm.292878/

 

[Christoph]

If you need to change more often because of ammonia (dont let it build up!), just add fresh Kanaplex to the water (1 level measure per 20l).

Best,
Christoph

 

[Claus84]

Absorption is just one possible problem. IMO; the possible presence of biofilm in a DT would be an even bigger issue: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/qt-and-biofilm.292878/

That's interesting, I wasn't even aware that was an issue, everyday's a school day on this forum! I did run 2 rounds of prazi on my flame angel in this tank and was going to release to the DT today, guess I will give it a fw dip first to see if any flukes are present.

If you need to change more often because of ammonia (dont let it build up!), just add fresh Kanaplex to the water (1 level measure per 20l).

I wasn't sure whether it was possible to re-dose but that makes sense, the tank has been running for a month with seeded filter media and colony and despite a couple of initial spikes has been fine until a couple of days ago, I have removed 2 out of 4 fish from it and done multiple wc's but still get a slight reading on the test kit but no free ammonia registering on the alert badge at the moment. I may just go ahead and dose and prepare for large daily wc's and re-dosing.

Assuming I need to do a 50% wc every day, is there a concern with re-dosing this much kanaplex on a daily basis, I know it should be dosed every other day usually so just want to check i'm not going to overdose the fish by refreshing the dose every 24hours?

Thanks both

Nick

 

[Humblefish]

Assuming I need to do a 50% wc every day, is there a concern with re-dosing this much kanaplex on a daily basis, I know it should be dosed every other day usually so just want to check i'm not going to overdose the fish by refreshing the dose every 24hours?

Most antibiotics only remain active in water for 24-48 hrs. I've dosed kanamycin as high as 10mg/L every 24 hours, with a 25% water change before each treatment. Following that regimen should keep your ammonia in check.

 

[Claus84]

Most antibiotics only remain active in water for 24-48 hrs. I've dosed kanamycin as high as 10mg/L every 24 hours, with a 25% water change before each treatment. Following that regimen should keep your ammonia in check.

Great, that sounds like a plan, thanks for your help