**WARNING** Using Marineland HOB with medications

[redfishbluefish]

Another great discovery by @Humblefish !

Very well done sir.

 

[puffy127]

I am sitting here thinking that this knowledge may be useful. These may be a great and relatively inexpensive option to use on a reef tank where food soaked medications are used. It might work very well to reduce how much medication escapes the food and enters the water. Put them in the filter socks or around the drain pipe.

If this were your goal, why not just use carbon?

 

[puffy127]

Any reason these HOB filters are preferred over sponge filters?

As an aside, it seems like the difficulty of getting CP is a blessing in disguise. The inability to monitor levels to ensure therapeutic levels are maintained is a serious drawback.

 

[Brew12]

If this were your goal, why not just use carbon?

I think the polyfilters are more effective at removing medications that GAC. I almost always have GAC running, but this would be a nice insurance policy.

 

[Humblefish]

I think the polyfilters are more effective at removing medications that GAC. I almost always have GAC running, but this would be a nice insurance policy.

Agree; I just wish there was a way to regenerate a polyfilter after using it to remove copper. Those things are expensive!

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I think the polyfilters are more effective at removing medications that GAC. I almost always have GAC running, but this would be a nice insurance policy.

I agree, and that's why I use marine land Hob on my hospital tanks. Easier to plop in the pad than set up carbon when I need to remove meds.

I thought it was common knowledge they were polyfilter pads as I always see recommendations to remove pads prior to medicating. They even advertise poly pads on the filter box, or at least they used to.

I feel really bad for your losses. I wish I would have followed your process more closely, I would have noticed.

Soldier on, we learn as we go....

 

[Brew12]

Agree; I just wish there was a way to regenerate a polyfilter after using it to remove copper. Those things are expensive!

They are expensive which is why I keep a 3 pack for emergency use only. These Marineland filters are relatively cheap in comparison. I doubt they will absorb nearly as much copper but I bet the would do great at removing ABX.

 

[Saveafish]

This whole time, I was getting new pads. Emptying out the carbon, removing the meds I put in. In turn I wasn't medicating them at all. That explains my losses. You can't test for antibiotic levels. I might have well not even used anti or negative biotic. This is a really big step and a very important piece to hold on to.
On a good not I know now it wasn't my fault. It was the lack of knowing on equipment.

 

[Saveafish]

Loss due to pads.

 

[puffy127]

What were you all using the carbonless pads for? Just detritus removal?

 

[Brew12]

What were you all using the carbonless pads for? Just detritus removal?

typically detritus removal and it offers surface area for nitrifying bacteria.

 

[Fastpitch]

Chloroquine Phosphate. Followed best protocol and didn’t realize poly removes CP. Merged 4 QT in to a giant observation tank with the assumption we were disease free. The two CP tanks weren’t therapeutic CP as we now know, velvet took over FAST and in a few days fish were badly affected and even though we treated, secondary gram negative bacterial infections grenaded most of the fish. This is unfortunately pretty common post-velvet.

Poly will remove all medications. Marineland said it may remove 100% of many medications (antibiotics and CP for instance) and some copper.

Crap. I am in this camp as well. I have been running marineland HOB with the polyfilters sans carbon.:mad: But IME the poly had no effect on my cupramine ramps. They were all steady increases without any detectable variability. At least as far as I can tell.

Is it possible that the filters dont remove meds if they are really old? Mine have been running a really long time. What do we thing the poly does to metro and prazi?

 

[Humblefish]

Is it possible that the filters dont remove meds if they are really old? Mine have been running a really long time. What do we thing the poly does to metro and prazi?

Once the filter pad has absorbed everything it can, it's probably harmless thereafter.

 

[Thomashtom]

Agree; I just wish there was a way to regenerate a polyfilter after using it to remove copper. Those things are expensive!

Hey Humblefish, this could explain why i have had to keep my Scribbled angels in QT so long. I have a small HOB on tank!!! have not changed the pad in 2 months does it lose its ability to absorb the meds ? I just dosed prazi yesterday so was that useless? Thanks

 

[Humblefish]

Hey Humblefish, this could explain why i have had to keep my Scribbled angels in QT so long. I have a small HOB on tank!!! have not changed the pad in 2 months does it lose its ability to absorb the meds ? I just dosed prazi yesterday so was that useless? Thanks

It's hard to predict just how much exposure to medication until the pad can no longer absorb more. Sorry, wish I had a more clear cut answer for you.

 

[Thomashtom]

Hi Humblefish, just dosed praziquantel yesterday, have not seen any symptoms on fish. What would you suggest? Thanks

 

[Fastpitch]

It's hard to predict just how much exposure to medication until the pad can no longer absorb more. Sorry, wish I had a more clear cut answer for you.

Right. There probably is no way to know. Except that if you threw a new filter in there at the start of QT you are hosed. If you were using an old filter you might be OK.

Since in my case my filter pads were pretty old, I will choose to close my eyes, grit my teeth, cross my fingers, bury my head deeply in the sand and hope for the best.

 

[Reefahholic]

I only run a little sponge filter in mine to trap detritus and food floating in the water column.

 

[jokerman826]

on my small QT (10g) I use a HOB filter with only a sponge in it. My large QT (dual 40B with sump) only has a filter sock. I use water changes to reduce copper at the end. I avoid the cartridges because I dont know what's in them.

 

[DBLA]

While medicating I wrap two gutted and poly filter removed cartridge frames with filter pad (frame gives support). Then a polishing pad at the second (the 150 actually has two filter cartridge slots). I do this for the 24-48 hours after Prazi dose, then switch back. I have done 14 days with Copperpower with a full cartridge with no drift using a Hanna checker but that cartridge was about 3 weeks old for what’s that worth. I am starting a round of Copperpower this weekend on a QT. I will ramp up to 1.85-2.00 (to give room for drift) and throw in a brand new filter cartridge, carbon and polyfilter I tack, as a test and report back.