popeye -- when to use Maracyn?

[evilmantis]

Hello,
I have a 75 gal. tank that is currently under treatment for ich brought in by a fish that a fellow SW tank owner gave me. The tank now contains 2 fish -- a blue chromis, who is fine, and a clownfish, who was showing tiny dots of ich. I dropped the salinity (and am going to finish off dropping it tomorrow) -- it's down to 1.011. However, two days ago Nemo (what clownfish is NOT named Nemo?) suddenly developed a popeye. I did a 25% water change, as some have indicated that sometimes this will take care of a popeye. All water parameters are where they should be (0 nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, 8.3 pH, 82 degrees) except the salinity is low.
But the popeye is not getting better. In fact, it may be a tad worse.
Is it time to move on to Maracyn?
Thanks
Goldie

 

[thomas712]

Hi Goldie - First off is there anything else in the 75 gallon tank? I mean sandbed, liverock, snails, hermits...anything else alive? If so you may want to rethink your course of action.
the other thing is that you will want to use Maracyn TWO not just Maracyn. Even then you will not want to follow those directions but these instead by Terry B our resident expert of fish diseases.
"Use the Maracyn-Two at the double dose each and every day for 7 to 10 days if the infection appears to be internal, 5 to 7 days for external. A small water change before each dose is recommended because the organics in the water can inactivate the antibiotics"
Treatment: Using Maracyn-Two; Maracyn is Minocycline and comes in fresh and saltwater formulas. Both are the same medicine with one exception, the saltwater formula contains B vitamins that are hard to consume when the fish is exposed to the antibiotic, thus the addition of the B vitamin. A broad-spectrum antibiotic for internal or external gram negative bacterial infections. Effective treatment of fin and tail rot, popeye, gill disease, dropsy, bleeding or red streaks, secondary and internal infections. Effective even when fish won't eat.
Finally that is a rather large tank to be doing Hypo and med treatment in. Do you think that maybe you could setup a 10 gallon Quarentine tank instead of treating an entire 75 gallon tank?
Thomas

 

[evilmantis]

There are no other creatures, live rock, or anything in the tank other than the chromis and the clownfish. I am doing hypo on the whole tank because there isn't much else in it anyway, and by doing hypo on the whole thing I know I will kill the ich. But I guess if I am using medication I should probably use a smaller tank just to save on medication!! (Plus that would save me the trouble of having to re-cycle the 75...)
I am aware of the maracyn 2 issue, sorry I posted incorrectly
One other question -- should I medicate both fish, or just the clownfish?
Thanks again
Goldie

 

[beth]

If that tank is going to have live rock, or be a reef, I wouldn't put antibiotics in it.
Has the fish been netted lateley? What do you feed the fish? What are your water readings?

 

[evilmantis]

This particular fish was indeed netted 2 weeks ago when I first brought hime home. The fish eat a mix of flakes, Prime Reef, and various seafood soaked in Garlic Xtrem. Nemo is eating fine, but I and wondering about the vision in the swollen eye...
I put Nemo in a 10 gal tank (with water from his home tank) and put in a double dosage of Maracyn 2. This way I don't use as much Maracyn and won't have to re-cycle the 75. I also added a copper treatment to help take care of the ich. I will keep him in this tank for 7-10 days (the duration of the Marcyn treatment) and then return him home to the 75 gallon, which is hyposaline right now to clear up the ich.
Tank readings
salinity = 1.010
pH = 8.3
temp = 82
nitrates = nitrites = ammonia = 0 ppm
I hope he makes it...
Thanks for the help
Goldie