The protocol is as follows: dosing of ciprofloxacin solution to achieve a dosage of .125mg/L (roughly 5mg per 10 gallons) in the system being treated, administered every 12 hours for 5-14 days.
I recommend following this protocol in a quarantine system for all new S. haddoni carpet anemones, but, as you can read below, I have succesfully treated and cured multiple specimens in a display system as well.
As with all antibiotics, you do not want to stop treatment early even if you see improvement before the full course of the treatment is completed. You’ll want to administer for a minimum of five days.
Creating the Ciprofloxacin solution:
@AquaBiomics recommends creating the Ciprofloxacin solution by dissolving a 500mg pill in 50mL of RO/DI water, producing a 10 mg/mL solution, then dosing as needed to achieve a .125mg/L dosage in the system being treated. It’s recommended to store this in a refrigerator in between dosages and to protect it from light, which will denature the antibiotic.
To calculate dosage: (Liters) x (.125) = mg needed per each daily dose. Example 400 liter system: 400(.125)=50mg = 5mL of the aforementioned 10mg/mL solution, dosed twice daily.
Development and testing of this protocol
Thanks to contributors here such as @Eagle_Steve and @OrionN, the use of Ciprofloxacin for the treatment of bacterial infections in H. magnifica anemones is well documented and understood. Less so, however, is the use of Ciprofloxacin in the treatment (both prophylactically and curatively) in S. haddoni carpet anemones. S. haddoni carpet anemones appear to be much more sensitive to antibiotics, and the dosages used to treat H. magnifica, in my experience, have lead to mortality the majority of the time. However, S. Haddoni anemones, in my opinion and experience, are no less in need of antibiotic treatments than H. magnifica anemones. Therefore, I felt a need to derive a protocol that would work for S. haddoni anemones.
It became apparent to me that an S. haddoni-specific pathogen was responsible for the ‘slow demise’ (typically over the course of weeks) of S. haddoni carpet anemones after I purchased a specific from an LFS and introduced it into a display system containing only healthy and prophylactically-treated H. magnifica anemones. Over the ensuing weeks, the S. haddoni began the slow decline that is unfortunately so typical of the species. After a few weeks, I moved the specimen into a dedicated S. haddoni system that contained three other healthy S. haddoni carpet anemones that had been thriving for nearly a year. After a few days, the new specimen perished. However, a few weeks later, all three healthy specimens began to present with the ‘slow decline’ symptoms, and this is when I knew some form of pathogen had been introduced that affected the S. Haddoni but not the H. magnifica anemones, as the latter continue to remain unaffected. All three S. haddoni carpets were large, too large for any quarantine tank I had or could easily set up, and also it would have been impossible to remove from the system without a total tear down. I was concerned this would stress them to the carpet anemones to a point where they would quickly succumb, so I began to research in-tank antibiotic treatment options. Because I previously (and succesfully) treated Goniopora spp. necrotic tissue infections using Ciprofloxacin at 1/4th the dosage typically recommend for H. magnifica anemones (~1mg/L as opposed to OrionN’s protocol of ~5.5mg/L) without harm to the coral, I was lead me to believe that it could be possible to treat the tank without harm to the other inhabitants. After researching here on R2R, I came across AquaBiomic’s thread, and began to follow his protocol of .125mg/L/day.
After 5 days I did notice an improvement to the point that it was apparent the protocol was helping, but I also noticed that all three anemones seemed to stop improving at a certain point, without a noticeable change for over 48 hours. I did not notice any adverse effects to the other invertebrates in the system (Goniopora spp., Tridacna maxima clams, Spondylus spp. oysters, various Zooanthid spp., various sponges, macroalgae, and shrimp) so I decided to increase the dosage to .125mg/L every 12 hours. After two days at this dosage, the anemones appeared to completely recover. I continued treatment at this dosage for another three days (five days in total of of .125mg/L per 12 hours, preceded by five days of .125mg/L/day). The anemones all made a full recovery, and and I noticed no ill effects of any kind on any of the other animals or water chemistry.
It has now been nearly four months since the in-tank treatment, and all three anemones in addition to all other inhabitants are continuing to thrive. It appears that a dosage of .125mg/L, administered every 12 hours can effectively treat some bacterial infections in S. haddoni carpet anemones, even in a display system.
In my opinion and experience that AquaBiomic’s recommended dosage of .125mg/L/day is effective, and that display tanks can well tolerate up to .125mg/L per six hours if needed to treat infections in a variety of species, including anemones, LPS, and SPS coral.
I’d like to credit @Eagle_Steve , @OrionN, and @AquaBiomics along with everyone that has participated in and contributed their findings! I hope this protocol will become sticky and that it will assist other hobbyists who love S. haddoni carpets as much as I do.
I highly recommend reading the following posts and ensuing discussions, in which there is a lot of valuable info:
- AquaBiomic’s post on the low-dose antibiotic treatment of display tanks and following thread here. I am very much indebted to this excellent work and post!
- @OrionN’s post on antibiotic protocols for H. magnifica anemones here
I recommend following this protocol in a quarantine system for all new S. haddoni carpet anemones, but, as you can read below, I have succesfully treated and cured multiple specimens in a display system as well.
As with all antibiotics, you do not want to stop treatment early even if you see improvement before the full course of the treatment is completed. You’ll want to administer for a minimum of five days.
Creating the Ciprofloxacin solution:
@AquaBiomics recommends creating the Ciprofloxacin solution by dissolving a 500mg pill in 50mL of RO/DI water, producing a 10 mg/mL solution, then dosing as needed to achieve a .125mg/L dosage in the system being treated. It’s recommended to store this in a refrigerator in between dosages and to protect it from light, which will denature the antibiotic.
To calculate dosage: (Liters) x (.125) = mg needed per each daily dose. Example 400 liter system: 400(.125)=50mg = 5mL of the aforementioned 10mg/mL solution, dosed twice daily.
Development and testing of this protocol
Thanks to contributors here such as @Eagle_Steve and @OrionN, the use of Ciprofloxacin for the treatment of bacterial infections in H. magnifica anemones is well documented and understood. Less so, however, is the use of Ciprofloxacin in the treatment (both prophylactically and curatively) in S. haddoni carpet anemones. S. haddoni carpet anemones appear to be much more sensitive to antibiotics, and the dosages used to treat H. magnifica, in my experience, have lead to mortality the majority of the time. However, S. Haddoni anemones, in my opinion and experience, are no less in need of antibiotic treatments than H. magnifica anemones. Therefore, I felt a need to derive a protocol that would work for S. haddoni anemones.
It became apparent to me that an S. haddoni-specific pathogen was responsible for the ‘slow demise’ (typically over the course of weeks) of S. haddoni carpet anemones after I purchased a specific from an LFS and introduced it into a display system containing only healthy and prophylactically-treated H. magnifica anemones. Over the ensuing weeks, the S. haddoni began the slow decline that is unfortunately so typical of the species. After a few weeks, I moved the specimen into a dedicated S. haddoni system that contained three other healthy S. haddoni carpet anemones that had been thriving for nearly a year. After a few days, the new specimen perished. However, a few weeks later, all three healthy specimens began to present with the ‘slow decline’ symptoms, and this is when I knew some form of pathogen had been introduced that affected the S. Haddoni but not the H. magnifica anemones, as the latter continue to remain unaffected. All three S. haddoni carpets were large, too large for any quarantine tank I had or could easily set up, and also it would have been impossible to remove from the system without a total tear down. I was concerned this would stress them to the carpet anemones to a point where they would quickly succumb, so I began to research in-tank antibiotic treatment options. Because I previously (and succesfully) treated Goniopora spp. necrotic tissue infections using Ciprofloxacin at 1/4th the dosage typically recommend for H. magnifica anemones (~1mg/L as opposed to OrionN’s protocol of ~5.5mg/L) without harm to the coral, I was lead me to believe that it could be possible to treat the tank without harm to the other inhabitants. After researching here on R2R, I came across AquaBiomic’s thread, and began to follow his protocol of .125mg/L/day.
My in-tank treatment findings
After 5 days I did notice an improvement to the point that it was apparent the protocol was helping, but I also noticed that all three anemones seemed to stop improving at a certain point, without a noticeable change for over 48 hours. I did not notice any adverse effects to the other invertebrates in the system (Goniopora spp., Tridacna maxima clams, Spondylus spp. oysters, various Zooanthid spp., various sponges, macroalgae, and shrimp) so I decided to increase the dosage to .125mg/L every 12 hours. After two days at this dosage, the anemones appeared to completely recover. I continued treatment at this dosage for another three days (five days in total of of .125mg/L per 12 hours, preceded by five days of .125mg/L/day). The anemones all made a full recovery, and and I noticed no ill effects of any kind on any of the other animals or water chemistry.
Summary
It has now been nearly four months since the in-tank treatment, and all three anemones in addition to all other inhabitants are continuing to thrive. It appears that a dosage of .125mg/L, administered every 12 hours can effectively treat some bacterial infections in S. haddoni carpet anemones, even in a display system.
In my opinion and experience that AquaBiomic’s recommended dosage of .125mg/L/day is effective, and that display tanks can well tolerate up to .125mg/L per six hours if needed to treat infections in a variety of species, including anemones, LPS, and SPS coral.
Credit
I’d like to credit @Eagle_Steve , @OrionN, and @AquaBiomics along with everyone that has participated in and contributed their findings! I hope this protocol will become sticky and that it will assist other hobbyists who love S. haddoni carpets as much as I do.
Further Reading
I highly recommend reading the following posts and ensuing discussions, in which there is a lot of valuable info:
- AquaBiomic’s post on the low-dose antibiotic treatment of display tanks and following thread here. I am very much indebted to this excellent work and post!
- @OrionN’s post on antibiotic protocols for H. magnifica anemones here
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