Antibiotics explained

[morrisDR]

Hello reefers.

Before i start this controversial post I would like to introduce myself.

I am a student from the Netherlands and study medical lab research with antibiotics on bacteria. I'm still a bit of a noob but have been informed about the dangers of antibiotics. If the antibiotics get in nature high risks can happen with bacterial resistance etc.



I have heard of a few antibiotics myself:
Ciprofloxacin
amoxicillin
Oxolinic acid

I would like to know what corals each antibiotic is primarily used for in the hobby and if it's reef safe or not.

If u have tried any antibiotic show some photos before and after I'm very curious as to what the results were.

I am not planning to buy these antibiotics anytime soon. I'm mostly curious, maybe in the future I will try it out. Luckily I can dispose of the wastewater through my school. Because they always dispose of antibiotics.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The most widespread antibiotic used in reef tanks is tylosin, used to kill Cyanobacteria. Several brands use it, such as chemiclean. It generally works well to kill Cyano.

 

[morrisDR]

The most widespread antibiotic used in reef tanks is tylosin, used to kill Cyanobacteria. Several brands use it, such as chemiclean. It generally works well to kill Cyano.

How about on corals. At my school we primarily used ampicillin and ciprofloxacine testing on E.coli. I haven't seen ampicillin so that one is probably not reef safe or not worth it. Cipro on the other hand a LFS of mine used it.

Whenever I break a torch coral in 2 the torch usually dies of brown jelly or some other infection obviouslym

But the crazy thing was he had all these pieces of torch which were just fully open I wish I had a photo I asked how that even possible he said it's the Cipro.

I have been looking on reef2reef but can't find any post really explaining every antibiotic side by side I know it's a very controversial post. But If I can buy it for my cat why can't I buy it for my corals and fish?

IF I'm ever gonna use any antibiotic I'm gonna document everything I did so others may learn. Still not anytime soon though.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have never used an antibiotic on corals and it is all diy as far as I know. Many vets will not prescribe for something they cannot see in person. It is not a common procedure at all. I never had a reason to use one in several decades of reefing.

It is more common to treat certain new anemones with Cipro and other antibiotics, typically outside the tank. I have done that.

 

[PharmrJohn]

In humans, antibiotic resistance has been a huge issue in the medical community. Ciprofloxacin and Levofloxacin have been used FAR too much. Now, these meds are considered first line (in terms of efficacy) for respiratory infections, but are used only when less effective meds are tried and failed. We are worried about resistance to fluoroquinolones.

 

[Tony Thompson]

Edited

 

[Tony Thompson]

How about on corals. At my school we primarily used ampicillin and ciprofloxacine testing on E.coli. I haven't seen ampicillin so that one is probably not reef safe or not worth it. Cipro on the other hand a LFS of mine used it.

Whenever I break a torch coral in 2 the torch usually dies of brown jelly or some other infection obviouslym

But the crazy thing was he had all these pieces of torch which were just fully open I wish I had a photo I asked how that even possible he said it's the Cipro.

I have been looking on reef2reef but can't find any post really explaining every antibiotic side by side I know it's a very controversial post. But If I can buy it for my cat why can't I buy it for my corals and fish?

IF I'm ever gonna use any antibiotic I'm gonna document everything I did so others may learn. Still not anytime soon though.

For your information, as in the UK the Netherlands consider obtaining anti biotics without a valid prescription as a criminal offence. Sentencing guidelines include a fine and / or a custodial sentence (imprisonment).

For other animals the form of administration, dosage and treatment schedule are calculated for each animal. Using antibiotics in aquarium water on corals as a bath has many concerning factors.

I advise you consult with your tutor.

 

[morrisDR]

For your information, as in the UK the Netherlands consider obtaining anti biotics without a valid prescription as a criminal offence. Sentencing guidelines include a fine and / or a custodial sentence (imprisonment).

For other animals the form of administration, dosage and treatment schedule are calculated for each animal. Using antibiotics in aquarium water on corals as a bath has many concerning factors.

I advise you consult with your tutor.

Yes your right. I have heard some people who told the animal vet about the Coral infections and still got cipro.

I'm still in my first year so I can't act like I know everything about bacteria resistance but from my understanding when the antibiotics aren't used for a very long time the bacterial resistance will eventually stop because they don't need it anymore. I don't know how long this takes though.