[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Penicillin
In a message dated 10/7/2000 12:57:12 Pacific Daylight Time,
Aquatic-Plants-Owner at actwin_com writes:
> I added penicillin to my 90 gallon planted tank yesterday but I am
wondering
> wether it was o.k. to do. I followed the instructions on the package and
> used 9 250mg tablets to treat a body fungus infection on my pleco.
Not cool. Penicillin is not effective against fungus. In fact, it's
ineffective on just about everything these days, with a few rare exceptions.
At any rate, it is not a wise idea to add antibiotics (or anything else, for
that matter) unless you have a specific idea (or, at least a pretty darned
good guess) as to what the problem is, and then treat specifically for that
problem. This is a great example of how resistant organisms develop:
throwing antibiotics at an unknown problem just breeds antibiotic-resistant
organisms. If it is a fungal infection, you would be better off to use
something like Methylene Blue or one of the specific anti-fungal medications.
If you're worried about its effects on plants, then a hospital tank is in
order, so the plants are not exposed to any unnecessary chemicals.