Water Warnings..

[DarkEntity]

If you are really concerned goto your supermarket and buy the cheapest bottled water.

 

[Bignose]

The fish will doubtfully be effected anyways, since E. coli and Salmonella are human pathogens.

This is not right. Both are bacteria and are pretty indiscriminate about what they will grow on, given the proper nutrients. E. coli grows on most fecal matter, human, animal, or fish. So, you cannot just call them 'human pathogens' since they will make almost any living creature sick. It is not like ich with is only a fish pathogen since it only attacks fish.

That said, Lynden is right in that depending upon what strain of these bacteria really depends upon their dangerousness. Most of the strains are completely harmless, and we probably have some of the harmless bacteria growing in us right now.

And, since the water company will be over-chlorinating, I agree with the advice of just using some extra water conditioner. There is an old thread on here somewhere where a member wrote Tetra and Tetra said fish could survive over a 50 fold overdose of conditioner. Just triple the dose or so, and the water should be fine again. The bacteria will be killed almost instantly at the water treatment plant, and when you get the chlorination out of the water, it should be safe for fish.

I do not think that dosing an antibacterial is a good idea, since you will kill off the good bacteria with any bad bacteria. And then you run the risk of growing strains of bacteria that are resistant to that medication in your tank, and the medication becomes ineffective when you need it.

If you do decide to boil before fish use, be sure to set the water aside after it cools in a container and agitate the water with a powerhead or airstone for several hours before using it for your fish. Boiled water will be very devoid of oxygen, and you need to get that oxygen back in the water before using it for a water change. An airstone for 2-3 hours should be pretty sufficeint.

 

[blackbat]

Treat your water with an antibacterial med. I think Ethyromycine (trade name – Maracyn) is what is available 'over there'?

Just a thought.

Andy

they harm good bactiria too dont they?

 

[Underwurlde]

I do not think that dosing an antibacterial is a good idea, since you will kill off the good bacteria with any bad bacteria. And then you run the risk ofl growing strains of bacteria that are resistant to that medication in your tank, and the medication becomes ineffective when you need it.

I'm glad you mention that actually because the use of 'Ethyromycine (trade name - Maracyn)' was suggested by another forum member as a method of ridding my tank of BGA.

I have not actually used any of this but I did ask the question 'does this stuff also kill the ammonia busting bacteria in the filters, in which case it shouldn't be used' - No one was able to answer that!

So if it is a bad idea to use this stuff then so be it & I'll cease passing this med on as a solution so some problems we fish keepers have with our tanks...

Andy

 

[tamara]

There is a water warning going on where I am. My fish desperately need their tanks changed but I'm worried that if I use the tap water it'll harm my fish due to the e coli and salmonella found in the water supply. What am I to do? I need a lot of water so boiling isn't really an option.

i live in vancouver as well
you actually get super nauseas and 1 person has died from it...
so i don't think it'd be safe to use it...
i just asked the same question too haha opps

 

[blackbat]

where possible when antibiotics are needed my vet suggests adding them to the food supply not the tank. not only can you pretty much treat each fish but also add more to things like plec food where the fish are bigger. I try my best to not add anything to the water other than the tapsafe and saltbath if needed

 

[Miss Wiggle]

hmmm i guess other people have pretty much covered your options, but just as a word of foreplanning, some of you have mentioned this is a fairly regular occurance where you live, if it was me I'd seriously consider buying an RO unit just for emergencies, we've just got a decent one for 50quid so not a massive outlay.

 

[Bignose]

I'm glad you mention that actually because the use of 'Ethyromycine (trade name - Maracyn)' was suggested by another forum member as a method of ridding my tank of BGA.

I have not actually used any of this but I did ask the question 'does this stuff also kill the ammonia busting bacteria in the filters, in which case it shouldn't be used' - No one was able to answer that!

You know why this is truly poor advice? Why should an antibacterial agent -- a chemical designed to kill bacteria -- kill algae? Algae is a completely totally different form of life. There is one misnamed "algae", blue-green algae, that would be better known as cyanobacteria that is not a true algae. From its name, cyanobacteria, it would respond to bacteria medicines, but even then, the antibacterials available over the counter are very indiscriminate. They will not pick and choose which species of bacteria they will affect. Especially is you use a really broad spectrum medicine that can affect both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Some medicines only affect one or the other, though in both cases all gram-negative or all gram-positive bacteria in the tank will be affected, not just the ones harming the fish.

As an aside here, there is a very good reason the UK and several other countries have made anti-bacterial medicines unavailable to the general public. Here in the U.S. it seems almost everything has antibacterial agents in it, and all it does it culture the strains of bacteria that are resistant to the cheap agents in the soaps. This would not be so bad, except that there is very strong evidence that bacteria share DNA across species. If a harmless bacteria develops resistance to an antibacterial, it can pass that resistance on to more dangerous bacteria. As an example, look at staph infections. Staph used to be pretty harmless like 40 years ago, but today, with all the casual anti-bacterial medication, there are some strains of it that are immune to almost everything. People die from staph infections today more and more often. Part of the problem is all the people who demand from their doctors an antibacterial medication when they get a cold. A cold!... caused by a virus. Yes, in some cases you want to give an antibacterial to minimize secondary infections, but unless the patient is very young, very old, or otherwise immuno-compromised, the antibacterial certainly won't kill a virus, and it does no good whatsoever. Part of the problem is the wussy doctors who won't explain this to their patients and just give out the drugs. Anyway, the same principles apply to a fishtank. Casual use of your antibacterial medications really do nothing except culture medication-resistant strains of bacteria. It is not impossible that this resistance will result in an entire tank with a bacterial disease that is resistant to the medication you were using.

Basically, what I am trying to say is, that the medication you hold in your hand is powerful stuff, don't just use it casually. Make sure you have diagnosed a bacterial problem; never just medicate as a shot in the dark hoping to hit the disease with the right medicine. And think about all the results that will occur if you use the medicine, not just the one you are aiming for.