# Do fish meds hurt plants?



## Smeagol (Mar 4, 2013)

My platies have started "glancing" or "flashing" (they slam themselves sideways against plants). I don't see any signs of ich, and my water parameters are fine. So I'm thinking it must be some kind of parasite like gill flukes.... If I treat with meds will it have any effect on my plants?


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## Warlock (Feb 28, 2012)

How often do u water change


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## Smeagol (Mar 4, 2013)

25% twice a week.


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## Smeagol (Mar 4, 2013)

I'm hitting a brick wall here..... Could use some help....

I don't know exactly what illness my Platies have, but everyone tells me to treat for ich, because it's the most common. But I can't use salt to treat for ich because of my live plants. And I can't use any of the common ich medications because they all say not for use with scaleless fish and I have Otos. Any other suggestions?


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## AlanLe (Jan 10, 2013)

Raise the water temp to 85 degree.


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## Bryk (Feb 26, 2013)

I run with aquarium salt in my tanks, I have many plants that seem to be doing just fine


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## merritt1985 (Jan 16, 2013)

I've used PraziPro in my planted nano tank with no bad results. You might also look into getting some NLS Thera-A it's heavy on the garlic which they say will get rid of some parasites. I had a problem with ich on my neons when i first got them but since i started feeding them this they haven't had it again. I don't know if it was the garlic or just the quality of the food though. Also my guppies "glance" off my plants all the time and are still very healthy. Are your fish showing any other symptoms heavy breathing, not eating, or mucous around the gills?


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## BBradbury (Nov 8, 2010)

*Treating a Parasite*



Smeagol said:


> My platies have started "glancing" or "flashing" (they slam themselves sideways against plants). I don't see any signs of ich, and my water parameters are fine. So I'm thinking it must be some kind of parasite like gill flukes.... If I treat with meds will it have any effect on my plants?


Hello Sme...

Medications can and I'm not saying "will" not only damage your plants, but affect your other fish and even kill off good bacteria.

If you think you have a parasite infection, then start an aggressive water change routine by removing and replacing half the water in the tank every 3 to 4 days and make the new water a bit warmer than normal. Increase the water temperature to 80 degrees. Add a small hang on the back filter to keep the oxygen up in the water. Do a good job of vacuuming the substrate too. You can add a bit of standard aquarium salt to the replacement water. A teaspoon for every 5 gallons is sufficient and won't hurt your plants.

Start feeding some nutritious frozen foods, just a bit a couple of times a week. Brine and Mysis shrimp, beef heart, bloodworms, krill and plankton are excellent.

You can follow these steps for as long as necessary. When you see improvement or the tank returns to normal, then you can return the tank to normal conditions and settings. I'd keep doing the large water changes weekly.

Just a couple of thoughts.

B


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

this is a typical behavior for am itchy feeling for a fish.
it could be a bacterial or fungal infection.
i'd personally treat with api general cure. its safe, and wont harm plants or beneficial bacterial and see if things don't improve there
i would as other's have suggested perform a few large water changes prior to treatment as this will reduce water borne parasites, bacteria, etc and make treatment more effective
changing the diet a little can also produce beneficial results. most fish eat a wide variety of food, and as such having a small variety at the aquarium level is good for their health


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Smeagol said:


> My platies have started "glancing" or "flashing" (they slam themselves sideways against plants). I don't see any signs of ich, and my water parameters are fine. So I'm thinking it must be some kind of parasite like gill flukes.... If I treat with meds will it have any effect on my plants?


 
Water parameter's described as fine,do not reveal much.
If number's are available,,this would be of more help.
Platy's thrive in hard alkaline water, (10+dgh) on the cool side(74 to 76 degree's F).
If gill flukes are suspected,, I might use product such as Quik cure as per instruction's. It has worked for me in the past and does not have negative impact on bio-filter/plant's if used as recommended.
If small tetra's are present, or scaleless fish,, half dose would be my choice.
Quik cure is formalin,malachite green.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Don't add random meds unless you're sure what the problem is. General flashing, rubbing against objects can be cure with frequent water changes and vacuuming. You can add a little hydrogen peroxide if you want. 1 ml per gallon.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Tenor1 (Jan 15, 2012)

Personally, I wouldn't medicate the tank because it can cause problems for other fish in the tank. Otos are pretty sensitive to meds. If you decide to add meds then consider the dip method rather than treat the entire tank.

Put a measurable amount of the tap water in a bowl and medicate it, then put the infected fish in the bowl. I can't remember how long they need to be left in, sorry. I think 15-minute dips were what some people do. You can do this a few times and see if there is improvement. You don't need to create a new solution each time. Someone reading this may respond. I've stopped medicating decades ago because of various problems. The ich medications are pretty good though.

Anything you do at this point stresses the sick fish even more and weakens their immune system to some degree. Doing 2x-weekly water changes usually prevent health problems. I've done that for 12 years and never had any type of sickness in the tank, so I'm really surprised. You could increase to daily or twice daily water changes, but only about 10% not your usual 25% and add a small air stone. More O2 in the water is a good thing at this point.

Have you added any new fish that could have brought the illness into the tank? Be sure to use some charcoal or carbon afterwards if you decide to medicate the tank. Some meds have a longer 1/2-life then others and the chemical filtration will help remove it. 

This is going to sound cold, but I would consider culling the sick fish. It might be the cheaper way to go then doing something that kills off your otos.

Sorry you're having this nightmare!


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## Smeagol (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks for all the replies and advice. It's really great to have such a supportive community that can provide advice, especially when you're a bit of a worry-wort like me.

I didn't use any medication. I am extremely reluctant to put anything like that in my tank, especially when I'm not 100% sure what the problem is. Instead, I ended up removing 2 of the platies, and the remaining 1 "got better" almost immediately. I put "got better" in quotes because I'm starting to think they were never sick to begin with.... but that's the subject of a new discussion that I'm starting under the Fish section....

Thanks, again!


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