Aquarium Fish Antibiotics

Ampicillin - 25 caps $7.25 Triple Sulpha - 25 caps $5.75 Nitrofurazone - 25 caps $3.50 Kanamycin - 25 caps $4.75 Kanamycin - 100 caps $17.75 8 oz Antibiotic Flake - red $7.00 1 lb Antibiotic Flake - red $11.75

Ampicillin - 250 mg capsules. For bactericidal action on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. 1 cap/10 gallons/repeat in 24 hrs.

Kanamycin - 150 mg capsules. Broad spectrum antibiotic. Can also be effective against hemorrhagic septicemia when mixed with food. 1 cap/10 gallons/repeat in 24 hrs.

Nitrofurazone - 380 mg capsules. Bacteriostatic action against many common fish bacteria. Often used in shipping water to prevent infections from injuries. 1 cap/10 gallons/repeat in 24 hrs.

Triple Sulpha - A combination of bacteriostatic sulfonamides useful for common problems like fin and tail rot & superficial infections. 1 cap/10 gallons/repeat in 48 hrs.

Antibiotic Flake - Feed exclusively for 7-10 days. Feed only what they will eat in 2 minutes - twice each day. Immediately remove all flake that is uneaten. Active ingredient: kanamyacin

Antibiotics are designed to eliminate bacteria. However, bacteria are wide ranging in scope, making it difficult to determine which antibiotic will be most effective. Most bacteria that affect fish are "gram negative" though some are "gram positive".  One group of these bacteria are opportunistic. They attack weakened and stressed fish. The other, smaller group, are primarily pathogens that will attack healthy fish. Antibiotics work in different ways. Some are "cidal" and kill the bacteria, others "static",  preventing them from reproducing.

Antibiotics often don't work, because either the wrong antibiotic was chosen or the bacteria has become resistant to the antibiotic. The only certain way of determining whether a particular antibiotic will work, is to isolate and incubate the bacteria, and then test it for sensitivity to different antibiotics. This generally will require laboratory work- beyond the abilities of most aquarists. The other alternative is a shot-gun approach, where you add several different antibiotics to different tanks to see which is most effective. Although most will simply add the antibiotic to the water, the best vehicle to get the medication into the fish is in their food if they're eating well. We suggest adding 0.75% of an antibiotic to a gelatinized food or purchasing our medicated flakes. This food should be kept frozen until used.