Help! Do I medicate an empty tank or wait it out?

[DrBroskeet]

Bought a 110, cycled it, tested to confirm Ammo/Nitrite/Nitrate, and started to stock according to play. I didn't quarantine the first stock of cardinal tetras, and they were first to go in to what is going to become a discus tank. Well, shortly after half of them died due to parasitic infection I believe (no external issues visible anyways), I gave back the other half to my LFS and told them the issue.

New issue though: Should I medicate the empty tank or just keep it empty and running? How long can bacteria and parasites live without a host?

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/12/2023 at 1:41 PM, DrBroskeet said:

New issue though: Should I medicate the empty tank or just keep it empty and running? How long can bacteria and parasites live without a host?

i think medicate the tank, the diseaes can last a while, and you want to kill them before they cause any more harm

@Colu

[Colu]

On 3/12/2023 at 5:41 PM, DrBroskeet said:

Bought a 110, cycled it, tested to confirm Ammo/Nitrite/Nitrate, and started to stock according to play. I didn't quarantine the first stock of cardinal tetras, and they were first to go in to what is going to become a discus tank. Well, shortly after half of them died due to parasitic infection I believe (no external issues visible anyways), I gave back the other half to my LFS and told them the issue.

New issue though: Should I medicate the empty tank or just keep it empty and running? How long can bacteria and parasites live without a host?

Most parasites or pathogens  can't last without a host for more then 4 weeks  what I would do is leave the tank a minimum of 6 weeks to air on the side of caution as your not a 100% sure what killed the fish and  I would add 3% hydrogen to sterilise your tank leave the filters running the hydrogen peroxide will break down into H20 and oxygen  I would sterilise all other equipment nets buckets with hydrogen peroxide then rinse them in dechlorinated water if you use hydrogen peroxide it will also kill your benefial bacterial so  you will have to recycle your tank 

[Matt B]

You definitely have some different options to consider in your situation. That's 110 gal. , right?  I have a 20 gal. Long , so medicating and treating a small tank like mine won't break the bank. So I don't hesitate to medicate!  Prazipro, Paraclence,  Ich-X , Xpel-P and Maracyn. Not all at the same time just as needed. And that Co-Op med trio, I believe works!  And I use it every time I add anything new to my tank.

Good Luck 🤞