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Author Topic: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection  (Read 3124 times)

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Offline SweetReefOH

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Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« on: January 20, 2018, 20:44:22 »
Here is what I have left of SPS after this 2 month struggle to find out what my tank contracted from the Dayton swap.




Yesterday I medicated the tank, as instructed, with .8 grams of Doxycycline. Lights out for 24 hrs then a 16g Water change and replace the carbon today. I ran all tests. So far, no signs of a cycle. The only number that I find curious is the phosphate. All week I was running 0.00. This evening, AFTER the WC, it was at .06. I was so surprised by this that I tested my new water. It was 0. I don’t know if it’s the medication or hopefully all the dead bacteria, but I find it curious. I’ve got my fingers crossed that this gets me headed in the right direction.

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2018, 21:00:16 »
I hope it works. Thanks for sharing

Offline Topekoms

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2018, 00:25:12 »
Looks like what my tank did when I lost all my corals never did figure it out its been fallow for a few months

Offline Humphrey

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2018, 08:53:56 »
Same problem here about 6 months ago.  One of my Powerheads went down while I was on vacation. Waited too long thinking corals would recover on their own since flow was restored. When it didn’t get better, I pulled all the really bad corals and put them in QT (Just about all the SPS).  Lps wer generally fine.

Did 100% water change.  Three acros ended up making it plus some Monti’s, Stylo’s and Birdsnest. Knock on wood I’m doing pretty good now. Fortunately I had some backups of the corals in my Frag tank, so I mainly lost time.

I have been reading alot like you and I think the thinking with the Doxy is to kill vibro bacteria.  There is a Craig Bingham article out there somewhere. Also I think Mike Paletta had one.  In a smaller, early caught scenario they have an Iodine dipping strategy too. The doxy is kind of a nuclear option.

Bingham suggested vibro is always present...  but when an environmental change happens, infection can take over and run crazy coral to coral. I hope the doxy works.

If I ever see the weird “flesh off patchy” again in my tank I’m going to move much faster and pull any impacted coral, treat in QT with doxy, and do a 100% change on the display.

Offline SweetReefOH

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2018, 09:48:58 »
And here I thought I was the only one to experience something like this. Thanks for the input guys.

I too went entirely too long searching for an answer and nothing was working.

I really have to give props to a guy named Danny Rodriguez and Melanie. She found him on a FB forum and he posted pics of what his Corals did. Looked identical to ours. He struggled with it for 2 years he said. Since his Doxy treatment per Joe Yaiullo, his tank has recovered.

I think you’re right about the Doxy if you dose it for the recommended “fish” treatment which is 10 days. For coral, it’s 2 treatments a week apart. So far I haven’t seen any adverse effects.

This morning I see that I have some great polyp extension on some montis that I thought were completely dead. It’s really strange actually. My Spongode skin and color is completely gone, but the polyps are out.

The Doxy was expensive but I have a ton of it. I think I’ll be dipping new arrivals in it going forward.

Offline Wall_Tank

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2018, 11:15:31 »
We all have experience that from time to time.  I too believe that it is always there, but what allows it to attack the coral, or what in the coral's immune system fails to allow the bacteria to attack it.

I'm interested to see what your outcome is.


Offline SweetReefOH

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2018, 13:28:53 »
I have yet to be sure that this is the answer, but if it does work, I would speculate that a frag from the swap was infested and then when I changed my light spectrum it weakened the Corals immune system allowing the bacteria to take over. And then it multiplied like wild fire.
From some articles I’ve read, it appears that Vibrio Shiloi will block photosynthesis from occurring in the coral.

Again, since you can’t see it to calculate the population, it’s just speculation.

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2018, 23:34:39 »
Any updates Jesse?

Offline SweetReefOH

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2018, 17:07:11 »
Too early to tell Brian. I got two test pieces from Chris last Saturday. I’m monitoring them, along with my remaining Corals that are struggling. Melanie sent off a Triton test this morning. It’s still just a frustrating waiting game.

Offline SweetReefOH

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2018, 21:05:24 »
Some positive changes seen today.

This first picture is the scorched earth view of my first and oldest coral that almost died during this infection. A Spongode. This pic was taken right before my first Doxy treatment 2 weeks ago. The flesh has been completely removed from the coral, yet it still extends its polyps.



This pic is what it looked like tonight.


Cautiously optimistic!


Offline SweetReefOH

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2018, 19:56:09 »
Update....

This JF Fender Bender Cyphestrea, below, is a great example of the strange things that were taking place during the infection. The picture on the left is the coral just before Christmas. On the lower edge of the “encrusting” portion of the coral you can see where the skin was hard and brittle and breaking off due to what I think was lack of photosynthesis. The shot on the right is the coral this evening. You can see how it is starting to encrust again. With that being said, it’s obvious that different types of Corals were affected differently. The Spongodes lost their skin and the Stylophoras just had patchy “rot”.


I’m starting to see good growth and color coming back and my new Anacropora seems to be holding steady after a week and a half. I really hope I’ve turned a corner but now I’m terrified to add things to the tank.... what a catch 22


Offline Wall_Tank

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2018, 22:37:01 »
I've been looking at your pictures.. the look of your spongodes is exactly what happened to quite a few of my monties and heavy branch acros.   After loosing the color, it would occasionally come back.....but took months to happen, overtime they finally died.

Hope this is an answer.

Offline SweetReefOH

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Re: Doxycycline for Bacterial Infection
« Reply #12 on: February 06, 2018, 14:22:56 »
Indeed Paul

 

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