Dose whole tank with meds?

[CatsFishes]

I have a very sick pl*co and I believe he has Columnaris according to this excellent website provided by Lotus in a previous post. I am treating in a hospital tank with JFE, but it is pretty bad and I'm not sure he's gonna make it.

My problem is this...I am leaving town for 4 days and some of the other fish in the 75 gal that he came out of are starting to show signs (2 of the 17 still in there). Will it hurt the fish that aren't sick (yet) if I just dose the whole tank with JFE? I'm afraid to QT the two other sickies and then while I'm gone have the whole tank wiped out. GRRRRR I've had these fish for 6 months with no problems and the first time I go out of town the plague hits!

My ammonia is 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 0.

 

[Lotus]

The info here: http://www.flippersandfins.net/flexibacter.htm recommends that if several fish are affected, it's better to treat the whole tank. As long as the meds don't affect the cycle, I would say it's safer to treat the main tank. It would be scary to add meds then go away and find that the cycle has been interrupted and the fish died of ammonia poisoning

 

[CatsFishes]

yeah, tell me about it! this is the worst possible timing! i would use marycyn 2 because it's recommended higher than jfe, but I won't be here to continue the doseage, which isn't required with jfe. no choice i guess. please pray for the poor little buggers, i love them