Possibly. There are many situations where it is necessary to change medication. Sometimes you are treating an infection that is very medication resistant and requires a more powerful treatment, other times the medication you were using was simply the wrong kind to treat the infection. However, there are a few things that MUST be true before making this kind of swap.
- You have given your original medication enough time to work. The visible symptoms of an infection will sometimes take time to improve once the infection has cleared. It is very bad for your fish and for long-term treatment effectiveness to stop an antibiotic treatment part way through, as this makes the bacteria more resistant to the original antibiotic and stresses the fish with no real benefit. Don't swap medications just because your current treatment did not cure the fish in a single day.
- You are certain that you are treating an infection that your new medicated food blend address. Sometimes, a medication will fail to work because the infection has been mis-identified. Some parasitic infections like hexamita will look surprisingly similar to bacterial lesions (degradation of tissue, fin degradation, etc.) and some bacterial infections will develop fungus- or parasite-like symptoms. Research your fish's symptoms thoroughly to ensure that you are choosing the right kind of medication.
- Your fish are still eating. Medicated food blends are excellent for treating tanks that contain sensitive tank inhabitants like shrimp, corals, and plants. However, in order for this kind of treatment to be effective, it is necessary for all fish in the tank to eat the medicated food. If one or two fish have stopped eating, they will be a vector by which the infection can persist in the system. This is especially important when treating ich or velvet using a medicated food blend.
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