Are Meds The Culprit?

[electropunk06]

hi i have reacently lost 6 fish
the guppies all got some sort of finrot type illness and when the first one died i thought i should get some medication (primafix and melafix) and now 2 weeks later all the guppies died of there illness and so did 3 otos just thought today that it could of been the primafix and melafix?

 

[drobbyb]

I doubt it. Fin rot is a fungal or bacterial infection (or both at the same time.) Melafix is an antibacterial med and pimafix is an anti fungal med, so in essence you treated correctly as long as you followed the instructions. There have been reports that neither medication does very much to treat the diseases though, but rather should be used as a preventative (like in a situation that is conducive to a fish contracting the particular infection.) I have read reports both ways, so I am not absolutely sure what the true answer is. Pimafix and Melafix are all natural remedies using the extracts of two species of trees respectively. Some people swear by natural remedies and some do not, just like treating humans with herbal remedies. There have been mixed reports with evidence supporting both arguments.

Fin rot information.

 

[Katty]

The medicine is not likely the cause unless you were overdosing. I remember reading that pimafix and melafix are able to kill only certain (random) types of bacteria, which is why some people have great success with it and others find it useless. Your fish might have been infected with a type of bacteria/fungi that the mela/pimafix couldn't kill, and so died from the disease.

You said the guppies had finrot then the otos died? I'm not sure if I misread, but did the otos show any symptoms of infection or distress or did they just die?

 

[electropunk06]

The medicine is not likely the cause unless you were overdosing. I remember reading that pimafix and melafix are able to kill only certain (random) types of bacteria, which is why some people have great success with it and others find it useless. Your fish might have been infected with a type of bacteria/fungi that the mela/pimafix couldn't kill, and so died from the disease.

You said the guppies had finrot then the otos died? I'm not sure if I misread, but did the otos show any symptoms of infection or distress or did they just die?

thanks for t' replys
no the otos were perfectly fine until i found them on the bottom i still have two who are showing no sign of any illness. i have done x2 50-55% water changes since all the guppies gone so think all medication is gone now.
cheers