Melafix...experiences?

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Whilst this isn't about an Emergency, I thought that this may be the best place for the thread. Mods please feel free to move it elsewhere if you see fit.

Gone are the days, thankfully, when every perceived ailment was immediately treated with a chemical medication of some sort, usually involving blue, green or even purple dyes!
I realise that most, if not all, ailments can be treated by a water and/or temperature change and perhaps a dose of salt.
Nevertheless, I found myself browsing the relatively small range of medications now on offer at Pets at Home and came across one I was unfamiliar with...Melafix, from API.

Browsing Thinternet, reviews on this product are varied, to say the least.

Again, even on this Forum, there is a range of anecdotal evidence for and against. This info is currently scattered all over the place, so I was hoping to be able to hear your experiences with this stuff, all in this one thread.

I know it's oil-based and takes tea-tree extracts. Being well versed in true aromatherapy, I'm aware of the positive attributes of tea tree and aware of it's potential benefits to most animals.
Many seem to think that the prescribed doses given on the bottle are too high and I've read too many tales of fish going into spasm and death after application, although there is a strong suggestion of mis-dosing playing a role here, (back to that discussion about supposed and real tank volumes, perhaps).

So...what are your thoughts on this stuff.
A useful contribution to an emergencies-only medicine cabinet, or an artificial poison, produced by evil corporations to exploit the weak-minded?

 

[Ichthys]

Tried it when it first came out, also Pimafix. Not as good as what was already out there so haven’t used them since.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Tried it when it first came out, also Pimafix. Not as good as what was already out there so haven’t used them since.

Can I ask what you were using it for?

 

[Colin_T]

We tried Melafix and Pimafix in the shop years ago when they first came out. We didn't have any issues with fish getting sick from it but we didn't manage to treat any diseases with it either. It did make the aquarium smell like a wet Eucalyptus forest and that was nice but I don't think it did much to help.

When using these products, you need to mix the Melafix/ Pimafix with some water and pour it in slowly. You also need lots of aeration to prevent an oily film developing on the surface.

Tea tree oil (the main ingredient of Melafix) is toxic if ingested so having it in the aquarium with fish may not be the best for the fish.

Personally, I prefer salt to the fixes. Just my 2 cents worth

 

[Ichthys]

Can I ask what you were using it for?

Same as Colin_T above, tried them both for all sorts of ailments over a few weeks (we were importing fish weekly). The general consensus was - waste of time and shelf space. I’ll certainly never use either of them again.

 

[Myraan]

so is the oily residue.... snake oil?

 

[Byron]

I personally would not use either, unless someone with the knowledge recommended one of them. I have used both, and it was the melafix (if memory serves me) that nearly killed the fish. I recognized trouble within minutes of using it, and did a major water change which resolved the problem and the fish recovered from the dose. Can't remember what the initial issue was thought to be, but this was about a decade ago now, and I have since learned it is usually better to ignore individual fish "problems," other than doing a major water change, and checking water parameters and conditions, and only taking some form of "treatment" action if there is clear evidence the issue is contagious and spreading. Losing one fish, if that happens, is better than treating the tank with "x" and harming all the fish.

There is no general cure-all/preventative, and I have read online opinions suggesting these as being in that category. Know the disease if there is one, and then use the safest but most effective treatment. Nine times out of ten I doubt it will be either of these.