Melafix Questions

[metromyers]

I have been giving melafix to Fred and Charlie to help them heal after their big fight. Charlie's fins look like they are begining to heal and the few bites on Fred's tail are also healing. My questions are..... 1. How long can you use melafix? 2. I am following the directions on the bottle, Why do you have to remove the charcoal from the filter? 3. Can this stuff hurt the fish? 4. Do you have to use this stuff untill the fins are fully healed? Both boys are doing well, Charlie swims around fine, he is still kind of skittish. He has gone back to flaring at Fred again. Silly fish still hasn't learned.

 

[Zafirah]

I personally wouldnt use melafix, because its not a true med, its just stuff from a tea tree(i believe). Plus, its been proven has not very good for air breathing fish. Id go with tetracyline, which treats both gram negative and gram positive infections...but if you can find something else( cant think of the name off the top of my head) that treats specifically fin rot, go w/ that.

 

[metromyers]

That's what I get for listening to someone at the lfs. Unreal. You would think they would know what they are talking about.

 

[Zafirah]

Hehe yeh, i made the same mistake w/ pimafix.

 

[metromyers]

I am glad it didn't hurt Fred or Charlie. I would have been sick if I hurt them.

 

[ReMz]

That's what I get for listening to someone at the lfs. Unreal. You would think they would know what they are talking about.

u weren't led wrong.... that is commonly recommended as a general fix here. you just must make sure not to overdose.

ummmm. i wouldn't say that is entirely correct zafirah

melafix is a great fin healer for bettas in larger tanks (essentially a stronger dose of bettafix). i've never had problems with it and it works..... it's just not a strong med for dealing with serious problems.

after my last guys got in a fight and i was treating with melafix, i thought things were fine. discovered they had an internal bacterial infection. shortly after, things turned for the worse and i ended up losing one and barely brought one back after waiting for the right treatment.

Now i don't take risks, and from my personal experience i recommend quarantining both fish (regardless of how happy they seem). I treated with Maracyn 1 and Maracyn 2. Healed up the fins and brought the guy right back. Had I had the Maracyn in time, I am very confident the other guy would have bounced back fully (as he was acting fine for almost a week after the fight).

Antibiotics can be rough on fish, but in an emergency situation i would rather be safe than sorry.

 

[ibbledibble]

I personally wouldnt use melafix, because its not a true med, its just stuff from a tea tree(i believe). Plus, its been proven has not very good for air breathing fish. Id go with tetracyline, which treats both gram negative and gram positive infections...but if you can find something else( cant think of the name off the top of my head) that treats specifically fin rot, go w/ that.

i use melafix whenever i have a damaged fish, and have experienced no problems whatsoever with regards to them breathing. can you provide evidence of this proof? as i would be very interested to read it.

its stupid to say that its not a "true" med simply because its made from a plant, penicillin is made from mould after all! in fact a large proportion of medications are plant extracts, they can be just as effective (and have less harmful side effects) than chemically produced meds.

the thing to remember with melafix, is that it doesn't work on all bacterial problems, and its not a strong med. for actual finrot i use myxazin, but in cases like yours where the damage is not bacterial, but caused by fighting or rough decor or tail biting, melafix can be great for helping to ensure the damage doesn't get infected. as rems said, injured bettas can have a weaker immune system and can therefore more easily catch other illnesses, but keep an eye on their behavior and you should be able to tell if you have anything to worry about (as you say they are both swimming fine, if they are eating well, they are probably fine.)

 

[Hawkins]

agree with above..

i used this and within a week my betta was in perfect health

 

[metromyers]

Thanks to all !!! The boys are doing fine, and fins are growing back

 

[modaz]

Thanks to all !!! The boys are doing fine, and fins are growing back

glad they are doing ok,

melafix is not a medication it is what is classed as a "prevention remedy" its used to stop infections taking place after injury and does not cure diseases. it can be used with some meds to aid the healing but in general its not a medication.

you did the right thing using it

 

[Amerce]

I've used melafix intially but then rely on just clean water once I know that there is no infection, got a nice little lad that had his tail badly bitten and not treated him with anything apart from regular water changes as there didn't apppear to be any infection in his fins, and they are growing lovely now, I was actually told at the LF's that he was a DT but I had my doubts and his fins are defo VT but whatever he is a gorgeous fish so I don't mind.