Melafix Treatment For Betta

[Orbit887]

Hi,

I've got a new 10gallon tank set up for about a week. The filter was cloned from with another one of my tanks, and all stats were fine before adding any inhabitants to the tank.

Currently in the tank I've got 3 Amano shrimp, who were added 24hrs before the main inhabitant - Elvis the Betta.

The shrimp have all been fine in the tank, and when Elvis was put in he was fine for 3 days, darting around the tank investigating everything, then for no obvious reason he became quite motionless and just sat around on the bottom of the tank. I checked all the tank stats, which are all fine and shown below, so I did a 30% water change and then bought some Melafix to medicate the betta with, as there no obvious signs of disease - gills weren't red, no bloating on the fish, no white spot etc, so assumed it was a bacterial infection.

After 24hours of Melafix treatment, the betta is definately perking up a bit. Is not longer sat on the bottom of the tank as much, and is starting to swim around again.

How are you supposed dose and apply Melafix properly into a tank? It says on the instructions to dose 5ml per 10gallons per day for 7 days, then to do a 25% water change and continue medicating for a week. I am right in thinking that during the medication period the only time to do a water change should be the 25% one done after 7days, I'm assuming so that the medication builds up in the water/fish.

Also, will the Melafix have any adverse effects on the amano shrimp in the tank? Don't really want to kill them by accident, and if the build up of a weeks treatment is going to be dangerous for them I'll just move them back to another one of my tanks.

Tank stats are:

Tank size: 10g
pH: 7.4
ammonia: 0.1
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 10

tank temp: 26degrees

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Just simply very motionless and looking very week. Better after 24hrs treatment

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 15-20% weekly

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Plant fertilizer, dosed weekly at below recommended levels

Tank inhabitants: 1 x male VT Betta, 3 x amano


Thanks,

Rob

 

[*Fishkies*]

Well melafix is an antibacterial treatment first. And if you don't see anything physically wrong with the betta why medicate? Bettas are peaceful when by themselves. Sometimes they lay around and are lazy sometimes they swim around excitedly. It can depend on their personality, and yes fish have personality, at least mine do!
For bettas you would need to do half the recommended dose of Melafix as it is to strong to but in the full dose. So you would have to put in 2.5ml of melafix. If you really needed to.

Does your fish eat? What all do you feed him?

 

[Orbit887]

Well melafix is an antifungal treatment first. And if you don't see anything physically wrong with the betta why medicate? Bettas are peaceful when by themselves. Sometimes they lay around and are lazy sometimes they swim around excitedly. It can depend on their personality, and yes fish have personality, at least mine do!
For bettas you would need to do half the recommended dose of Melafix as it is to strong to but in the full dose. So you would have to put in 2.5ml of melafix. If you really needed to.

Does your fish eat? What all do you feed him?

I've medicated him as he went from being a very active fish in my community tank, and also for the first few days in the new tank, then overnight suddenly had no energy - would be sat on the bottom of the tank motionless all day & night and not eating any food or even looking for it. Also his fins were all loose and hanging free and he was making no effort to keep himself upright, just proping himself next to a leaf or moss ball so he didn't fall over. To me that looked like an ill fish and I thought I was going to loose him, very soon! But he has perked up quite a bit, this morning as I left for work he was swimming a little, and not just resting on the bottom looking sorry for himself.

Previous to this, the betta has been eating flake food, small sinking pellets, shelled peas, tetra colour flakes, even picking on the algae waffers left on the bottom of the community tank. He hadn't eaten for about 2-3 days before I finally medicated and had shown no interest in the food in the tank, which when put with the fact he had suddenly turned very lethargic, to the point he wasn't moving at all over the course of a day & night, made me feel I needed to medicate him.

edit: Should add thank-you for answering my questions about the Melafix dosage, I'll put him on half doses now. Hopefully when I get back today he'll be looking better again than he was this morning. Will the Melafix have any adverse effects on the shrimp in there, I'm guessing no as it's basically only tea-tree oil, but just want to be sure

 

[*Fishkies*]

Well your already down to a half dosage on the melafix so it shouldn't affect them, however to be sure you could call the company and see for yourself. I have not had experience with using Melafix on Shrimp so I cannot offer you full advice there. I have called the company before and have always had a freindly response. So best of luck!

Oh and also!! After the 7day treatment you do the 25%water change!