Melafix worth having as a back up

[desley]

Hi,

I am about to put my order in for some supplies and wondered if I should buy some Melafix to keep on hand.

I have guppies, guppy fry, platties, danioes & a few cherry barbs. They are being treated with salt & higher temps at the moment for ich and I thought maybe if there were any lagging problems melafix might be a nice natural alternative.

I hate using medications !!!! but as this is natural I thought it might be worth well having on hand in case problems arise in the future.

Also, I have heard differing opinions on carbon.

I have a trickle system where I need 3 pads .. which run over 2 separate noodle sections.

I have been using just a white polyfibre pad for 2 of these with 1 phosphate pad. Do you think I should re-order a carbon pad for 1 section or is just plain old polyfibre pad better ? I would really value more experienced fishkeepers opinions out there before putting in my order for both Melafix & carbon pads.

Also, if ich is a problem and I am feeding peas which sink to the bottom will that increase their chances of catching the ich back. I have been doing a small gravel clean every day or 2nd day as I think they live in the gravel. Maybe they swim around & I am wasting my time. Some help here would be appreciated too.

Thanks in advance,
Desley

 

[J_acon]

Melafix is worth keeping in stock, I do and i also keep some other remedies just in case .

Carbon pads will be up to you, i don't stock filter parts. I just go get them when i plan to change it.

I use remedies for ICH and raise the temp.

 

[desley]

Hi,
Thanks for your feedback.
I will order the melafix. I have never used it so wasn't sure if it was good.
I have on hand medication in case I have to use it but try not to as I have guppy fry I love.
I can't get the carbon & poly pads at my local lfs. They don't stock them. Only filter wool which I find hard to use in the trickle system so this is why I have to order them in. I buy the cut to fit type pads. They seem quite good.
Thanks again
Desley

 

[Tropjunky]

have metaflex on hand but also a general treatment and i would ba v.carefull with salt.

Carbon is a good thing to have in ur thank if u use tak water as u don't know what things are in the water system. but my advise is R.O water.

 

[CFC]

Running carbon in your filter permamently is unnessasary and can strip essential minerals from the water which fish and plants need to grow, i only use carbon after a course of medication to remove any remanents from the water.

Melafix is a handy medication to keep in stock for treating minor damage to fish but should not be used in place of real medications.

RO water is not needed in the vast majority of aquariums, it only becomes nessasary if you are keeping fish that are A very sensative to water parameters and demand pure water to survive, or B your tapwater is not suitable for keeping the fish you wish to keep, ie hard water and discus.

 

[desley]

HI,

Thanks again for both of the helpful messages.

I will definitely order the Melafix as it seems a good general tonic to have in case its needed. There have been no bad reports so I take that to mean it's quite safe if it is needed.

I will also keep using the polyfibre pads and not worry about the carbon. I have a bit left over in case I need it after medications.

The message on salt worries me a bit though. I find my fish just don't seem to be as active & happy without salt in the water.

I heard it is very good for livebearers but here SO many messages to say it is not to be used lightly. I get a little confused.

I am really trying to get rid of this ich without meds as I find from experience I lose most of my fry when I use the harsh medications. I have Wardley promethysol (i think thats how its spelt) .. which contains the blue & green ingredients .. makes the water blue instead of green like my multicure.

I have put the heat up slowly ( 1 degree - not F .. C ) and its now sitting on 29.5 C (85 F) and the fish seem happy enough. One platty still looks a little shaky but all white spots appear to be gone.

I was adding salt very slowly (1 teaspoon) per litre of water replaced .. over half hour or so ... and it seems like it might work but going to leave the heater up at that temp for 1 week.

I am trying to do a light gravel clean daily or at least every 2nd day. DO you think this helps ?

Thanks again
Desley

 

[CFC]

For the fish you listed adding a little salt to the tank will not harm them and as you say for the live bearers is even benefitial, the use of salt is generally not advised when keeping scaleless species and those that come from regions where there is no measurable salt content in the water (ie the amazon basin).

IMO treating a outbreak of ICH with salt and temperature rises only is not advisable as it will only keep the parasites down not destroy them, of course the way you decide to treat your tank i entirely up to you but i would rather lose a few guppy fry from using a proper medication and know that the problem is completely gone than have the ICH re occuring everytime there is a slight temperature drop in the tank or a fish becomes stressed.

 

[desley]

SORRY .... I meant 1 teaspoon per 5 litres of water .. before everyone starts to panic !!

This is .33 tablespoon per 1.3 US gallons or

3 teaspoons per 1.3 US gallons.

Plan after 1 weeks time to remove water with usual water changes and not replace the salt unless problems arise.

 

[tmlhaus]

One of the girls at the local LFS actually puts Melafix in her 3 large tanks at home on a weekly basis....preventative medicine....and she told me her fish are very large and very healthy. She said if you buy the bigger box it will tell you inside the instructions how much to use as a preventative.
Of course, she tells me this AFTER I lost a barb to fin rot

 

[desley]

Hi,

Thanks for more feedback. Melafix sounds good.

I use easy life filter media .. it's really good for clearing out medicines and any chemicals etc. I have found my fish are healthier since using it.

It was amazing to see how clear the water went. I will have to read up to see if it would clear out melafix also.

I am going to get a larger size melafix now and read up on it as guppies do tend to tear their fins easily and this might help protect them if they do.

Thanks again
Desley

 

[noelberg]

I think that melafix as a weekly routine isn't a great idea. Melafix is a great minor cure-all and I recommend it to anybody, but like any medicine, its effectiveness can wear down if it is always in the water. Some say that it could kill too much of the beneficial bacteria if used regularly, and the bad bacteria could grow immune to it over time. It also puts more faith in the medicine than the water quality. Melafix is by no means an alternative to regular water changes and good tank upkeep; however it's a fantastic supplement when minor problems pop up.

Edit: IMO the salt in the tank (provided you don't have loaches or cories) should be the only regular additive. This will also help guppies' fins heal, and it's pretty natural. While Melafix is natural, it's still a medicine that you won't find naturally in water. I feel it should only be used when needed.

 

[desley]

Thanks again.

I actually use salt on a fairly regular basis. I suppose I have read so many bad reports about using it (or more to be very careful) I tended to let the salt go with water changes and only add if I thought the fish looked a bit unwell or not as active.

I do think they prefer salt in the water. They always seem more happy so I suppose I will be adding it with each water change now.

Re Melafix will only use if I see the need.

Re Ich - well I suppose I could medicate the water (don't really want to) but if it is just going to return ... I don't want that.

Again I get a little confused about the best thing to do. I have still had the temp up to about 30 (86F) the therm shows 28 (82.4F) ... and a few fish are still flashing or started flashing .. they are all happy, active & eating. Can't really see any white spots now.

All fry are getting bigger each day.

Any more opinions out there whether I should start medication or just keep going with the higher temps. Been up to 30 for 4 days.

Thanks
Desley

 

[rollntider]

I think that melafix as a weekly routine isn't a great idea. Melafix is a great minor cure-all and I recommend it to anybody, but like any medicine, its effectiveness can wear down if it is always in the water. Some say that it could kill too much of the beneficial bacteria if used regularly, and the bad bacteria could grow immune to it over time. It also puts more faith in the medicine than the water quality. Melafix is by no means an alternative to regular water changes and good tank upkeep; however it's a fantastic supplement when minor problems pop up.

Edit: IMO the salt in the tank (provided you don't have loaches or cories) should be the only regular additive. This will also help guppies' fins heal, and it's pretty natural. While Melafix is natural, it's still a medicine that you won't find naturally in water. I feel it should only be used when needed.

Melafix is not an antibiotic so I doubt bacteria can build an immunity to it.

 

[millym]

hi there,
we keep melafix on hand & have found it good for minor fungus cases & excellent for any fish with wounds - recently had a yoyo with a scrape on its face ( bright red seemed like all the skin /scales had gone), put melafix in the tank & it healed in2 days. might have been coincidence but im sure the melafix helped. it certainly cant hurt anyway although for serious infections of all sorts you will need something stronger.