# Melafix question



## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

Is melafix harmful to weather loaches? Mine is not sick, but he's in the same tank as a few sick fish and I wanted to see if I should move him or not before treatment.


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## BęttãBåbë1 (Feb 11, 2013)

According to what I've been told by other forum users it should be fine as long as its used according to directions with lots of aeration and filtration. but I'd defiantly wait for someone to back that up. I'm new at this. 


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## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

Ok I'm going to get it, I need to do something fast because many of my platys are not looking so good right now.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

Have u checked your waters parameters?


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## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

Everything looks good as far as the water goes. I added melafix yesterday and the fish are already more active so I think it will work. I also did another water change before adding the med.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

dose as it says and do a massive water change when done... carbon in your filter too should remove last traces


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

Melafix (a proprietary name) is an all-natural aquarium antibiotic consisting of an essential oil of the Melaleuca genus. Contrary to popular opinion it is not made from the common Tea tree Melaleuca alternifolia but from Cajuput which is Melaleuca cajeputi or Melaleuca leucadendra. This is confirmed by the manufacturer's Safety Data Sheet.[1]

It is a wide-range antibiotic product, and thus is effective for a wide variety of mild gram positive[2] bacterial infections, such as fin rot. However, it is generally ineffective against aquatic parasites and is typically used for treating the wounds caused by them in order to prevent secondary infection by other microorganisms.[3]

[edit] Controversy & DangersSome consider there to be real dangers with the use of Melafix in fish aquariums. Being that Melafix is an oil based product, it is said that the oil can make it difficult for fish that breathe air. There are theories for why this happens, but what has been shown is if proper water parameters are maintained, there's generally not an issue.

Melafix needs to used as directed. Many issues that come from the use of Melafix is the fact that it is being used incorrectly. The medication is a mild antibiotic. It can be used to treat mild infections, but used in other ways than intended, could result in the real problem not being treated correctly and Melafix appearing to be the cause of the issue. Knowing the infection and properly treating is a must
This from another source:
These products (Melafix and Pimafix) only kill some kinds of bacteria. I asked if he meant gram negative or positive and the answer was, "No." What he meant was that, irrespective of gram stain results, the bacteria that is thwarted by these products is a finite group (which is mostly unknown).

They know, for instance, that Melafix wipes out mycobacterium and a few others. What about the other bacteria?

They don't know. One aquarist's fish could have a type of bacteria that Melafix will kill, and another aquarist will have bacteria it won't touch. So one aquarist may say, "It works!" and the other says "It doesn't work." Both can be right.

There is a small downside to their use, which shouldn't be cause for general concern, but nonetheless the aquarist should be on the lookout for this situation:

Both Melafix and Pimafix are organic compounds. The bacteria in the tank water (not necessarily the ones on the fish) these products don't kill, sometimes use the Melafix and Pimafix as food! This means that when you add these medications to a tank (especially a tank that has not been maintained well or one that hasn't had regular water changes) there is a small chance that a bacterial bloom will ensue and take up dissolved oxygen. This could mean that you could see, under such circumstances, your fish significantly increase their respiratory rate. 

I was told an interesting tidbit. . .The above affect seems to be happening quite often in Italy and API hasn't been able to figure out why, yet.

The fish may seem to be desperately trying to get oxygen and, in effect, they are. This will of course be adding a significant stress factor to an already stressed, sick fish. If the aquarist has any doubt or concern about this, perform an oxygen test before and during the treatment for monitoring purposes.

API has not done much work at trying to figure out all the bacteria that these two compounds are effective against. They don't seem to want to go much further with it. Since aquarists don't know the exact bacteria that is infecting their fish, it might be a moot point whether it was of value knowing what bacteria it was good for, anyway. It IS selling to aquarists! 

However, in the professional arena (public and private aquariums, for instance) where scrapings and identification of infections are performed, not knowing whether Melafix and/or Pimafix will treat the bacteria isn't worth the risk. You'll find they don't use these medications.

The concern with an aquarist using these products is that it might not work. When that happens, the bacteria causing the problem can continue to multiply and adversely affect the fish. Most fish should be able to survive a 'mis-treatment' if they are well fed with the proper nutrition.

In such a case where Melafix and/or Pimafix can't kill that particular bacteria, the fish suffers longer by not having been given a successful treatment. Usually, the fish should not expire by this lost time IF the fish is given the correct antibiotic treatment immediately after a failed Melafix/Pimafix treatment.

But if the infection has progressed significantly and/or it has become systemic and/or the fish has stopped eating, I'd still suggest a known likely effects of an antibiotic over the chance that Melafix or Pimafix might work. Under these circumstances, the wrong choice of medication could mean the fish will expire because it couldn't hold out any longer for the effective medication.

Is Melafix and Pimafix reef safe? Yes -- up to a point. I was told that in its proper final reef-tank concentrations, some corals may retract during the treatment period. This doesn't mean the corals are dead. It usually means they have become irritated by this chemical's presence. So far, I have been assured by API that when this occurs, the coral will survive the treatment and come out again after the treatment, without harm. API knew/knows of no other reef concerns. But, like the bacteria issue, API hasn't tested the product on a wide spectrum of corals, invertebrates, and marine life.

The bottom line is that no aquarist should leap to the conclusion that Melafix and/or Pimafix will or won't cure the fish. No one should promote its use NOR dissuade someone from using them. All anyone can say is that it did or didn't work for them AND they should direct the inquirer to this post so that the aquarist can make up their own mind whether to try it or not. 

This post provides current facts of Melafix and Pimafix's sometimes successful use, from the manufacturer's knowledge and experience, so that the aquarist can make an informed decision. Let's try to be level headed. Inquiring aquarists want to know! 

Even an aquarist who has had success with the product might find that the next time their fish is infected, the product won't work. This would mean that this next infection was of the bacteria that Melafix and Pimafix can't kill or failed to kill during the last treatment. Regarding this possibility, keep in mind that if it was successfully used once, the bacteria it kills are gone and only 'the other ones' are hanging around. So it would make sense that the next time, there might be a lesser chance of it working.

I asked if there might be strains resistant to the products and so far none have been reported to API. If it is the type of bacteria that it kills, it will kill it. If it not the kind of bacteria it kills, it will leave it alone (or rarely, provide food for the bacteria to live on and further multiply).


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