# Off brand meds same as name brand



## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

I recently picked up some discus, and I forgot to set the water temp high enough for them. They ended up getting internal parasites from their lowered immune system. I went to the pet store and picked up Tetra Parasite Guard. It had a drug in it proven to clear internal parasites (praziquantel), so I bought 2 boxes for my large aquarium.









The box says to treat the tank 3 times with 48 hours between each treatment. Unfortunately I only had 2 boxes, and one box treated my tank once. Today, I went back to the pet store to buy the 3rd box, but there were still not any on the shelf. There was a Wal-Mart across the street, so I decided to check their pet department for it. Wal-Mart had a bunch of off-brand medications. I didn't want to buy meds from a different company to finish my treatment. I have no idea if the doses were the same, or if there was a conflicting ingredient.

I was about to walk away from their fish department when something caught my eye. There was a bottle of Melafix, but it did not have the API logo on it. Instead it said "Doc Wellfish" on it. I thought it was a bit weird that someone could use the Melafix brand name who wasn't API. Looking at the bottle, I noticed that it was actually Melafix (1% Melaleuca). I decided to take a look at the other medications that Wal-mart had. They had a product called "Jungle Parasite Clear" that looked similar to the "Tetra Parasite Guard" I bought at the pet store. They were both fizzing tabs that you dropped into the water.










It looks like a pretty cheap off-brand medication. Upon further inspection I found that it had the same active ingredients and the same exact instructions that the Tetra brand ones did. At the bottom of the packaging it said "United Pet Group, inc". I took out my phone and looked up the company. It turns out that United Pet Group owns many fish companies including Jungle, Tetra, Marineland, Instant Ocean and several others. I looked up Doc Wellfish, and found that it is a brand name of MARS Fishcare (the parent company of API and RENA). It turns out these are the exact same products as the name brand, just in different packaging. 

Now here's the kicker. The Tetra brand parasite medication costs more than $5. The Jungle brand parasite medication costs about $3.50. The same thing with the Melafix, the API brand costs $10 while the Doc Wellfish brand costs $6.75. They are the exact same medications, for much cheaper than their name brand counterparts. 

Just thought I would share that story for those who like to save money. The el-cheapo looking products they sell at Walmart are actually name brand products for less money.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Sometimes stuff is the same, sometimes its cheapened somehow even if made by the same people. The filters in the walmart kit look like the penguin filters, but they have smaller motors and no bio-wheels. UPG is the product of massive consolidation in the pet industry. They do make similar products for different markets, but some stuff is different. The turtle tank glass can be different than aquarium glass. That sort of thing. And some duplication is from gobbling up competing companies. Always look at the active ingredient for meds. If you know what and what quantity is in them, you know how they will work. I used to shop wal-mart for meds because you could get them at 2 am. Now they close at midnight.


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

bmlbytes said:


> They ended up getting internal parasites from their lowered immune system.


I'm sure you know this but I'll point it out anyway. The parasites were already there. This example is another good argument for prophylactic treatment during quarantine.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

emc7 - Since when did Walmart close at midnight? I have yet to see a Walmart have a closing time.

Fishpunk - Of course they were already there. The worms were allowed to develop and grow because of the lowered immune system.


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## Amelia26 (Aug 6, 2011)

we used to have a walmart that closed at midnight... then they remodeled and turned it into a supercenter... before it was a supercenter they had everything but food.

i hope ur fish get to feeling better!!!!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

Jungle Laboratories is one of the top companies...it is a major brand...maker of the original "Dirt Magnet" sponge filter.. 

you will often see the same brand of product sold in a different package under a different brand name..especially if it is a chain store....


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## iheartfish:) (Jan 19, 2011)

You know, I can never figure out when loha is being serious or if it's sarcasm...


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

i have 1 walmart 15 miles away open 24 hours, but the 2 close ones close early. Might be a concession to local NIMBYs


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

No loha is being serious this time. Jungle does make a lot of products. They mostly sell their medication to Walmart and a few local pet shops. They sell those same products to large pet stores under the Tetra name. The Jungle brand just looks a bit cheaper, but they are the same product. 

The Doc Wellfish brand actually sells a lot of things as well, but they are just a part of the MARS Fishcare group.


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