Melafix application- need advice

[Spikor]

my understanding of pima and mela fix is that they are mostly vitamins and slightly antibacterial. or atleast that they are beneficial enough in the preventative ways that it can out weigh the risk of the 'resistant diseases'. i use it whenever the fish look like they need a pick me up.

 

[zazz]

The main ingredient in melafix is a dirivative of MELALEUCA ALTERNIFOLIA. AKA tea tree. (This is not eucalyptus)

Oils from this tree is used widely for humans. Primarily effective as an antifungal. And as an aid in healing all sorts of 'sores'.
The makers of melafix do not bill it as an antifungal per se.

I don't see why melaluca (which i have used on humans for along time) would be a 'general tonic' or 'pic me up' for fish.

The makers recomend reguar use as a preventative in light of their impression that aquarium fish are very often subject to abrassions.

Melaluca is not the kind of thing that you need to worry about becoming ineffective due to continual exposure.

I don't beleive it has any vitamins or other 'active ingredients'


Melafix Is called an antibacterial, so I can see why you'd worry about your bio filter, but, for whatever reason melafix doesnt hurt them.
Here Is what the makers have to say:

Rapidly Repairs Damaged Fins.
Heals Open Wounds And Ulcers.
Treats Fin And Tail Rot.
Treats Eye Cloud.
Stops mouth fungus {Flavobacterium (formerly called Flexibacter)}.

University studies and extensive laboratory tests showed that MelaFix is an effective anti-bacterial remedy for pond fish. MelaFix also caused rapid repair of damaged fish tissue and fins. New growth was seen in as little as four days of treatment. The evidence led to the granting of a United States patent. International patents are pending.
It Does recommend that you remove carbon filter while treating

 

[FishSeller]

To easily solve your problem: If you don't have live plants, and your tank consists namely of livebearers, add about a quarter cup to a half cup of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water over the course of a few days. Gradually raise the temperature to somewhere slightly over 80 degrees. Healing comes fast. Most (not all) livebearers can handle brackish to marine conditions for certain periods of time. The electrolytes in the salt will work wonders on wounded, slightly infected fish.

 

[JDC]

my girlfriend bought a betta and it had finrot. I bought melafix and it really helped. Its tail started to show improvement after about 3 days.

 

[powellmacaque]

To easily solve your problem: If you don't have live plants, and your tank consists namely of livebearers, add about a quarter cup to a half cup of aquarium salt per 10 gallons of water over the course of a few days. Gradually raise the temperature to somewhere slightly over 80 degrees. Healing comes fast. Most (not all) livebearers can handle brackish to marine conditions for certain periods of time. The electrolytes in the salt will work wonders on wounded, slightly infected fish.

I know this is a little off topic, but this is just a thing that I have wondered about salt treatments. It is beneficial (to an extent) to put salt on a wound (for humans) correct? But that burns extremely. Now if I had a fish with an open wound/infection/fin rot... correct me if I'm wrong, wouldn't the salt burn the fish (a freshwater fish who is not use to the higher salinity levels)?

 

[JDC]

I have wondered the same thing. I dont know if its similar or not but heres something to think about. I do a lot of scuba diving and have had a cut before while diving. When you first jump in the water it stings but after a minute you cant even feel it, our body adjusts to the salt water. Maybe its similar with fish??