Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

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Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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LilGreenPuffer
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Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

Post by LilGreenPuffer »

Hey, folks!

We talk about Melafix for puffers a lot, and it's a great medication. But I want to let everyone know that it is not safe for labyrinth fish.

Labyrinth fish, or anabantoids, are the group of fish that breath air with a labyrinth organ. Melafix damages this organ. A popular betta medication is Bettafix; this is simply diluted Melafix and is not safe either. A good alternative to Melafix for mild external bacterial infections is aquarium salt at a dose of 1 teaspoon per gallon. More aggressive infections can be treated with strong antibiotics - we usually try to avoid these for puffers because of their delicate skin and ability to absorb medication too quickly, but they are not harmful to labyrinth fish and other scaled fish.

Common labyrinth fish include bettas and gouramis; mudskippers and other fish with lungs are not part of this group.
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

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suvattii2012
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Re: Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

Post by suvattii2012 »

Good info, thanks.
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Darielm
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Re: Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

Post by Darielm »

Thanks for the info. This explains why my betta did so poorly when I treated with Bettafix. I shall chuck it as soon as I go do my fish routine.
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LilGreenPuffer
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Re: Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

Post by LilGreenPuffer »

Wow, I'm glad I posted this, then! And I'm glad it helped you.
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi


Image

Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!

I AM A DUDETTE!

NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
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Re: Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

Post by bertie 83 »

Ah. This explains why my gouramis went downhill quick. Oh balls. Time to buy some more now I know it wasn't me lol, well it was me but wasn't. Errrm mental overload. This site is full of non puffer info alongside masses of puffer info, we should start a random info thread to share more of this type thing because often we find things out a little late.
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Re: Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

Post by gspgirl »

good thing that i got this before i treated my beta!
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Re: Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

Post by suvattii2012 »

bertie 83 wrote:Ah. This explains why my gouramis went downhill quick. Oh balls. Time to buy some more now I know it wasn't me lol, well it was me but wasn't. Errrm mental overload. This site is full of non puffer info alongside masses of puffer info, we should start a random info thread to share more of this type thing because often we find things out a little late.
Thats a good idea. I think most people will have a second tank or more.
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Re: Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

Post by Darielm »

suvattii2012 wrote: Thats a good idea. I think most people will have a second tank or more.
I'm up to 3 with 4 and 5 in planning stages :D
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Re: Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

Post by suvattii2012 »

Darielm wrote:
suvattii2012 wrote: Thats a good idea. I think most people will have a second tank or more.
I'm up to 3 with 4 and 5 in planning stages :D
It's a addiction :D
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Re: Melafix and bettas/labyrinth fish

Post by bertie 83 »

I'm heading backwards at the mo. But tank quantity will boom again when I have a bigger gaff, all tanks are safely stored ready and waiting lmao
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