The Puffer Forum

The last time I took an herb I hovered over the toilet for a bit and then had to sleep it off. It took about 30min for it to hit me. But, I've also witnessed them do wodners for my family and dogs. I say BEWARE and do your home work. Herbs make me think I'm going to die, but meds prescribed my dr's are helping A LOT.

Good site Jase.

Jase wrote:while looking for something witty to write...
herbs are deadly
http://www.time.com/time/asia/features/ ... iller.html

Aaaahhhhhh! I was wondering how on earth I got a dwarf puffer. I thought maybe I just never saw him because Harry ate'em up.

Where it says mbu is reflective over the total amount of posts you have. Right now your a dwarf puffer, than after that your a figure eight, gsp, and so on.[/quote]

My first thought was that it burned his gills. I felt and still feel awful about it. I know I humanize my little guy but I swear I felt like he was screaming to get out of there. I'll never forget how he was thrashing his tail. I NEVER saw any of my tetras respond like that.

Sometimes when I get a cold I put mentholated rub in my cpap mask. It's strong. I can't imagine how poor Harry felt.

I used to keep melaleuca on hand and it's for sure if your skin is irritated it will set you on fire.

Thanks PufferPuck

PufferPuck30 wrote:Look, I'm no fish expert, but I do know one thing.....

Melafix is extracted from Melaleuca alternifolia, more commonly known as Tea Tree Oil. Undiluted Tea Tree Oil, (though not overly caustic), is still caustic enough to irritate human skin, causing mild "burns".

Just because something is "herbal", doesn't mean that it's "harmless" to living creatures. See aconite for reference. Oregano oil causes burns, too, as does undiluted mint oil. Capsaicin causes TERRIBLE burns to human skin. Oil of cloves is "herbal", and yet, (even heavily diluted), will euthanize your fish within minutes.

Many "harmless" herbs are not precisely "harmless", as far as your fishes reaction to the Melafix.....

Imagine being trapped in a room where someone pumped in large amounts of mentholated, (harmless, but mentholated), smoke. You'd freak out a bit too, I'll wager.

How is your puffer LizB? Are the gills getting better?

After that night I put it in every half hour until the correct dose was in there. He responded well.

Thanks for the article. It's reassuring.

FishFan wrote:When you add anything to a tank, the fish sometimes rush over expecting food. We've had fish that clearly suffered gill injury and gasped at the surface after "breathing" the un-disbursed Melafix just after it was added to the tank. Once this occurred the fish continued to show considerable distress until removed from the tank to fresh water. Exceeding the prescribed dose of Melafix is known to damage fin margins so you can imagine what it does to the already irritated gills of a sick fish.

I don't mean to say Melafix is toxic, but it can cause fin or gill injury if too much is used or if the fish get an overdose by swimming into the concentrated medication before it disperses in the tank. Just because a medication is herbal doesn't mean it can do no harm. That said, we like Melafix and use it frequently because it is proven to significantly accelerate healing, though it has no effect on pathogenic bacteria.

For more information see Vet. Dr. Johnson's article at http://www.koivet.com/html/articles/art ... edications.

I would be curious to know what a person might keep on hand should something like this happen. Where you don't know of any injury. I really do need to have some more meds on hand just in case. Seems like the first treatment would be Epsom Salts and then something else.

I love your gold puffer and you sure do look a lot like a neighbor of mine. Ya'll are even about the same age.

yunachin wrote:It would depend on how the injury occurred. There are many different options for medications. Some bacterial and protozoan injuries respond well to Methylene Blue. Some treat wounds with Epsom Salts. Also there is hypo salinity. But as with all medications there are always possible side effects, just like our medicines as humans. 200 people may take penicillin but 10 of those people might get really ill from it. And I do agree, not everything is good if it says "herbal".

I sent an update so I won't put you all through that again. Thank you for asking sweetie. You all are such great support.

Hugs, beth

StormySkiez wrote:How is your puffer LizB? Are the gills getting better?

Great to hear your puffer responded well. These little guys are very delicate.

On one hand I've read that they're hardy, but on the other hand it seems if you sneeze around the tank they'll
croak.

Thank you for your support.

StormySkiez wrote:Great to hear your puffer responded well. These little guys are very delicate.

Definitely ignore anything that says they are hearty. The only things I can think of offhand LESS hearty than puffers are some reef inverts and discus.

I can't ever imagine having reefs, corals, inverts, certainly not discus. No way, too much trouble. I've got home schooling kids, 4 dogs, red claw crab, husband...well you get the picture.

I've always had the impression that anyone that can keep discus are like fish gods.

Nick wrote:Definitely ignore anything that says they are hearty. The only things I can think of offhand LESS hearty than puffers are some reef inverts and discus.

StormySkiez wrote:

FishFan wrote:... Exceeding the prescribed dose of Melafix is known to damage fin margins so you can imagine what it does to the already irritated gills of a sick fish.

So in other words you are saying melafix is not good to treat a fish with gill injury. What treatment should be used for gill injury?

Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest Melafix isn't good for gill injuries. I was trying to convey two things:
- If a fish swims into the undisbursed Melafix cloud just after it is added to the water, it can cause gill injury.
- Using more Melafix than is recommended (overdosing) is known to have the potential to burn fins. If an overdose can burn fins, it is very likely it can also damage gill tissues.

I've seen fish react to the addition of Melafix in the prescribed amount with obvious discomfort. Topical pain killers or antiseptic ointments used on human injuries can really sting for a while, too. An initial painful reaction doesn't necessarily mean that the treatment is doing harm. If the fish's reaction suggests it is suffering considerable or prolonged distress or the fish's reaction could result in an accidental injury, it makes sense to try to mitigate the stress or risk of injury using divided doses or some other strategy. If the fish continues to react adversely, it is probably best to reduce the amount or discontinue the particular treatment. Just as people can be sensitive to certain medications, fish are individuals as well and may be sensitive to a particular treatments.

As for the question of what to use as an alternative to Melafix, I don't have an answer. Melafix is the only treatment I know of that is independently scientifically proven to fight disease by accelerating the healing process. I'm not sure if Pimafix is proven to do the same thing. I don't know if Kordon's organic remedies based on nophthoquinone, Ich Attack and Rid Fungus, promote healing in the same way. I can say that I found Kordon's product Ich Attack ineffective when I used it to treat fresh water Ich.

~ Robert