# How do you feel about melafix?



## BettaObsessed (Mar 8, 2015)

I just thought this would be an interesting conversation. Melafix as some say can cause damage to the labyrinth organ or coats the organ. I find that most betta owners don't use it, or if they do they use it sparingly. Considering that any fish already on melafix is sick, how do we know that melafix killed the fish and not the bacterial infection (usually what melafix is used to treat). Please be kind and civil as I know this can get controversial, we all want what's best for our fish.


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## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

I think this hobby has too many witch doctors that think they can create remedy better than what professionals can. Some have the mentality of of anti-vaxxers.


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## BettaObsessed (Mar 8, 2015)

I get what you mean.


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## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

I've not seen any proof that Melafix will kill a betta, but I don't feel it's worth the risk. The biggest reason is - I don't feel that melafix DOES enough to be worth the risk. It's an antiseptic, not much else. It won't do much that clean, warm water won't. There are far more effective treatments for anything that it would be used for *without* the controversy. And for anything that hard hitting meds isn't recommended for, conservative treatment of frequent water changes and possibly a low dose of aquarium salt (or IAL or Rooibos, if you want to get fancy) seems a more reliably way to go anyway.


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## Strawberry12 (Mar 6, 2015)

Greenapp1es said:


> I've not seen any proof that Melafix will kill a betta, but I don't feel it's worth the risk. The biggest reason is - I don't feel that melafix DOES enough to be worth the risk. It's an antiseptic, not much else. It won't do much that clean, warm water won't. There are far more effective treatments for anything that it would be used for *without* the controversy. And for anything that hard hitting meds isn't recommended for, conservative treatment of frequent water changes and possibly a low dose of aquarium salt (or IAL or Rooibos, if you want to get fancy) seems a more reliably way to go anyway.


+1 all of this. I've seen lots of people jump to -fixes for mild fin rot (for example), but really unless it's progressed to almost the point of body rot, a bit of AQ salt and 100% changes daily fixes it easily. I choose to avoid medications except in extreme situations, much like how I don't take antibiotics myself for every sinus infection.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Correlation does not imply causation. Simply because a sick fish dies when melafix is used as a treatment, does not mean melafix is responsible for killing that fish. I've never seen _any_ hard proof that melafix or any of the '-fix'medications kills bettas. 

With that said, I personally think the '-fix' range of medications are basically next to useless. They don't seem to have any significant impact on disease/infection/parasites from what I have seen/read/experienced.


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## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

andakin said:


> I think this hobby has too many witch doctors that think they can create remedy better than what professionals can. Some have the mentality of of anti-vaxxers.


I should probably clear this up to say this statement isn't directed at just Melafix, but with medication as a whole. 

For example, there are people that are adamant about about not medicating ich. They feel the 'natural' way of salt and bumping up the temperature is much safer. Or that ich medication is somehow harmful. This of course, has already been debated to death.

There is a lot of hearsay of Melafix coating the lungs or whatever it is. People read it, and then spread this information around like wildfire. I understand why people might be concerned. But passing this information around like it's concrete fact to discourage others from using it is not doing anyone a favor. 

I am curious who the original author of this claim is and what their credentials are. Perhaps it's credible and he/she is in the medical/biological/chemical research field of labyrinth fish.



Greenapp1es said:


> I've not seen any proof that Melafix will kill a betta, but I don't feel it's worth the risk. The biggest reason is - I don't feel that melafix DOES enough to be worth the risk. It's an antiseptic, not much else. It won't do much that clean, warm water won't. There are far more effective treatments for anything that it would be used for *without* the controversy. And for anything that hard hitting meds isn't recommended for, conservative treatment of frequent water changes and possibly a low dose of aquarium salt (or IAL or Rooibos, if you want to get fancy) seems a more reliably way to go anyway.


I can say with a high degree of confidence that Melafix can do more than just clean, warm water. For those with community tanks and have experienced fungal and bacterial outbreaks, you'd be thankful such products exists. 




Strawberry12 said:


> +1 all of this. I've seen lots of people jump to -fixes for mild fin rot (for example), but really unless it's progressed to almost the point of body rot, a bit of AQ salt and 100% changes daily fixes it easily. I choose to avoid medications except in extreme situations, much like how I don't take antibiotics myself for every sinus infection.


No disagreements from me there. If it doesn't require medicating, don't medicate.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Some medications are potentially dangerous. I actually poisoned a whole tank of fish when I miscalculated the dosage of Seachem Cupramine. 

But I would be very doubtful that Melafix or Bettafix fall under this banner.


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## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

andakin said:


> I can say with a high degree of confidence that Melafix can do more than just clean, warm water. For those with community tanks and have experienced fungal and bacterial outbreaks, you'd be thankful such products exists.


Maybe, maybe not. But I still think more effective treatments for the situations you describe are more effective without the purported risk.

For fungal infections, I'd use Methelyne Blue before Melafix, for example. Or, for cases that need more aggressive treatment, I'd look at products specifically geared towards fungal problems.

As for bacterial, I don't really have any confidence that Melafix *does* anything for bacterial infections. If you're looking at something bacterial, salt will inhibit the reproduction of some bacteria. For any *real* bacterial problem, you're looking at antibiotics being far more effective.


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## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

I hope I didn't come off sounding like a proponent for Melafix. I'm sure there are lots of other wonderful products out there.

Although I don't agree with your decision to not use said product because of the unfounded risks, I still respect your choice. To each their own.


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## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

It's not even really the risks that have me leaning away from Melafix. It's a component, but it's not the major one. I'm just not convinced that it's particularly effective, especially when compared with other treatments.

If someone could show me hard evidence that Melafix was, say, 70% more effective at treating fin rot than water and IAL - I'd probably be willing to use it even with my slight reservations about the product. As has been mentioned above, correlation does not imply causation. For a sick fish treated with Melafix, you can't say for sure that the fish's death was *because* of the Melafix, as opposed to the illness the fish was going up against.

I just haven't seen enough to show me that it *is* particularly effective - and in the cases where it might be, I've seen evidence that other products work better.

I'll likewise respect anyone's decision if they *do* chose to use Melafix in their tanks. I might state my opinion of it, but I'm not going to be one of the people going "you can't use that - it's animal abuse! RAWR!"


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## FinnDublynn (Feb 27, 2015)

Honestly, as far as Melafix goes, it's just Tea Tree Oil in a 1% solution. 

*shrugs* that's it. You can get that from the Rooibos Tea or the IAL without having it extracted and treated and packaged and sitting in a bottle on your counter, without all the extra 99% of stuff that might be in it.


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## BettaObsessed (Mar 8, 2015)

LittleBettaFish said:


> Correlation does not imply causation. Simply because a sick fish dies when melafix is used as a treatment, does not mean melafix is responsible for killing that fish. I've never seen _any_ hard proof that melafix or any of the '-fix'medications kills bettas.


 My point exactly. 


LittleBettaFish said:


> With that said, I personally think the '-fix' range of medications are basically next to useless. They don't seem to have any significant impact on disease/infection/parasites from what I have seen/read/experienced.


I tend to agree. The only thing melafix really seems to do is make the ailing fish a bit more comfortable in my experience.


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## TerriGtoo (Jul 2, 2013)

I have used Melafix and other "-fixes" on occasion without any adverse effects. HOWEVER, when I have used it I made sure that the surface water was agitated enough so that the Melafix did not form a solid skin on the water. Having a solid skin on the surface water is what I believe may be harmful when bettas come up to breathe.


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

FinnDublynn said:


> without all the extra 99% of stuff that might be in it.


The other 99% is water. Tried melafix many years ago for angels that got battered in pairing situations. Didn't do much, an old timer clued me up on 50% daily water changes & waiting 10 minutes before adding dechlor. Clued up means more like chewed out, think of the language a tradesman would use when they think you've done something stupid. Cheapest & best starting point for a variety of ailments, including angels missing half their fins with a bugged out eye.

People often feel they have to do something, anything, right now. That something anything isn't wasting money on products & throwing meds in a tank, that something is research. If you feel you have to do something hands on with the fish change water, it may help & sure won't hurt.


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## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

FinnDublynn said:


> Honestly, as far as Melafix goes, it's just Tea Tree Oil in a 1% solution.
> 
> *shrugs* that's it. You can get that from the Rooibos Tea or the IAL without having it extracted and treated and packaged and sitting in a bottle on your counter, without all the extra 99% of stuff that might be in it.


Having professionals concoct a consistent solution in a controlled laboratory sounds like a good thing to me.

I'm not sure if ial or tea contains Melaleuca. If it does, the opposite to your claim can be made. If I only want the Melaleuca for medicinal purposes, I don't want the 99% of other stuff that comes with dissolving leaves in my tank.


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## Strawberry12 (Mar 6, 2015)

TerriGtoo said:


> I have used Melafix and other "-fixes" on occasion without any adverse effects. HOWEVER, when I have used it I made sure that the surface water was agitated enough so that the Melafix did not form a solid skin on the water. Having a solid skin on the surface water is what I believe may be harmful when bettas come up to breathe.



now this makes a bit more sense to me than the claim of it coating the organ


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## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

While I feel funny rezzing a thread that's starting to get slightly old, I found an article that's probably FAR more detailed on PrimaFix and Melafix than I'd ever hoped for.

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumMedication4.html


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I've linked that article many times when people start the old "coats the labrynith organ" argument. The oil has been refined out of the Melafix so it's water soluable.


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## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

This is my first time reading this article. Thanks for sharing.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

It's a great article and explains a lot. I meant to say "Thanks for linking" but it's late and I forgot.


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## sharkettelaw1 (Mar 6, 2013)

Oil is NOT soluble in water. For the plain and simple reason that the two don't mix. Not ever. Because liquids have different densities, and oil has a lower density of water which means it will ALWAYS go to the surface no matter what. Chemistry 101. And since bettas use their labyrinth organ to "breathe" at the surface, that oil slick is going to do some kind of damage.


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## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

sharkettelaw1 said:


> And since bettas use their labyrinth organ to "breathe" at the surface, that oil slick is going to do some kind of damage.


I really don't want to debate this again. But I must ask:

- How did you come to the conclusion that "oil slick" causes damage?
- What kind of damages does it cause?

Also, read the link provided on the previous page if you haven't already done so.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

From the cited AAP article:

"Many claim that Melafix can cause problems with Labyrinth fish and Pencil Fish, which research has shown to be a half truth.

"I have used and tested Melafix on many Labyrinth fish (in particular Bettas) and not found these results as claimed.

"Further more, one aquarium website incorrectly stated that the 'oils' in both Pimafix and Melafix are dangerous to Labyrinth due to the need to 'breath air'.

"I can correct this incorrect statement in that part of the patent for Melafix (& Pimafix) is the process of refining of the oil OUT of both these products. This can EASILY be proved by adding Melafix or Pimafix to the water and watching for it to float on the water, which it does not.

"HOWEVER before implying this person in that aquarium website does not know what she is talking about, Melafix can and does cause foaming, which at least in theory could be a problem with certain fish."


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Whenever I read a topic about melafix, I always think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cONmzaT4x10

I remain skeptical of any claims of melafix/bettafix poisoning fish until I see some sort of study that isn't just a hobbyist's opinion.


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## sharkettelaw1 (Mar 6, 2013)

Same thing as air pollution. Same thing as an oil tanker spoiling oil in the ocean and killer whales getting it in their blow holes. You want to tell me that animal is not going to suffer from lung damage or have a significantly shortened life span from that? oil slick is oil slck. THAT is how I came to the conclusion. What will happen if YOUR lungs fill up with water? You'll drown. How about your lungs filled with oil? You're not going to feel very comfortable, are you? I'm not debating this, I'm giving my opinion. And backed some of it up with good old chemistry. Now tell me, if you were forced to breathe in smog 24/7 your lungs will get damaged long term because we are not meant to breathe in smog. Case in point.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm sure there were all some sort of studies/tests done to prove the ill-effects caused by the sorts of things you discuss in your post. 

I mean some people believe they are going to die from the radiation produced by microwaves. If there were no studies/scientific date to prove otherwise, should we all just believe these people?


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## Zhylis (Nov 4, 2014)

*1. Mela/Pimafix does not contain oil. *Actually to be specific, it does contain 1% oil, but the "oil"/extract is sold as an emulsion with Crovol PK-70 (a surfactant). Meaning it does not have the properties of an oil, and instead, is readily mixable with water. It does not form slicks, films, or coats. See Mela/Pimafix patent.

*2. The active ingredients are phenols*, meaning I wouldn't use it in acidic, soft waters. 

I tried a bottle once when it came out. No problems, but I find salt or MB more effective, cheaper per dose, and less likely to react oddly under different water conditions.


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## BettaObsessed (Mar 8, 2015)

sharkettelaw1 said:


> Oil is NOT soluble in water. For the plain and simple reason that the two don't mix. Not ever. Because liquids have different densities, and oil has a lower density of water which means it will ALWAYS go to the surface no matter what. Chemistry 101. And since bettas use their labyrinth organ to "breathe" at the surface, that oil slick is going to do some kind of damage.


I use it to soothe injuries and have not seen any adverse effects. All fish are happy, healthy, and wiggling their butts for food. I don't think it seems to fight bacteria particularly well, but it seems to be a good preventative when there is an open wound. In my experience my bettas seem to open their mouths above the surface, so I don't think oil slick would be an issue, plus the consistency is more like water and seems to thoroughly mix into the water, without creating a film. I'm going to have to read that article, though I don't have the energy now. Tomorrow. 

I'm just curious, but if melafix showed that it was harmful to bettas in lab testing, don't you think there would be a warning on the bottle? I'm just wondering... Or maybe the company wouldn't care... But why would they test it if they didn't care?... Now I'm walking in circles lol.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I have used both Melafix and Bettafix in the past; neither ever caused an "oil slick" because they are both completely water soluable. Kinda hard to do produce such when the oil has been refined out of a product. 

However, I'm am sure the article's author would appreciate hearing from those who have actually used the products and did see an "oil slick." With substantiation, of course, and other products used in conjunction and water parameters.


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## superswimmer (Apr 7, 2015)

I myself have never had a problem with Melafix. Having a community tank with a betta in it, I do full tank treatments in case anyone catches anything. I have never had Melafix not work for me. It is true that you should use clean water first, but if you have a community tank that is large, mine is 36 gallons, you want to make sure you fully rid of the disease, which is something warm water alone can't do if multiple fish are infected because the illness will spread too fast. Would you rather risk your fish getting worse and potentially dying because of some random person's theory that has spread to other sites or just treat your fish and make the illness go away? And here is one thing I don't understand: why weren't you giving your fish clean water in the first place if you use that to treat the illness? If that works for you, maybe you should try continuously giving your fish excellent water quality and care and maybe you will realize that bad water quality is what caused the disease in the first place...


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## Julcifer21 (Dec 18, 2015)

I gave my Dwarf Gourami a very small dose last night and then today also. I had noticed this morning he was staying at the bottom of tank, which he normally does not do. Well I should have know better than to give him a dose today! About half an hour later he was on the bottom of the tank breathing hard and twitching! I quickly changed 75% of the water. DO NOT USE ON GOURAMI FISH, PLEASE! It was aweful to watch!


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I used it once and it seemed to help for a few days but I think it overdosed after a short time after that. My fish I believe had velvet? but I wasn't completely sure. I am extremely careful now. I use a drop per gallon and I only leave that water for a day before I change it again.


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## trilobite (May 18, 2011)

I personally think its just useless snake oil and you can get the exact same "healing properties" with clean water. Infact most of the healing claims are probably just the fishes natural recovery and would have happened whether you put melafix in or not. 
Working in a chain store Ive found so many people go screaming towards it when their fish has an actual problem like columnaris or whitespot and choose that over the real meds because melafix is "natural" and "all chemicals are bad..." I had a customer who had a fish with a massive hole in the side of its head (like almost all the way through)...and they were treating it with melafix for weeks because they didnt want to "stress it with chemicals..."

I dont use it is because I dont need an expensive placebo


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