# How to properly use the medicine Maracyn?



## saliff1 (Jun 30, 2011)

I just used the first dose of Maracyn in my betta's tank yesterday after I spoke with a view different people at pet stores and they advised me this was the appropriate medicine to treat his fungus. I did a complete tank change as they told me and I have his heater and his filter with the carbon removed in his tank. Do I need to change his water at all during the 5 day treatment of the Maracyn? I was treating him for ich previously and I was told to change the water daily when I used the ich medicinel, but I didn't know if I needed to do the same with Maracyn. I just want to make sure I am doing everything right so he can get better!!
Thank you!


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with your new Betta.....

I don't use OTC medications, however, I suggest that you follow the directions on the package......if he doesn't show improvement once the medication course is completed or he start to get worse or have adverse reaction......complete the sticky information in this section (copy and paste) and re-post along with a pic and I am sure one of us could give you advice on a treatment that may be more effective...

Keep us posted....


----------



## saliff1 (Jun 30, 2011)

Okay, I guess I will complete the 5 day treatment and see how is by the end. I will have to buy a kit to get all of his water readings. Do you know of any kits that are the best for the readings or any particular brand? Thank you!


----------



## saliff1 (Jun 30, 2011)

Housing 
What size is your tank? approx. 2 gallons 
What temperature is your tank? 75-79
Does your tank have a filter? yes, no carbon at the moment due to using Maracyn medication
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? pellets, very occasionally dried worms 
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2-3 pellets twice a day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? at least 2 times per week 50% water changes. I was medicating my fish for ick/ich? and I was told to use the medicine every day and change the water every day 
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50% 
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Aqua Safe water conditioner, Aquari-Sol 

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? Have not tested the water. Changed the tank fully last night upon instruction by pet store employees. 

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? My betta has one large white spot on his top fin. He also seems to be swimming with his fins close to his body.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Yes, he has been much less active in swimming and he has taken to lying at the bottom of his tank or resting against decor
When did you start noticing the symptoms? approximately 2 months ago and I have went through various treatments, none of which seems to have been successful... 
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Yes. I began treating him with medication for ick/ich? approx 2 months ago. I was told to remove the filter from his tank and start changing 20-30% of his water daily and medicating the tank with Aquari-Sol. I was told this would take some time to work, but I have seen no improvement so I went to another pet store yesterday and they told me to use Maracyn, put the filter in with no carbon, and do a complete tank change. 
Does your fish have any history of being ill? other than this very long episode that he has had, no
How old is your fish (approximately)? 1 year and 5 months 


At this point, I have received so much misleading information from people that are suppose to be knowledgeable about fish. I want my fish to be back to the happy go-lucky fish he was before all this happened because I love him so much. I am a first time fish parent and I have been going on what I have been told from people at various pet stores, but I always end up finding out that their information doesn't quite match up. I guess I've just had some bad luck with who I've talked to. Thank you in advance for you help!


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

I understand..it can be so frustrating with all the information.......

The best hobbyist grade test kit IMO...is the API freshwater master test kit...it has everything most hobbyist need...ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH....

Sometimes with a lot of back to back treatments and chemical additives the fish can get toxic....sometimes stopping everything and giving the fish system time to clean out by just doing 50% daily water changes, however, it is important at this point to complete the full course of this medication since you have already started it...unless he seems to be getting worse after 24h in this medication.....

Are you still using the Aquari-Sol and/or to understand- you have used this for 2 months...correct.......from my understanding on this product...its a copper sulfate based product....is this correct..... 

Good luck and keep us posted.....


----------



## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble treating your betta! 
Does he have ick as well as the one spot or is it just the one spot? If it is just the one spot then it isn't ick so stop the Aquari-Sol if you are still using it. You should not mix that with Maracyn. If you have already started the Maracyn treatment then you are going to have to follow through with it. 

When I medicate fish in small tanks I usually perform 50%-100% water changes at least every other day and replace the appropriate amount of medicine, even if the medication does not say to. In a 2 gal tank you are going to want to do at least a 50% water change every other day so he isn't further stressed by ammonia/nitrites. Just replace the correct amount of medicine.


----------

