Do Melafix and Pimafix Work?

[RandomTabby]

Of the hundreds of fish I have treated at the lfs where I work, I say that Melafix and Pimafix work for only VERY MILD cases of disease. If the fish start getting worse, switch to something else, or at least include salt and/ or methaline blue dips/baths in the treatment.
We put a little salt and Melafix in with our bettas most of the time and it keeps them looking nice. We also add Melafix for a day or two with most of our new arrivals in case of fish scratching against nets or each other.
Fungus is such a serious disease that I never reach for the pimafix. Maybe good for preventative, but once the fish gets a little fuzzy if it doesn't get salt or drugs it's dead.

[Double Up]

I used mela-fix on my male yellow-white after he wedged himself behind the heater. I dont know how much of it was the mela-fix but the wound healed very fast.

[scottishbloke]

I still want to see published scientific research papers that show these actually work as claimed. Anecdotal reports by experienced fish keepers can provide a wealth of useful information, but by themselves are inadequate. If no real experiments are done, how else would we know that it is one or more of the melafix/pimafix ingredients that is actually the agent responsible for any improvement in fish health/disease symptoms, and not the result of other factors such as water changes, temperature, pH, the presence of salt or other chemicals, trace elements in the water, or other biotic agents?

Until I see real research that proves otherwise, as another forum member said, it's all just bottles of Snake Oil as far as I am concerned; it's just my opinion, feel free to disagree.

Colin

[nc0gnet0]

In all fairness, its not completely useless, it's great for treating superficial scrapes and small wounds. As a medication for bacteria it is utterly useless. Same applies parasites. There have been some studies:

http://www.koivet.com/a_melaleuca_te...s_healing.html

[brewmaster15]

In all fairness, its not completely useless, it's great for treating superficial scrapes and small wounds. As a mdication for bacteria it is utterly useless. Same applies parasites. There have been some studies:

http://www.koivet.com/a_melaleuca_te...s_healing.html

maybe, but a discus that gets a superficial scrape or small wound doesn't usually require care,Just clean water and if it does, something as simple as Hydrogen peroxide or iodine swabbed locally to the wound works fine.

I think too many beginners out there use melafix and pima fix for things they don't work on , and as a result a bacterial infection has more time to spread and become serious...I also feel with fish like discus this can be a death sentence because of lost time.

-al

[Eddie]

I think too many beginners out there use melafix and pima fix for things they don't work on , and as a result a bacterial infection has more time to spread and become serious...I also feel with fish like discus this can be a death sentence because of lost time.

-al

Very true Al, very true!



Eddie

[nc0gnet0]

I think too many beginners out there use melafix and pima fix for things they don't work on , and as a result a bacterial infection has more time to spread and become serious...I also feel with fish like discus this can be a death sentence because of lost time.

Don't get me wrong, I am one of the biggest haters of Melafix out there. Problem is, an unknowing hobbiest goes into a LFS needing advice on his/her sick fish, and 9 times out of 10 times they walk out with a bottle of melafix. When this happens, it's time to find a new LFS. It's usefullness is extremely limited, but, there is a use for it, (ok maybe two, makes your water smell nice).

[darkknight87]

I don't know about the anit fungal and bacteria problems, but I know as far as the fin/tail and eye cloud problems, Ive actually had sucess with it..ofcourse I may have had just as much sucess with the salt at the time, but I went with that..and it did work on what I was using it for.

Sometimes I think application is everything.

Like there are some people who think they can "Cure" the flu with something Like Tylenol. It may help your symptoms, but its not an overall cure. For some it will do nothing for the symptoms, and for other it will make you feel like youve done a 180...so I don't know, I am not a scientist.