Melafix - have you used it and what results did it have?

[poconogal]

I know there are many on this forum who have used Melafix, which contains Melaleuca Oil, a/k/a Tea Tree Oil. I've used it for somewhat minor things, mild fin rot or Popeye due to a Discus being hit in the eye by another. I've had great success with it. The Popeye was actually much improved by the next day. The mild fin rot in my Superveil Angel was quickly improved as well. I know that there are also those who view Melafix as snake oil. So I thought it would be interesting for people to come forward and share their experiences.

In the May 2007 issue of TFH, Jack Wattley responds to a question and mentions Melaleuca Oil. Following is an excert from Jack's statement:

Melaleuca oil is a complex essential oil that neutralizes fungus and bacteria... . And with the strong antibacterial properties found in the Melaleuca oils, the period of treatment can be relatively short. An added plus... for treating bacterial and fungal problems is that the liquid oils do not interfere with the biological filtration in the discus aquarium.

I've also done some research on the net and came up with the following info from almost every site I visited:

Tea tree oil is applied topically as an anti-infective agent. It has been shown effective for bacterial infections (such as acne), fungal infections (such as athlete's foot), and viral infections (such as cold sores). It contains chemicals known as terpenes, which may damage or kill infectious organisms, while having little or no negative effect on bacteria that normally live on the skin. Because tea tree oil is generally non-irritating, it is also used to relieve mild burns, insect bites, sunburn, and other relatively minor skin conditions.

Here's the link to the article the above was taken from:

http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/DVH/HerbsWho/0,3923,551982%7CMelaleuca+Oil,00.html

[Graham]

In my experience it good for the very simplest of problems...anything serious and it's useless IMO. It is a very mild antiseptic, antibacterial. There are also a lots of reports of it being a gill irritant. IMO if an antibiotic is needed then use one...if an antiseptic is needed then use iodine....why add an emulsified oil to the system

If you take Jack Wattley statement...how can something be a ''...strong antibacterial..'' and yet have no effect on the bacteria in the filters. It can't have much of a punch if it won't affect the bacteria in the system, especially if it's just added to the water column.


''..........which may damage or kill infectious organisms, while having little or no negative effect on bacteria that normally live on the skin...''

Again on the human end of things.....it may damage or kill but it won't affect the normal bacteria on our skin...this just tell you that it's a mild antiseptic.


Connie IMO, half the time, the fish probably would have healed itself without the addition of the snake oils;)

[poconogal]

We all know that certain antibiotics WILL affect the bacteria in our bio filters, and certain antibiotics DO NOT affect the bacteria in our bio filter. So if that's true of drugs, why wouldn't it be true of Melaleuca Oil - that it would not affect the type of bacteria responsible for conversion of ammonia and nitrite?

Why administer powerful antibiotics into a fish or our tanks if something "milder" will do the trick? Unless the fish seems to be truly sick, i.e., dark, stopped eating, etc., why not try it first before resorting to drugs, which our fish can become immune to?

After using Melafix one time, by the next morning my Discus' popeye was almost completely gone, that was not "coincidence" or the fish healing itself. It was the Melafix, which IME does work, as so many people PM'd me. They all had the exact same results. Snake oil? I don't think so.

[Polar_Bear]

Actually I'd bet that is "was" the fish healing itself. Adding the Melafix "was" just a coincidence. Don't be fooled by the hype, Melafix is nother more than marketing hyperbole. Water changes are far more effective than Melafix.

[Graham]

Hi, the nitrifying bacteria in the filters are gram-negative, so any antibiotic that will affect GN bacteria will affect them. The strenght of the antibiotic used will dictate to what degree they and any other bacteria are affected. A few years from now melalecua will not affect any aquarium bacteria they will have developed a total immunity to it....

Most antibiotics that we use are broad spectrum, capable of killing either gram negative or gram positive, because most hobbyists, can't tell what bacteria they're trying to kill. Most are not even sure if they have a parasite or a bacterial problem and just start ''throwing stuff'' into the tank hoping that one of them will fix the problem. The one that ''fixes'' the problem is the one that they'll now use everytime...didn't matter whether it actaully worked or not.

A lot of bacteria have develop resistance to weaker antibiotics and now heavier ones need to be used. If I can catch an ulcer just starting to develop I can usually clear it up with Baytril...if the infection had taken hold then Baytril won't do a thing to it and Amkacin is used. Nothing worng with using milder meds but they need to be strong enough in the 1st place to do the job

IMO when antibiotics are needed then the proper ones, at the proper doses, for the perscribed period, should be used and the infection knocked down as quick as possible...

G

[AmberC]

I have used it in the past for fin rot and cloudy eye or small areas of fungus after a fish was beat up by another (mostly just bettas and fin rot after being in the store :( ) I know that it does help for minor things, but I would never use it as an treatment for anything more than the things I have listed. (and popeye.. but I've never had that)

Amber

[tpl*co]

I've used it for wounds and scrapes with good results, usually can see a huge improvement within 24 hours. Don't like the reaction if you mix pimafix and melafix together though (though they say you can, I noticed stress the couple of times I did it and had to do water changes). Usually, I just do melafix.


I remember a time I had african cichlids and one male had his fins torn to stubs by the dominant male. He looked puffy, and pale and would probably come down with a bacterial infection. I used melafix on him and he improved and regrew his fins (of course he was separated from the other male too :)).

Tina

[KJoFan]

So perhaps Melafix's "niche" is just as a preventative. As it seems like people have used it with success but I would say it's hard to determine if the Melafix was really the factor that made the ailment better.

I've only used it a couple times, on things like torn fins and a cloudy eye. The symptoms got better but....I can't say for certain if it was the Melafix that did the trick or just time and the fish's own immune system.

Seems like it might be good to use to perhaps stave off bigger problems, such as full blown infections and the like. In fact I had/have a discus that somehow got his pectoral fins all chewed up and parts of them were falling off and everything just about a week ago. I considered dosing a little Melafix to try to help him heal but I held off, wanting to see if he'd heal on his own, and he is. I could have added the Melafix and thought that did it but I didn't and he's doing just fine on his own.

I don't know if it works or doesn't work, I will probably keep it around though, as a "just in case" thing. I would be more inclined to use it to try to prevent bigger problems though, based on what I've read thus far.

Keep the comments and discussion coming though, it's interesting and informative for us all! :)

[poconogal]

Actually I'd bet that is "was" the fish healing itself. Adding the Melafix "was" just a coincidence. Don't be fooled by the hype, Melafix is nother more than marketing hyperbole. Water changes are far more effective than Melafix.
Popeye doesn't disappear almost completely in one day if a fish is "healing itself" nor have I experienced water changes to be a remedy for Popeye. Even using Maracyn 2, years ago, did not result in the Popeye completely disappearing in a day or two. It took several days to see results, so going by that, maybe the antibiotic didn't take care of Popeye in that fish. Maybe it was just coincidence? That would seem more likely since it did take a few days for results to be seen.

I don't feel that I'm being fooled by anything, but I do happen to have an open mind on the subject. And I do know that I had a Discus with Popeye at 9 pm at night, and by the next morning, after the addition of Melafix, I had a Discus almost entirely WITHOUT Popeye. The addition of Melafix to the tank was also after three days of the Discus having Popeye, and NOT healing itself. I myself have also never heard of a fish healing itself of Popeye with no intervention whatsoever.

[poconogal]

I've used it for wounds and scrapes with good results, usually can see a huge improvement within 24 hours. Don't like the reaction if you mix pimafix and melafix together though (though they say you can, I noticed stress the couple of times I did it and had to do water changes). Usually, I just do melafix.


I remember a time I had african cichlids and one male had his fins torn to stubs by the dominant male. He looked puffy, and pale and would probably come down with a bacterial infection. I used melafix on him and he improved and regrew his fins (of course he was separated from the other male too :)).

Tina
Hi Tina. Funny thing is that I've never used Melafix for any scrapes or wounds. I just let those things be and in those cases the fish did heal itself. I actually hadn't thought of using it for scrapes and wounds! But it may actually be a good preventative against developing an infection at a wound site.

[tpl*co]

Hi Tina. Funny thing is that I've never used Melafix for any scrapes or wounds. I just let those things be and in those cases the fish did heal itself. I actually hadn't thought of using it for scrapes and wounds! But it may actually be a good preventative against developing an infection at a wound site.

LOL, I don't know maybe the discus wounds would have healed on their own, but I know that poor african cichlid wouldn't. Poor thing could barely swim (kinda wiggled through the water like a snake for lack of fins). Figured, what the heck, I'd give him a chance with the melafix, if he didn't make it he'd then be flushed. He improved almost immediately and I could see the new growth of his fins every time I looked at him.


Tina

[poconogal]

LOL, I don't know maybe the discus wounds would have healed on their own, but I know that poor african cichlid wouldn't. Poor thing could barely swim (kinda wiggled through the water like a snake for lack of fins). Figured, what the heck, I'd give him a chance with the melafix, if he didn't make it he'd then be flushed. He improved almost immediately and I could see the new growth of his fins every time I looked at him.

Tina
Boy Tina, he got his butt kicked but good! :D

[pcsb23]

Personally I wouldn't class a prolapsed eye from scrapping as popeye, its just that - prolapsed and therefore a physical injury.

I have tried melafix and primafix on a few occaisions, there is no harm in trying new or different meds. Personally I have not seen anything startlingly good about either. In most cases where I would consider these there are other treatments available from simple salt dips to acriflavine or similar. I'm pretty sure clean water will fix as many.

Is melafix snake oil? dunno, we don't get too many snakes here:bandana: