I actually work in a research lab that hopes to study Pimafix and Melafix more, both in vivo and in vitro hopefully. And that includes testing the two together hopefully. Interestingly enough, Melaleuca alternifolia actually has been shown to be (somewhat) effective against Ich on live Pacu. 50% lives that were treated with it, vs 0% that were left untreated. There is a study around somewhere on it. It uses a different species than Melafix though, and it was dosed much higher than would normally be seen in aquariums (like at least 100x more). This makes me wonder if Melafix would be more effective against bacterial infections in fish if the dose was drastically increased? I’m guessing some fish wouldn’t respond well to this. That same species has also been shown effective against Gyrodactylus on live fish as well, which is also interesting. At a 1% concentration and only 5 mL/ 10 gallon, I’m just guessing that it’s not at a high enough concentration to do anything meaningful. Various essential oil, including Melaleuca leucadendra have been shown to be effective in vitro against some kinds of bacteria, but that’s in vitro and not in an aquarium. It’ll be interesting to see what my study (if it ever happens) comes up with. Hopefully it would be published by the end of the academic year. The issue I have with the products is that I’m just not sure if they have a place. If you have a mild infection, you have no idea how rapidly it may spread. Why potentially waste time and let it progress further by using something that might not work? I simply just think that they do more harm than good in the hobby.
Jonah N what an awesome comment!! Thank you for sharing. This is as close to expert advice as we can get. Very interesting. Would you mind keeping me up to date? My email is dmichaelsfishden@gmail.com. Perhaps we can work together and help share some of the lab results with folks so we bring more clarity on the subject. Really appreciate you watching and commenting. Great stuff! 👍
dmichaels fish den Definitely! There is already one study on the effectiveness of Melafix in vitro on various kinds of bacteria done by UNC. They found that it didn’t do anything up to the concentrations they tested at (which were much higher than aquarium levels). It’s definitely worth a read, it’s from 2015. We will see what happens! I might even try having one group that receives Melafix at a higher concentration than would normally be done and see how the fish respond. I really think that these essential oil treatments have SOME sort of merit, but again, it all comes down to whether we can get high enough concentrations of the stuff in our aquarium before it hurts the fish.
@@ShadowTheNinjaKitty I love all this. This study is on to something! This reminds me of using aquarium salt appropriately, especially when using it as a treatment for fungal or bacterial diseases. It is the amount of salt that matters - often its is said that aquarium salt doesn't work because most follow the instructions on the box, which is not an amount strong enough to get mild or especially advanced bacterial or fungal issues. Sounds like this is what is going on with Melafix....the concentrations aren't high enough. I'd be SUPER interested to hear how the study goes and how the fish respond at higher concentrations with the Melafix. Please keep me posted if you don't mind! This is important stuff for people to know about!
Hello! It’s been three years, what have you found out? I have a 2500 gal pond, one koi has cloudy eye and what looks to be some inflammation around her face. I think there’s some flukes and Ich. I’ve had these fish four years and haven’t had much of a problem till I added new fingering Koi to the pond, I did t quarantine before, next time I will. I’m desperately trying to figure out what the best medicines are. I just started treatment yesterday with Melafix and Primafix. I’m not in an area where there are fish doctors. I’ve reached out to the couple an hour away and I’ve only had one call back with let get your info, start an account and bring your fish here. Which is hard to do with four large koi showing symptoms. My water is good. I had a crazy Algae bloom in July. We run a good filter and UV. Learned the UV bulb went out, replaced, stayed up on water changes, and a couple weeks ago the them went from hot to very cold in a day. This is when we added the new fish and the pond went out of control.
I am learning soooooo much from you holy hell! THANK you for making these videos. I have four bettas- but I moved apartments abruptly and have been battling fin rot since that move. And your videos has given me such a clearer direction than anyone’s advice ever has. Thank you!
BTW - I'm so sorry to hear about the fin rot battle - going through one myself right now. I do have a video on how I've healed my Betta's fin rot in the past, but since going through it with my 3 year old Betta now, I'll be doing a fresh video on the entire process soon. :)
dmichaels fish den Hey no worries! Yeah it’s been a bit of a struggle. But my guess is it started when they were at Petsmart. I think I’ve watched that one! I’m using the Jungle Fungus Clear and KanaPlex right now. The calendar you had along side it actually helped immensely! Most people just say what to do without demonstrating it which has made everything a lot harder. So thank you for that! :D I’ll keep an eye out for the updated video also!
Please identify the criteria to be met to determine at which point a "mild" bacterial infection becomes an "advanced" bacterial infection. Also, am I correct in assuming these "fixes" are not effective against fungal or parasitic infection? I do understand, even though I have yet to research the symptoms of such an infection, that viral infections in fish are not treatable.
Another excellent video! Your analogy about the "fixes" being like Neosporin , certainly drives the point home! Like you, I tried using aquarium salt and then Bettafix to cure my Betta's fin rot. I saw a slight difference with the aquarium salt but he actually got worse when I started using the Bettafix. It seems like every forum I've done research on, people will always say that that the "fixes" injure and even kill labyrinth breathers like the Betta. I wonder where this misleading information comes from since many people swear they've had those issues? The big box pet stores certainly push the products. Thanks again for such helpful information!
Second Twirl - my pleasure . I think the big chain stores push Bettafix, Melafix, etc...because it is a widely purchased wholesale product, chosen by the big chain execs, that they have to sell. Bad information gets out, rumors start...Glad you liked the Neosporin analogy...it's the best way I can describe what it is 😀 And there really isn't any super scientific evidence that the "fixes" harm labyrinth fish...I think the fish die from other causes and some assume it's one of the "fixes," which are most widely used for Bettas, thanks to the "Bettafix" name ☺️ Thanks for checking out the video and for the kind words!
Best video so far for new fish keepers; I’ve lost two guppies to fin rot so far despite advice from my LFS and am desperate to save a third one. Looks like the preventative things I’ve been doing are far from enough so back to the store again tomorrow. Also, it’s pronounced Melaloo-ka (melaleuca), it’s a hard k sound not a sha sound. Tricky hey!
Hello Dan. You video was very informative! I came home last night and I notice my betta's fins got caught on the motor impeller! I gently got my betta's fins out of the impeller. His fins were shredded. I used some Betafix for my betta in the ten gallon tank
Good discussion of "The 'fixes," but I still wonder how useful they are; it almost seems to me that, if we've noticed the ailment, it's likely already past the point at which these would be helpful.
However, I don't want to dismiss them. They do have a time and place. They are great as a "Neosporin" for fish. Still good to keep on hand, so I don't want to say they aren't useful. I just think the confusion here is that hobbyists use these to deal with serious issues. They don't work, then, bad information gets populated about the Fixes. 😀
@@dmichaelsfishden (Just between you, me and Anthony R) - I just stopped mela/pimafix treatment in the 6th day. I got tired of watching my fish die one after another. And the problem was caught when I found one guppy with a few spots on it's tail. I switched to heat and aquarium salt and improvement was dramatic and instantaneous. I'd like to hear at least one person say there's no one treatment that will be effective for all fish... AND! Correct diagnosis is the most important part of choosing the best treatment.
Interesting this is a great video and sheds a lot of light on them and how to use them correctly! I could see times where you spot an infection that is small and you would try MelaFix or PIMFIX first and later try other medications. For me alot of the time I don't know if I have a gram negative or gram positive infection.
WOW!!!!…………...your Latin pronunciation is down pat, not forgetting every other superlative for this amazing video!!………..at last we see where API Harvest their bottles of Fixes, and where, when and why to use them. One of the many more helpful vids you are now obliged to create for our hobby :)
colinbarsby thank you! This one took awhile but I hope it’s helpful to folks. I think there is a lot of confusion with these products. This is the video I was finishing up last night when I emailed you 🤗.
@@dmichaelsfishden I like the other youtubers... but I have to admit, your video breaks it down easier and a lot more fun to watch. Keep up the superb work along with the research you do. I look fwd to seeing more of your contents
I want to say great video thank you so much I I've only been in the fish hobby for one month and I lost 3 bettas I'm living in Taiwan as an American and I found that it's very difficult to get the proper information on how to take care of your bettas and nobody told me that I need to pretreat the water and pretreat my fish has some problem I had to go to four different stores to figure out exactly what I needed and also to cycle of a tank before putting my fish in
Meg - I think it's awesome that you are living in Taiwan as an American! Keeping Bettas is pretty much the same as many freshwater fish. I'm really sorry you lost a few. I hope my channel can help. I've tried to simply share all of my experience through the channel. Not that I am an expert at all, but I have learned a few things along the way. I do have older videos on cycling tanks, etc...Please watch some of my older videos as I think they can be helpful to you. I hope you hang in there! This is a wonderful, rewarding hobby!
Nice informative video. Since these are mild and all-natural would you use these for quarantine purposes? I currently use Kordon all-natural meds which are hopefully less toxic but I am unsure how effective they would be treating a major infection. Looking for a all-natural med for treating internal parasites. Currently using API General Cure for this purpose.
Rod - thanks for the kind words and support, as always! For actual quarantine, I'm not sure I'd use the fixes. If you are really trying to kill of disease, I'm not sure they would be useful...but that being said, I've never used them for quarantine purposes, but..always worth a try. I always treat these like a "Neosporin." Kordon has great stuff, but I believe the ingredients are much different than the "fixes?" General Cure or Metroplex are my go to's for parasites. A great question on all all natural remedy. Please let me know if you find something! 👍
When putting aquarium salt in tank should you put it in a pot and heat it to solve the salt? Also, it says one rounded tablespoon for every 5 gallon. So do I put it in eleven tablespoons in the pot of water for a 55 gallon tank?? That’s the plan for today. I’m nervous. Usually I would put a tablespoon of aquarium salt for how many gallons my pot’s capacity.
Hey. I just used BettaFix as instructed to heal his tail that neon tetras nipped, but he instantly dropped to the tank bottom (5,5 gal) Is it hurting him or making him sedated somehow?
How is he doing now? It's very possible with Pimafix, but I haven't heard of it with Melafix or Bettafix, but it is possible. Pimafix contains bay rum oil or allspice. They both contain Eugenol, which is the main component of clove oil, used to sedate fish (and euthanize them). Now I'm wondering if Eugenol is in the Cajeput oil in Bettafix. I've never seen that if you are following the directions, but it's entirely possible. Did he recover? After how long?
dmichaels fish den .. I had to change his water again and then he became full of energy and fine again. It appeared as if Betta Fix was totally killing him :(
Glad he is ok - you had to get that stuff outta there...I'm sure it was halfway sedating him. This is why I'm just not a huge fan of the stuff...a little too unpredictable 😖Nice move on the water change 👍You did the right thing. Heading out the door but I'll send over another way to help your Betta's fins heal in a bit 😀
Try this with his fins - nothing heals them on their own like clean water....so just make sure he is getting a good water change each week...I don't use salt because I've found this is an irritant to Bettas. The fins should heal on their own. IF they get infected, and this turns into fin rot, you'll need something stronger....for that I have a video called "How I cured my Bettas fin rot." The two meds I used were fantastic....healed the fin rot, healed the fins...all good 👍 Hope all that helped, and thanks for checking out the video!
Would betta fix help a betta that has been damaged by ammonia? No visible tears but im thinking there probably is some irritation inside the gills from the ammonia i just havnt given any bettafix yet because i dont want to put too much stuff in if not needed, thanks
You certainly could try Bettafix. If it is just a gash or was just scraped, his fins will likely heal up all on their own as long as you keep the water nice and clean :) In these situations, I like to add a little Seachem Stress Guard in the water - it kind of acts like a liquid band aid, adding more protection over the fish's slimecoat. Bettafix can also help with small mild things, so if you have it on hand, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try it. Hope that helps a little!
That seemed the same to me at first since the uv kills bacteria and naturally outside penetrating only the first couple of inches of water. It's just what people at fish stores say, maybe because the energy of uv is too intense for the stability of meds. I think Seacham said that too. Just ask around, you'll hear it. Just want to share some of my in-depth research. Yt AlboPepper, he is the most knowledgeable person for plant growth and spectrum lighting. That turned me on to SB reef lights, Mike is an engineer who owns a fish store in FL who is very friendly and knowledgeable. I love my lights from him. 300w 16" built in timers and a complete researched spectrum of leds.. Swiss tropicals Pollyeither foam is much better than pollyester and their jet lifters are sweet too. Dr Tanner is a great guy and he is the only distributor in the US for these German products. His articles will change your concept of bio load and it's functions. He also has a vid on Yt.
So sorry for the late reply! This is very interesting! I've actually never heard about this before but I will absolutely research this as well as read some of these articles. Always something to learn in the hobby! ;)
hello, I hope u see this. I was wondering what I should do for my betta Kevin who seems to have the early symptoms of fin rot. I have been watching so many videos and I don’t know what to do.
Oscar - hope this video might help:ua-cam.com/video/LgQ3mS1jLsE/v-deo.html This is a solution I've used a few times in the past. Unfortunately, melafix, or bettafix really aren't designed to handle the bacteria infections that cause fin rot. Fin rot is caused by bacteria, so you often need antibiotics to get it. Aquarium salt can be effective as well, at the right doses, but I would try these meds first. If you can't get them, let me know and I can help with a salt treatment. 👍
Any fish you can use it on, but make sure you know the diagnosis of the fish. Make sure to research about your fish for example "what the temperature should be", "how many fish have this on them in your tank/bowl".
Alexis - so sorry to hear! Unfortunately, no, bettafix won't work for Dropsy. Dropsy is a tough one. The best recommendation for Dropsy I have is Seachem Kanaplex. Kanaplex is absorbed through the skin and Seachem made it to specifically try to address Dropsy (among other diseases...) Hope that helps and helps your betta!
It’s definitely a case of hit and miss of if they work or not. I had a yellow lab cichlid who was appearing to have swim bladder disease and with the mix of melafix and pimafix along with aquarium salt, I was able to get him back on track in about a week or so
My fish had mild white dusty looking stuff on his body...took some pictures to petco and the lady that works there said it looks like he has velvet. She recommended pimafix.. told me to take out the filter cartridge... give them the correct dosage every day for seven days..and to change 25% of the water after the 7 days are up. Any ways I'm doing as told.... I'm on day 4 and the situation seems worse...he looks like he has more white stuff on him...also his eyes are cloudy and one seems to have a white bump on it..is this normal? I have a feeling it isnt =[ any advice would help..I'm a first time fish owner and I really want to help him get better.
Jaimee - first, welcome to the hobby! Second, I'm really glad you messaged me because you need a little extra help here. Third, you'll find a lot of people in the hobby ready to help you, so you have a big support group and I hope this one event doesn't frustrate you too much. First, and I'm sorry to say this, the lady at Petco didn't give you the right advice. PImafix won't do a thing in this situation and is completely useless against velvet. Shine a flashlight around your fish - is it white with defined spots? Or yellowish/gold/white and dusty? If it's white defined spots , this is Ich and needs to be treated with a medication like Ich-X from Hikari (you can find this on Amazon easily). If it's yellowish/gold/white and dusty, this would be velvet - this needs to be treated with either Seachem Metroplex or Kordon Copper-Aid. The difference between the two is that Ich will show up as white spots around the fish - if it's velvet it will look like the fish swam through powered sugar. Petco sells Pimafix because they really don't have anything else to sell. What kind of fish? Does it look like spots or does it look like a powdered sugar coating?
All these "FIX" are useless If comes to fin rot or some bacterial or fungal infection, have to use proper medication for it ! This will not cure any of above like you explained ! I would say ,don't waste money on it ! Great video and every point was right !
I’m taking care of my boyfriends betta and I noticed last week he had finrot. I think he had something wrong with his fins before but I really noticed something was wrong after a little girl poured a bunch of fish food all in his 5 gallon tank. I took him out and put him in a hospital tank and i’ve been using bettafix for the past week. His fins do look a lot better, they were all clamped together and looked really bad but not he has them spread out but that do still look not as good. I was wondering, should I continue using bettafix or should I use something else to help finish up the healing process. Thanks!
Madison - sorry for the late reply here. Oh no! Little kids are notorious for putting too much food in the water...lol. They have big hearts and mean well, though. With that much food, that will cause some water quality issues, so I'm not surprised your Betta's fins were clamped. He probably wasn't feeling too comfortable. Regarding the Bettafix, it's ok as like a neosporin for fish...it's ok for minor scrapes, etc...but there is a better product, in my opinion, on the market called Kordon Fish Protector. Heals really well and has echinacea, and vitamin b12. Also really helps fish keep a strong slime coat. If he isn't healing well, or if you suspect fin rot, unfortunately, Bettafix won't be effective. Fin rot is caused by bacterial infection and you'll need to use antibiotics to treat it. I have another video on that: ua-cam.com/video/LgQ3mS1jLsE/v-deo.html Hope that all helps a little!
Thank you! Right now I’m trying this jungle fungus thing, I can’t remeber the name, we’re only on a second dosage but he does look a little better, I think his fins are starting to grow back. I’ve had a few problems with this little buddy, including him being constipated, not being able to swim up, a horrible ammonia spike in his big tank, and now his finrot. But I know we can over come it!
Thank you so much for making this video. I’ve got a large male peacock bass that was injured 2 days ago, I accidentally spooked him while doing some tank cleaning, he’s tried to launch out of the tank, tearing a one inch wound right on the hump of his head. I’ve been told to use Aquasonic Fungonex to help stop any infections setting in. I’m just wondering if you’ve heard of this product please? And if you think I’m on the right track please? I’ve been extremely worried and feeling really horrible about this happening. The large piece of flesh that was torn from his hump, is still hanging on, I’m also wondering if it’ll break away naturally please? Thank you in advance for any guidance you can share with me 🙏
So, I’m treating a betta fish with really severe fun rot. Like, he barely has a fun left to swim with. I saw him at PetCo, and I just couldn’t leave him. He’s very malnourished as well. At the moment I’m using doses of bettafix in a one gallon quarantine tank because I just don’t know what else to do.( I named him Mike by the way!)
So sorry I'm late on this comment....busy week. Sorry to hear about your Betta! That is severe fin rot. I did a video on fin rot a little while ago. If it is really severe, it usually takes antibiotics/medication to get the bad bacteria causing it. Hope this might help a little: ua-cam.com/video/LgQ3mS1jLsE/v-deo.html Let me know if I can help further
dmichaels fish den Thank you so much!!! I have a a couple of questions, though. So Mike is looking a lot better, and every great once in a while he’ll eat, but most the time he doesn’t. I’m giving him freeze dried bloodworms and Hikari micro pellets. (My other two betta will only eat those micro pellets because the normal ones are too big for them.) I was wondering if you knew any way to get him to eat, since he’s very malnourished. My other question is about Bettafix. So, I read the directions and it said to use it as a treatment weekly, then change the water on the seventh day. Obviously, I’m not going to leave him in a 1 gallon quarantine tank without any water change for Seven days!! But, does that mean he’s not getting enough medication, since I change the water more frequently?? My last question is about using a filter. So, I do about an 80% water change every other day, then on the fourth day I do a 100% water change. I haven’t been using a filter ( though I do have one) because I’ve heard that it messes with the medicine. But then I’ve also heard that they absolutely need a filter, so I’m really confused. Like I said early, he’s getting a lot better! So, at least that’s a start. I’m going to give the Bettafix another week, then I’m going to try aquarium salt or methylene blue. Sorry for all of these questions, I just really want him to get better!! Thank you so much!! God bless!
My pleasure! Of course I want to do what I can to help...his name is Mike ;) Yes, so as a way to get him to eat...try to mix in some Seachem Garlic Guard with the food. It is widely available online and fish usually can't resist the garlic scent. Garlic guard is really just that - concentrated garlic and fish safe. Should help entice him to eat :) What I would try to do after the water changes is estimate how much Bettafix you may have removed - then replace it. So if you are doing an 80% water change, I would add about 80% of the Bettafix dose in again to make sure it is in there and still trying to work. If it is a 100% water change, dose the full dose of Bettafix afterward. It's tough to find a filter that will work in a 1 gallon quarantine tank, but with that many changes you should be fine without one. You are right about the filter and the medicine, but it isn't the filter itself that messes with the medicine...it's if the filter has activated carbon in it. So you can run the filter with the medication, no problem, you just have to take out the activated carbon and you'll be fine. But with that size tank and that many water changes, you should be fine without the filter for now, so don't feel like you have to put it in there. Glad to hear he is getting better! Keep up the good work! I agree, stay the course, then try the salt and methylene blue (you can combine them). Hopefully that does the trick without resulting to more potent medication. Let me know if I can help further!
dmichaels fish den Thank you!! I bought him some aquarium salt today, as well as a bigger tank for when he gets better! I’ve started using the aquarium salt along with the Bettafix and Stress Coat Plus. Hopefully that does the trick! Oh, I also got Some Bug Bites for tropical fish, and he ate some since they sink. He didn’t eat much, but it’s an improvement!! I wonder if he doesn’t have enough energy to go to the surface and get them, since he rarely swims. When he does he has to really exert himself to go anywhere. If he stops eating again, then I’ll definitely try what you recommend!! His fins are a lot more fanned out as well! One thing I did notice today was that it looked like his gills were opened way too wide. He may have just been glaring his beard, but I’ve never seen him do that, and he did if for a minute or two. I was looking at him from behind, and I could totally see inside his gills. I might just be worrying about nothing, and I’m sorry for pestering you so much! I would just feel so bad if poor Mike made it this far and didn’t make it. Thank you so much for you help, God Bless!
I am mid way through a treatment of Furan 2 for a fungal disease. I plan on doing another two treatments and seeing how my fish looks. Would you recommend continuing Furan 2 for a second round if it doesn't get better or should I try Kanaplex with it? Also, is it alright to add more API Quick Start and Aquarium Salt every time I do a water change during the medication process?
Cody - sometimes it can take 2 treatments, so yes, I would do a second and then go from there. After the second round of Furan 2 I would evaluate. If nothing has changed you can try a 3rd along with the Kanaplex, but I would see how that second treatment goes first. Furan-2 is pretty good stuff and it should get the fungus...it may just take a few treatments. Yes, I would add more Quick Start on each water change - if you do use the Kanaplex on a 3rd treatment (That will knock out the good bacteria) I would add a little Quick Start every other day while you are dosing the Kanaplex, if you end up going that route. I've never had any amount of success using aquarium salt (I used to use it back in the day)...I know some will say it can help with bacterial infections, etc...and maybe it does sometimes, but I actually stopped using it all together 3 years ago - it caused some bloating in my fish (too much internal water retention), and certainly never cleared a bacterial infection. My tanks have done much better after stopping salt use - it's hard to measure how much is actually in the water and it only comes out through water changes...it doesn't evaporate. I suppose it can't hurt to keep using a little aquarium salt - I've just never really seen any benefit with it, but that's just my experience. Certainly continue with it, though, if it is helping. 👍While medicating, do keep an eye on your water parameters as well - maybe a test every few days to make sure all is well - hope that helps!
@@dmichaelsfishden I sincerely appreciate your response. I have been kinda winging it and hoping that I'm not putting too much stuff in the tank at once. 😄 I'll definitely be keeping up with your channel
My pleasure, Cody! Glad everything is helpful! And don't worry - we've all had to wing it at some point in the hobby....experience is the best teacher and you'll learn a ton as you keep moving forward 👍
Great video. I've neglected my Betta a bit. He's got bad fin rot, really bad. He doesn't swim much at all. He just rests on top of the filter, maybe he likes the vibration. He does eat reluctantly and then rests on the gravel for a while before going back up to rest on the filter. My cardinal tetras are fine though, as are my kuhli loaches and nerite snails. Please help??!
Hi dmichaels, i am using Pimafix and i noticed on the label "contains chemicals known by the state of California to cause CANCER". How does it affect us humans? Is it by touch or ingestion? how potent is it ? I have used Pimafix in my 3 feet aquarium, should i do a full water change ? Thank you in advance.
Hi Calvin - I wouldn't, no. There really is no need. The fixes are ok to treat very minor wounds, missing scales, etc...they are like neosporin. Putting in the fixes after each water change is like putting neosporin on your hands every day when you don't have a cut. I would only use them for very minor cuts scratches. If you want an additive after water changes that helps, I would add a little Kordon Fish Protector, which helps to strengthen fish's slime coat (also has vitamin B and Echinacea in it), and maybe some API Stress Zyme (sludge eating bacteria) for tank maintenance. But that is about it. (of course water conditioner if you are using tap water). The less chemicals in the tank the better :) Hope that helps!
My pleasure Demyx - yeah, unfortunately the “fixes” don’t do much, unless there is a very minor little cut or scrape - but there’s better stuff to deal with that out there now....Thanks for checking out the video!
My betta is extremely bloated and he doesn’t have dropsy and his poop does hang from him but it’s the same colour as the pellets I’m giving him and not white. So I’ve nailed it down to either internal parasites or bacterial infection do you have any recommendations as to what medicines to use that could perhaps do both these?
1 thank you for not using photos for the staff infection. I've been searching this info for hours yesterday and today, this is absolutely the best information! I bought a betta from meijer not realizing he had fin rot and used betta fix but he's gotten a bit worse.
Jazqui - thanks for the kind words! Glad the video was helpful. Yeah, staff infections aren't very pleasant to look at and wasn't necessary to include that photo. If you Betta has fin rot, unfortunately, betta fix won't solve anything. I have a video on how I cured my Bettas fin rot - I've always been able to cure it using a combination of Kanaplex and Jungle Fungus Cure (or you can substitute Furan-2 from API). Fin rot is caused by bacteria, and melafix doesn't have antibiotic properties to cure it....If I can help further let me know!
I just came across your video. I recently bought a betta and he came with flukes. I wanted to try melafix but I’ve seen so many reviews like this that it is not helpful. What can I use to treat him? I need help ASAP :(
Melania - my go to everytime for that is a product from Hikari called Prazi Pro. It has praziquantel in it and will take care of the flukes. You can find it easily on Amazon. I've used it many times in the past and you'll only most likely need one dose. One dose lasts 7 days. You are right, Melafix will not help with flukes as it isn't designed to target parasitic issues.
Hello Dan Great video loved it !!!! Question many of my fishes had died 1 every week I don't know what it is....I do my water changes weekly my PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate everything is good. Do you recommend using Melafix and Pimafix as a preventing med so my other fishes won't died????
Vladimir - thanks for the kind words and so sorry for the late reply. Catching up on comments after coming back from an injury - I'm so sorry to hear you have been losing fish! If the water parameters are good, do you see any sign of disease with any of them? Also - is the tank open or does it have a tight fitting lid? Did any household cleaning products or anything get into the tank by accident? They can be toxic to fish - a friend of mine cleaned a fan above her tank...the cleaning product mist floated down into her tank, and she lost all her fish.....Melafix and Pimafix are preventative but for only the most mild of conditions....kind of like weak Neosporin. So unfortunately, if there is a disease outbreak in your tank, the Melafix & Pimafix likely won't help in that case. You'd want to use a stronger medication, if you can figure out what disease it is....if you aren't sure, you can do one of two things....you can try Seachem Polyguard, which is a very broad spectrum antibiotic, designed to handle most diseases, parasitic, bacterial, or fungal. You can also try salt at a ratio of 1 tablespoon/gallon - that gets most everything, but it you have plants or snails, it will knock out the plants and snails. If you have a lot of plants and snails, I would try the Seachem Polyguard. If no signs of disease are present, I"m wondering if something toxic got in the tank - how is the tank now?
Hello, I’ve a crazy question. Couple of weeks before, I bought new fishes from pet store (3gold fish), I was little afraid of any disease spread in the main aquarium, so I planned to quarantine them in 10 gallon tank. I took tap water, added aquasafe and then added Melafix (less than 5ml). Within hours all the fishes died. I was wondering whether it was due to water issue and so I tested the water (all parameters were good). Today one of my older gold fish just started having fin rot and planned to quarantine. Tap water + aquasafe + aquarium salt and 2 ml of Melafix. Same situation again within an hour my fish died. I feel disheartened for quarantining the fish rather I should have kept my fish on my actual aquarium. :(. Does Melafix harm or kill fish for any reason? Can anyone advise please. Thanks in advance.
Added Aesthetic - sorry to hear your got it...it's pretty common so you are certainly not alone. It's caused by bacteria so to effectively get it, you have to use antibiotics. I've used meds that have worked best for me - 1. A combination of Seachem Kanaplex and Tank Buddies' Jungle Fungus Clear (or you can use API Furan-2). Most of the time, this gets the fin rot. If that combination doesn't work - 2. API Erythromycin. Fin Rot is most caused by gram-negative bacteria....that is what the combo of Kanaplex and Jungle Fungus Clear will get, and the meds I would try first. If that doesn't work, I would give your fish a week to rest, then try to Erythromycin - that gets gram-positive bacteria...
So In Canada you can't buy anywhere any antibiotics for your fish anymore . So my serious sick fishes has to die because I tried everything what is available on the market and unfortunately nothing is working
Iotnaula - I heard that about Canada...that does make things tough. If you can't get any antibiotics, I would then go to aquarium salt. Sodium Chloride. In the right ratios, it can get just about any diseases, BUT the ratio is really important. Using it as a very mild treatment (for very small wounds, cuts, etc..), 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. For more mild/medium issues like fin rot, fungus, parasitic issues, etc...1 tablespoon per 3 gallons. For a ratio that gets just about everything - fungal, parasitic, bacterial, etc... 1 tablespoon per gallon. If you try this last treatment, to get the fish acclimated, I would do a treatment of 1 tablespoon per 3 gallons for a few days, then up it to 1 tablespoon per gallon after that. Salt can be extremely effective for getting disease, but it is really important to use the right ratios. Hope that helps!
Dwight - really great question. Unfortunately, you can't when you see disease on your fish (unless you have the right materials and can swab and analyze) but you can make an educated guess and that is the best we can do. In labs, swabs of bacteria have shown whether a particular disease is gram positive or negative. For example, the bacteria that causes pop-eye in fish has been studied and shown to be almost always gram positive. In fin rot, swabs that have been studied have shown it to be primarily gram negative. So what we can make an educated guess on is the probability that certain bacteria strains are most likely to be gram positive or negative. That doesn't mean some fin rot, for example, can't be gram positive. It is just most likely to be gram negative...So we try medicating...if a medication designed to treat gram negative bacteria isn't effective, such as Seachem Kanaplex, as an example, we may need to try Erythromycin, which kills gram positive bacteria, on the next round. Unless we have our own labs set up and most of us don't, we have to go with the probabilities when confronting disease....have to go where the research is....hopefully that helps?
Hi there, I recently discovered your channel and I am having a bit of an issue with my Betta. He was all fine and dandy a day ago, being active as always and greeting me at the glass. I woke up today to find him quite pale and not swimming too much, just sitting at the top next to the surface, I did an immediate water change as it was water change day anyway (I do fifty percent a week). There's nothing visibly wrong with him, I may have overfed as rather than being cautious and soaking my pellets, the past few days I've been quite stressed and just dropped a pinch into the tank each night. What should I do? Should I fast him or should I get some treatments? Help would be appreciated as this is the first issue I've ran into with him, I've had him for over 5 months and he is in a fluval spec V.
Arenos - welcome to the channel! Appreciate you checking out the video...can you tell me a little more? How are the water parameters? Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate? Should be ok now that you've done a water change...is the Betta swollen in the stomach at all? Is he bloated? Do me a favor as well - shine a flashlight over him and see if there is any rust or gold looking dust on him - that is a sign of velvet, and it's common for fish to lose color with velvet. I get being stressed and overfeeding sometimes...I would absolutely without a doubt fast him - in my experience, when things happen this suddenly, it stems from a feeding issue. If the above symptoms aren't there, I would keep his water as clean as possible and fast him for a few days - has he improved at all?
dmichaels fish den All I can see is that he's a little bloated, his scales are poking out a little bit but nowhere near the amount that a Betta with dropsy has. He's a bit more active now and is swimming, albeit rather slowly. I think it may be because I've been feeding him on soaked pellets the same amount everyday and because when they're not soaked they're compact so I think I've been giving him more so that it looks like the same amount if I were to soak them which is not the same amount due to them being compact. I'm gonna fast him for a few days to see if he's okay afterwards, if not I'll get some weak meds as there's nothing that is visibly wrong with him other than being slightly bloated. I was also wondering if I could ask you another question on a different subject as I am extremely confused and very stressed what I should do as I've read so many conflicting things, would you be okay answering another question?
Arenos - definitely not Dropsy - that would be all over his body. I think you are right on with the pellet situation...he is just a little overfed. Imagine if you ate an ENORMOUS dinner - would you want to go run 2 miles right after 😉Definitely fast him for a few days, then I'd give him some peas only after a few days to make sure he is cleaned out for sure 👍 And yeah, man...if you have another question, shoot 🤘
dmichaels fish den Thanks, I'm due to get some chili rasboras tomorrow for my 7.5g, 12 specifically. I was going to get six at a time but the postage is cripplingly high (about £25 per order, so that's like $30). My tank has been cycling for maybe two and a half months, it cycled ages ago but I didn't have the time due to my A levels so I spent loads of time doing school work and revising for exams. This question is about how to acclimate them. I've read so much about acclimating and so many conflicting opinions, I watched your video on it but you only covered drip acclimation for fish that had been bought from a store. I'm not close enough to any stores and I don't drive either so I had to order them online. The shipping is overnight so they're likely to only be kept in the bag for about 20 hours or so (if they come by their guaranteed time that is which is 12:00). I've read that upon opening the bag ammonia starts to form very quickly and in high quantities, how do I combat this if I'm doing drip acclimation? I've read that you can use seachem prime (which I have) to combat it but I don't know because there are so many conflicting views out there "don't drip the ammonia will kill them" "don't temp acclimate, they'll die because they aren't adjusted to your parameters". Sorry for the long comment/question, I was originally planning on doing drip acclimation from the start but after reading I've been scared away. Help would be massively appreciated, you've got a new sub, your vids (although I've only watched two) are extremely helpful.
Arenos - always my pleasure, thanks for the kind words, and this is a GREAT question. Normally, you DON'T want to drip acclimate fish that are being shipped, because of the ammonia build up in the bag - once that bag opens, ammonia spike, for sure. But that's usually assuming a few days of shipping. 36 hours, 48 hours, or longer...20 hours isn't too horribly long, and chili rasboras don't have a huge bioload. In this situation, here what I would do: 1. Call the company you ordered from, if you can, and find out what their parameters are. If they are similar to yours, I would just temperature acclimate for 15 minutes, dump the fish in a net (we don't want their water going in), and put them right in. 2. If the parameters are super far off, I would open the bag, put a drop of prime in just to be safe, then drip acclimate. Chili rasboras are pretty darn hardy fish, so they will probably be ok with just temperature acclimation if your parameters are close...different story if it was Rams, Otos, or more sensitive fish....do you have any algae starting in the tank? That's when you know it's cycled...to be safe, you can also put a few small pieces of food in and some biological enhancer for a boost before your Rasboras get there, but 2 1/2 weeks should be plenty of time for a 7.5 gallon tank. Hope that all helps?😀
So melafix can't cure fungus on fish and it's just prevent the fungus from spreading only ..? My snakehead fish got fungus on it's body & already lose some scales . 😔
InsertNameHere - it depends on the case and how severe, and it's a broad topic, but I've always had some success with Thomas Labs, Seachem, and API. They all have pretty good medications. They can be found on Amazon and/or other online retailers. On the bacterial side, they all have some good antibiotics that will fight gram negative and/or gram positive bacterial infections. Jungle Labs has a great anti-fungal product called Jungle Fungus Clear that is similar to API's Furan-2. Jungle Fungus Clear can be found on Amazon. For parasitic infections, they all have good options as well. It's not so much the brand name but what is in the medications. Maybe this video will help a little? ua-cam.com/video/nomx_dwy8JI/v-deo.html I have a part 2 as well. For healing small scrapes, missing scales, etc...a few years ago I switched over from Melafix (Melafix/Bettafix never did anything for me, even as a type of Neosporin) to Kordon Fish Protector, which has worked well. Hope all that helps!
dmichaels fish den oh ok thanks a lot! I think I’ll check them out. I think some of my fish have fungus like the Ram you showed on one of your vids if I’m not mistaken. And my eels are pale and have like red lines. I read this could be hemorrhagic septicemia or red sores. I would like to treat them and all of my other fish with some general prevention medicine.
My pleasure! While I know the Jungle Fungus Clear will take care of the fungus (that's what I used to get the fungus taken care of on the ram), I'm not sure at all how it works against hemorrhagic septicemia, which is what it sounds like your eels might have (this is the internal hemorrhaging). Seachem Kanaplex can treat hemorrhagic septicemia, and if the fish are all in one tank you might try one of these two approaches: One, use a combination of Jungle Fungus Clear and Kanaplex. Two - (I've never used this personally but people have said good things about it) you can use Seachem Polyguard by itself. It's Seachem's broadest spectrum/strongest medication and is supposed to help get fungus and septicemia. It's essentially the medication you want to use if you aren't 100% sure what your fish might have
dbr - Great question, and I'm glad you asked! This was more of a follow up video. I have a few other videos on what works already up on the channel. Check out the "Beginning Guide To Fish Disease and Medication, parts 1 &2." Those cover what medications work for established bacterial infections and the various types of bacterial infections. It depends on what type of bacterial infection it is, gram-positive or gram-negative, aerobic, or aerobic, etc...Erythromycin is effective against a lot of gram positive bacteria, Nirofurazone and Kanamycin can be effective against gram negative bacteria, etc... I've also have another video on "How I Cured My Betta's Fin Rot," which dealt with a serious case of fin rot. Hope those help! Thanks for checking out the video and let me know if I can help further!
can i use betafix on healthy fish? i think they may be sick, but will it do any harm if i use it on healthy fish? and if a fish has a fungus and fin rot, can i use a general cure to cure it, or what should i use?
Sorry for the very late reply. I wouldn't use bettafix on healthy fish - no reason to. It won't really help anything or add to their health. If your fish is doing great, best thing is to let them do their thing 👍But I wouldn't use Bettafix for much at all - it really isn't helpful. A better product for maintenance is Kordon Fish Protector, which has vitamin B and Echinacea in it...much better for the fish and their slime coat. General cure is for parasitic infections, so it won't likely get fungus and fin rot. I have a good remedy for those in this video here: ua-cam.com/video/LgQ3mS1jLsE/v-deo.html Hope that helps!
Really sorry to hear your fish has popeye....Unfortunately, "the fixes" aren't very effective against it. Popeye can be really aggressive - "the fixes" are more intended for very mild scrapes/scratches. Popeye usually requires a more potent medication - I've had a lot of success in the past using API's Erythromycin - very effective against popeye. Hope that helps!
I'm sorry to say that my fish Patriot passed away. Batman passed away. now I've got this poor beta Nightwing who is constipated I think but I don't know why I only feed him a little bit every other day. None of my female bettas have problems for some reason male Bettas have problems.
Unfortunately, Bettafix will not cure popeye. Popeye is caused by fluid buildup behind the eye and gram positive bacterial infections, in most cases. Unfortunately, Bettafix is not an anitbiotic, and in most Popeye infections, it takes an antibiotic medication to get it. I would first try API Erythromycin. It gets gram positive bacterial infections and can be effective with Popeye. If that doesn't work you can also try Seachem Kanaplex. Just follow the directions on the back of each medication. I wish I could say Bettafix will work, but it simply isn't designed to get gram positive bacterial infections very well.....Hope that helps a little!
Health Canada banned the sale of antibiotics for fish in pet stores so when our fish get sick, we literally have no idea what to do for them, and neither do the vets. It’s horrifying to watch.
I used Pimafix to "help" a fish with fungus using the correct dosage...not only did that fish die but another healthy fish died within 12 hours. The next day I did a 50% water change to help remove this awful product. Use at your own risk or just use chemicals that are proven to work and dont risk using Pimafix.
crazee635 - couldn't agree more. I'm not even sure what Pimafix does, if anything. More and more, I lean closer toward the resolution that Melafix, Pimafix, and Betafix don't do anything at all - they are just a herbal liquid sold in a bottle for profit - it's just snake oil....
@@dmichaelsfishden I think the only "natural" product that does have a place in the hobby is "Aquarium Salt" which can be useful in fighting off some fish diseases. The only place my Pimafix went was down the plughole as it has no place being put in my tank where it did more damage than good! Yeah...I have no doubts that Pimafix, Melafix and Betafix are snake oil products!
Interesting vid but please learn how to pronounce melaleuca properly please. As an Aussie I was so confused what you were talking about each time you tried to pronounce it.
Jerald - Popeye is usually gram positive, so, on paper according to API, Melafix is supposed to target gram positive issues. That being said, I've never tried it personally, but I highly doubt it would work at all. That sounds harsh, but popeye can be a more serious infection and Melafix isn't really intended to get any serious infections. Popeye really has to be handled with anitbiotics - for Popeye, and my go to for any gram-positive bacterial infections is erythromycin. Hope that helps!
Jim Atkins as a 50 yr fish owner. You’ve never had to treat fish previously ? And better still, what have u used previously over the past 5 decades. Love to know
I actually work in a research lab that hopes to study Pimafix and Melafix more, both in vivo and in vitro hopefully. And that includes testing the two together hopefully.
Interestingly enough, Melaleuca alternifolia actually has been shown to be (somewhat) effective against Ich on live Pacu. 50% lives that were treated with it, vs 0% that were left untreated. There is a study around somewhere on it. It uses a different species than Melafix though, and it was dosed much higher than would normally be seen in aquariums (like at least 100x more). This makes me wonder if Melafix would be more effective against bacterial infections in fish if the dose was drastically increased? I’m guessing some fish wouldn’t respond well to this.
That same species has also been shown effective against Gyrodactylus on live fish as well, which is also interesting.
At a 1% concentration and only 5 mL/ 10 gallon, I’m just guessing that it’s not at a high enough concentration to do anything meaningful. Various essential oil, including Melaleuca leucadendra have been shown to be effective in vitro against some kinds of bacteria, but that’s in vitro and not in an aquarium.
It’ll be interesting to see what my study (if it ever happens) comes up with. Hopefully it would be published by the end of the academic year.
The issue I have with the products is that I’m just not sure if they have a place. If you have a mild infection, you have no idea how rapidly it may spread. Why potentially waste time and let it progress further by using something that might not work? I simply just think that they do more harm than good in the hobby.
Jonah N what an awesome comment!! Thank you for sharing. This is as close to expert advice as we can get. Very interesting. Would you mind keeping me up to date? My email is dmichaelsfishden@gmail.com. Perhaps we can work together and help share some of the lab results with folks so we bring more clarity on the subject. Really appreciate you watching and commenting. Great stuff! 👍
dmichaels fish den Definitely! There is already one study on the effectiveness of Melafix in vitro on various kinds of bacteria done by UNC. They found that it didn’t do anything up to the concentrations they tested at (which were much higher than aquarium levels). It’s definitely worth a read, it’s from 2015.
We will see what happens! I might even try having one group that receives Melafix at a higher concentration than would normally be done and see how the fish respond. I really think that these essential oil treatments have SOME sort of merit, but again, it all comes down to whether we can get high enough concentrations of the stuff in our aquarium before it hurts the fish.
@@ShadowTheNinjaKitty I love all this. This study is on to something! This reminds me of using aquarium salt appropriately, especially when using it as a treatment for fungal or bacterial diseases. It is the amount of salt that matters - often its is said that aquarium salt doesn't work because most follow the instructions on the box, which is not an amount strong enough to get mild or especially advanced bacterial or fungal issues. Sounds like this is what is going on with Melafix....the concentrations aren't high enough. I'd be SUPER interested to hear how the study goes and how the fish respond at higher concentrations with the Melafix. Please keep me posted if you don't mind! This is important stuff for people to know about!
Hello! It’s been three years, what have you found out?
I have a 2500 gal pond, one koi has cloudy eye and what looks to be some inflammation around her face. I think there’s some flukes and Ich. I’ve had these fish four years and haven’t had much of a problem till I added new fingering Koi to the pond, I did t quarantine before, next time I will.
I’m desperately trying to figure out what the best medicines are.
I just started treatment yesterday with Melafix and Primafix. I’m not in an area where there are fish doctors. I’ve reached out to the couple an hour away and I’ve only had one call back with let get your info, start an account and bring your fish here. Which is hard to do with four large koi showing symptoms.
My water is good. I had a crazy Algae bloom in July. We run a good filter and UV. Learned the UV bulb went out, replaced, stayed up on water changes, and a couple weeks ago the them went from hot to very cold in a day. This is when we added the new fish and the pond went out of control.
I also use salt in my pond a couple times a year, and also when the fish show any signs of flashing.
Your whole mini-series should be shown to every new fish owner. Super helpful, thank you so much!
Paige - thank you for the very kind words! I'm so glad the video was helpful!
I am learning soooooo much from you holy hell! THANK you for making these videos. I have four bettas- but I moved apartments abruptly and have been battling fin rot since that move. And your videos has given me such a clearer direction than anyone’s advice ever has. Thank you!
Tokumei - so sorry for the late reply here. My pleasure! Welcome aboard! Proud to have you and so glad the videos are helpful!
BTW - I'm so sorry to hear about the fin rot battle - going through one myself right now. I do have a video on how I've healed my Betta's fin rot in the past, but since going through it with my 3 year old Betta now, I'll be doing a fresh video on the entire process soon. :)
dmichaels fish den Hey no worries!
Yeah it’s been a bit of a struggle. But my guess is it started when they were at Petsmart.
I think I’ve watched that one! I’m using the Jungle Fungus Clear and KanaPlex right now. The calendar you had along side it actually helped immensely! Most people just say what to do without demonstrating it which has made everything a lot harder. So thank you for that! :D I’ll keep an eye out for the updated video also!
Very helpful, best video I’ve seen on the fixers
Thank you, Karen, for the very kind words. I spent some time on this one...😊
Once again Mike, an extremely well done video. A great primer on initial stage medical issues and how to deal with them.
Thanks
Thanks, much Jim! Appreciate the friendship and kind words!
Please identify the criteria to be met to determine at which point a "mild" bacterial infection becomes an "advanced" bacterial infection.
Also, am I correct in assuming these "fixes" are not effective against fungal or parasitic infection?
I do understand, even though I have yet to research the symptoms of such an infection, that viral infections in fish are not treatable.
all the useful information aside what a great video. the effects, the narration. amazing quality.
This Old New - That's really nice of you to say. Appreciate all the kind words. Thank you for watching and I'm glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for this video. This should be mandatory watching for every new fish owner!
Glad it was helpful!
These series have been so helpful to me now since ive been dealing with sickness
Glad it has been helpful Marius!! Thank you for watching!
Finally!! a truthful answer! thanks so much! i was told to get bettafix for my fish's fin rot and it didnt work.
Another excellent video! Your analogy about the "fixes" being like Neosporin , certainly drives the point home! Like you, I tried using aquarium salt and then Bettafix to cure my Betta's fin rot. I saw a slight difference with the aquarium salt but he actually got worse when I started using the Bettafix. It seems like every forum I've done research on, people will always say that that the "fixes" injure and even kill labyrinth breathers like the Betta. I wonder where this misleading information comes from since many people swear they've had those issues? The big box pet stores certainly push the products. Thanks again for such helpful information!
Second Twirl - my pleasure . I think the big chain stores push Bettafix, Melafix, etc...because it is a widely purchased wholesale product, chosen by the big chain execs, that they have to sell. Bad information gets out, rumors start...Glad you liked the Neosporin analogy...it's the best way I can describe what it is 😀 And there really isn't any super scientific evidence that the "fixes" harm labyrinth fish...I think the fish die from other causes and some assume it's one of the "fixes," which are most widely used for Bettas, thanks to the "Bettafix" name ☺️ Thanks for checking out the video and for the kind words!
I use doxycycline for fin rot
Best video so far for new fish keepers; I’ve lost two guppies to fin rot so far despite advice from my LFS and am desperate to save a third one.
Looks like the preventative things I’ve been doing are far from enough so back to the store again tomorrow.
Also, it’s pronounced Melaloo-ka (melaleuca), it’s a hard k sound not a sha sound. Tricky hey!
Love your videos! You explain it very clear and easily understood. Keep the videos coming!👍
Vannak - thank you for the kind words! Glad it was helpful and thanks for watching!
Hello Dan. You video was very informative! I came home last night and I notice my betta's fins got caught on the motor impeller! I gently got my betta's fins out of the impeller. His fins were shredded. I used some Betafix for my betta in the ten gallon tank
Good discussion of "The 'fixes," but I still wonder how useful they are; it almost seems to me that, if we've noticed the ailment, it's likely already past the point at which these would be helpful.
Anthony Ragan they aren’t useful. That is between us
However, I don't want to dismiss them. They do have a time and place. They are great as a "Neosporin" for fish. Still good to keep on hand, so I don't want to say they aren't useful. I just think the confusion here is that hobbyists use these to deal with serious issues. They don't work, then, bad information gets populated about the Fixes. 😀
@@dmichaelsfishden
(Just between you, me and Anthony R) - I just stopped mela/pimafix treatment in the 6th day. I got tired of watching my fish die one after another.
And the problem was caught when I found one guppy with a few spots on it's tail.
I switched to heat and aquarium salt and improvement was dramatic and instantaneous.
I'd like to hear at least one person say there's no one treatment that will be effective for all fish...
AND! Correct diagnosis is the most important part of choosing the best treatment.
Interesting this is a great video and sheds a lot of light on them and how to use them correctly! I could see times where you spot an infection that is small and you would try MelaFix or PIMFIX first and later try other medications. For me alot of the time I don't know if I have a gram negative or gram positive infection.
This was great and clear info. I appreciate it much.
WOW!!!!…………...your Latin pronunciation is down pat, not forgetting every other superlative for this amazing video!!………..at last we see where API Harvest their bottles of Fixes, and where, when and why to use them. One of the many more helpful vids you are now obliged to create for our hobby :)
colinbarsby thank you! This one took awhile but I hope it’s helpful to folks. I think there is a lot of confusion with these products. This is the video I was finishing up last night when I emailed you 🤗.
The video production is a credit to you, along with the concise and clear explanations.
Great contents.... love your analogies
kcpth - thanks for the kind words! Glad the videos are helpful!
@@dmichaelsfishden I like the other youtubers... but I have to admit, your video breaks it down easier and a lot more fun to watch. Keep up the superb work along with the research you do. I look fwd to seeing more of your contents
Amazing video, nice research, and good explanations. Liking and saving for later.
Parakeet - really appreciate the kind words and thank you for checking out the video! Glad it was helpful!
I want to say great video thank you so much I I've only been in the fish hobby for one month and I lost 3 bettas I'm living in Taiwan as an American and I found that it's very difficult to get the proper information on how to take care of your bettas and nobody told me that I need to pretreat the water and pretreat my fish has some problem I had to go to four different stores to figure out exactly what I needed and also to cycle of a tank before putting my fish in
Meg - I think it's awesome that you are living in Taiwan as an American! Keeping Bettas is pretty much the same as many freshwater fish. I'm really sorry you lost a few. I hope my channel can help. I've tried to simply share all of my experience through the channel. Not that I am an expert at all, but I have learned a few things along the way. I do have older videos on cycling tanks, etc...Please watch some of my older videos as I think they can be helpful to you. I hope you hang in there! This is a wonderful, rewarding hobby!
Great information. Thanks for the simple explanation
GDee Cichlids thank you for the kind words!
Can you use it while having activated charcoal in your filter?
Nice informative video. Since these are mild and all-natural would you use these for quarantine purposes? I currently use Kordon all-natural meds which are hopefully less toxic but I am unsure how effective they would be treating a major infection. Looking for a all-natural med for treating internal parasites. Currently using API General Cure for this purpose.
Rod - thanks for the kind words and support, as always! For actual quarantine, I'm not sure I'd use the fixes. If you are really trying to kill of disease, I'm not sure they would be useful...but that being said, I've never used them for quarantine purposes, but..always worth a try. I always treat these like a "Neosporin." Kordon has great stuff, but I believe the ingredients are much different than the "fixes?" General Cure or Metroplex are my go to's for parasites. A great question on all all natural remedy. Please let me know if you find something! 👍
When putting aquarium salt in tank should you put it in a pot and heat it to solve the salt? Also, it says one rounded tablespoon for every 5 gallon. So do I put it in eleven tablespoons in the pot of water for a 55 gallon tank?? That’s the plan for today. I’m nervous. Usually I would put a tablespoon of aquarium salt for how many gallons my pot’s capacity.
what is the best to get when its way past using these fixes ?
Hey. I just used BettaFix as instructed to heal his tail that neon tetras nipped, but he instantly dropped to the tank bottom (5,5 gal)
Is it hurting him or making him sedated somehow?
How is he doing now? It's very possible with Pimafix, but I haven't heard of it with Melafix or Bettafix, but it is possible. Pimafix contains bay rum oil or allspice. They both contain Eugenol, which is the main component of clove oil, used to sedate fish (and euthanize them). Now I'm wondering if Eugenol is in the Cajeput oil in Bettafix. I've never seen that if you are following the directions, but it's entirely possible. Did he recover? After how long?
dmichaels fish den .. I had to change his water again and then he became full of energy and fine again. It appeared as if Betta Fix was totally killing him :(
Glad he is ok - you had to get that stuff outta there...I'm sure it was halfway sedating him. This is why I'm just not a huge fan of the stuff...a little too unpredictable 😖Nice move on the water change 👍You did the right thing. Heading out the door but I'll send over another way to help your Betta's fins heal in a bit 😀
Try this with his fins - nothing heals them on their own like clean water....so just make sure he is getting a good water change each week...I don't use salt because I've found this is an irritant to Bettas. The fins should heal on their own. IF they get infected, and this turns into fin rot, you'll need something stronger....for that I have a video called "How I cured my Bettas fin rot." The two meds I used were fantastic....healed the fin rot, healed the fins...all good 👍 Hope all that helped, and thanks for checking out the video!
Shared , saved to refer back when needed . Great job👍💫☑
Thanks, COP! How is the party room? Looks pretty darn good on the vids 👍
dmichaels fish den it's my happy place lol 🙌
AquariumCop lol. It would be mine too brotha.
Should any of these be used on a regular basis to prevent infection?
What brand tank is that?
Watching this today from PH.
Love it! Thanks so much for watching!!!
Hehe. Thanks!!
Would betta fix help a betta that has been damaged by ammonia? No visible tears but im thinking there probably is some irritation inside the gills from the ammonia i just havnt given any bettafix yet because i dont want to put too much stuff in if not needed, thanks
My betta wounded himself on a plastic plant in the tank. He doesn't have an infection or disease, just a big gash. Can I use Bettafix for that?
You certainly could try Bettafix. If it is just a gash or was just scraped, his fins will likely heal up all on their own as long as you keep the water nice and clean :) In these situations, I like to add a little Seachem Stress Guard in the water - it kind of acts like a liquid band aid, adding more protection over the fish's slimecoat. Bettafix can also help with small mild things, so if you have it on hand, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try it. Hope that helps a little!
Is the addition of all meds "including organics" necessary to turn off the uv light? To my understanding if you don't it weakens their potency.
fasterthanaturtle not sure what you mean? There is no relation between meds and lighting.
That seemed the same to me at first since the uv kills bacteria and naturally outside penetrating only the first couple of inches of water. It's just what people at fish stores say, maybe because the energy of uv is too intense for the stability of meds. I think Seacham said that too. Just ask around, you'll hear it. Just want to share some of my in-depth research. Yt AlboPepper, he is the most knowledgeable person for plant growth and spectrum lighting. That turned me on to SB reef lights, Mike is an engineer who owns a fish store in FL who is very friendly and knowledgeable. I love my lights from him. 300w 16" built in timers and a complete researched spectrum of leds.. Swiss tropicals Pollyeither foam is much better than pollyester and their jet lifters are sweet too. Dr Tanner is a great guy and he is the only distributor in the US for these German products. His articles will change your concept of bio load and it's functions. He also has a vid on Yt.
So sorry for the late reply! This is very interesting! I've actually never heard about this before but I will absolutely research this as well as read some of these articles. Always something to learn in the hobby! ;)
hello, I hope u see this. I was wondering what I should do for my betta Kevin who seems to have the early symptoms of fin rot. I have been watching so many videos and I don’t know what to do.
Oscar - hope this video might help:ua-cam.com/video/LgQ3mS1jLsE/v-deo.html This is a solution I've used a few times in the past. Unfortunately, melafix, or bettafix really aren't designed to handle the bacteria infections that cause fin rot. Fin rot is caused by bacteria, so you often need antibiotics to get it. Aquarium salt can be effective as well, at the right doses, but I would try these meds first. If you can't get them, let me know and I can help with a salt treatment. 👍
Can use for goldfish??
Any fish you can use it on, but make sure you know the diagnosis of the fish. Make sure to research about your fish for example "what the temperature should be", "how many fish have this on them in your tank/bowl".
Alrightt . Thank you so muchh 😁😁
My betta has dropsy and every petco I have gone to only have the fixes. Will bettafix work? It’s still the beginning stage
Alexis - so sorry to hear! Unfortunately, no, bettafix won't work for Dropsy. Dropsy is a tough one. The best recommendation for Dropsy I have is Seachem Kanaplex. Kanaplex is absorbed through the skin and Seachem made it to specifically try to address Dropsy (among other diseases...) Hope that helps and helps your betta!
It’s definitely a case of hit and miss of if they work or not. I had a yellow lab cichlid who was appearing to have swim bladder disease and with the mix of melafix and pimafix along with aquarium salt, I was able to get him back on track in about a week or so
My fish had mild white dusty looking stuff on his body...took some pictures to petco and the lady that works there said it looks like he has velvet. She recommended pimafix.. told me to take out the filter cartridge... give them the correct dosage every day for seven days..and to change 25% of the water after the 7 days are up. Any ways I'm doing as told.... I'm on day 4 and the situation seems worse...he looks like he has more white stuff on him...also his eyes are cloudy and one seems to have a white bump on it..is this normal? I have a feeling it isnt =[ any advice would help..I'm a first time fish owner and I really want to help him get better.
Jaimee - first, welcome to the hobby! Second, I'm really glad you messaged me because you need a little extra help here. Third, you'll find a lot of people in the hobby ready to help you, so you have a big support group and I hope this one event doesn't frustrate you too much. First, and I'm sorry to say this, the lady at Petco didn't give you the right advice. PImafix won't do a thing in this situation and is completely useless against velvet. Shine a flashlight around your fish - is it white with defined spots? Or yellowish/gold/white and dusty? If it's white defined spots , this is Ich and needs to be treated with a medication like Ich-X from Hikari (you can find this on Amazon easily). If it's yellowish/gold/white and dusty, this would be velvet - this needs to be treated with either Seachem Metroplex or Kordon Copper-Aid. The difference between the two is that Ich will show up as white spots around the fish - if it's velvet it will look like the fish swam through powered sugar. Petco sells Pimafix because they really don't have anything else to sell. What kind of fish? Does it look like spots or does it look like a powdered sugar coating?
Hey jaimie u have gorgeous lips can u throw me a kiss babydoll
Thank you
My pleasure, Cody!
Very helpful, thank you.
Very glad it was! And my pleasure!
All these "FIX" are useless
If comes to fin rot or some bacterial or fungal infection, have to use proper medication for it !
This will not cure any of above like you explained !
I would say ,don't waste money on it !
Great video and every point was right !
Goran - I have to say, I completely agree with you :)
do you have a eiho prazi gold review?
I’m taking care of my boyfriends betta and I noticed last week he had finrot. I think he had something wrong with his fins before but I really noticed something was wrong after a little girl poured a bunch of fish food all in his 5 gallon tank. I took him out and put him in a hospital tank and i’ve been using bettafix for the past week. His fins do look a lot better, they were all clamped together and looked really bad but not he has them spread out but that do still look not as good. I was wondering, should I continue using bettafix or should I use something else to help finish up the healing process. Thanks!
Madison - sorry for the late reply here. Oh no! Little kids are notorious for putting too much food in the water...lol. They have big hearts and mean well, though. With that much food, that will cause some water quality issues, so I'm not surprised your Betta's fins were clamped. He probably wasn't feeling too comfortable. Regarding the Bettafix, it's ok as like a neosporin for fish...it's ok for minor scrapes, etc...but there is a better product, in my opinion, on the market called Kordon Fish Protector. Heals really well and has echinacea, and vitamin b12. Also really helps fish keep a strong slime coat. If he isn't healing well, or if you suspect fin rot, unfortunately, Bettafix won't be effective. Fin rot is caused by bacterial infection and you'll need to use antibiotics to treat it. I have another video on that: ua-cam.com/video/LgQ3mS1jLsE/v-deo.html Hope that all helps a little!
Thank you! Right now I’m trying this jungle fungus thing, I can’t remeber the name, we’re only on a second dosage but he does look a little better, I think his fins are starting to grow back. I’ve had a few problems with this little buddy, including him being constipated, not being able to swim up, a horrible ammonia spike in his big tank, and now his finrot. But I know we can over come it!
This is a great video Brother !👍☺️
Protim Aquatics thanks man! Glad it might have been helpful! 👍
Thank you so much for making this video. I’ve got a large male peacock bass that was injured 2 days ago, I accidentally spooked him while doing some tank cleaning, he’s tried to launch out of the tank, tearing a one inch wound right on the hump of his head.
I’ve been told to use Aquasonic Fungonex to help stop any infections setting in.
I’m just wondering if you’ve heard of this product please? And if you think I’m on the right track please?
I’ve been extremely worried and feeling really horrible about this happening.
The large piece of flesh that was torn from his hump, is still hanging on, I’m also wondering if it’ll break away naturally please?
Thank you in advance for any guidance you can share with me 🙏
So, I’m treating a betta fish with really severe fun rot. Like, he barely has a fun left to swim with. I saw him at PetCo, and I just couldn’t leave him. He’s very malnourished as well. At the moment I’m using doses of bettafix in a one gallon quarantine tank because I just don’t know what else to do.( I named him Mike by the way!)
So sorry I'm late on this comment....busy week. Sorry to hear about your Betta! That is severe fin rot. I did a video on fin rot a little while ago. If it is really severe, it usually takes antibiotics/medication to get the bad bacteria causing it. Hope this might help a little: ua-cam.com/video/LgQ3mS1jLsE/v-deo.html Let me know if I can help further
dmichaels fish den Thank you so much!!! I have a a couple of questions, though. So Mike is looking a lot better, and every great once in a while he’ll eat, but most the time he doesn’t. I’m giving him freeze dried bloodworms and Hikari micro pellets. (My other two betta will only eat those micro pellets because the normal ones are too big for them.) I was wondering if you knew any way to get him to eat, since he’s very malnourished. My other question is about Bettafix. So, I read the directions and it said to use it as a treatment weekly, then change the water on the seventh day. Obviously, I’m not going to leave him in a 1 gallon quarantine tank without any water change for Seven days!! But, does that mean he’s not getting enough medication, since I change the water more frequently?? My last question is about using a filter. So, I do about an 80% water change every other day, then on the fourth day I do a 100% water change. I haven’t been using a filter ( though I do have one) because I’ve heard that it messes with the medicine. But then I’ve also heard that they absolutely need a filter, so I’m really confused. Like I said early, he’s getting a lot better! So, at least that’s a start. I’m going to give the Bettafix another week, then I’m going to try aquarium salt or methylene blue. Sorry for all of these questions, I just really want him to get better!! Thank you so much!! God bless!
My pleasure! Of course I want to do what I can to help...his name is Mike ;) Yes, so as a way to get him to eat...try to mix in some Seachem Garlic Guard with the food. It is widely available online and fish usually can't resist the garlic scent. Garlic guard is really just that - concentrated garlic and fish safe. Should help entice him to eat :) What I would try to do after the water changes is estimate how much Bettafix you may have removed - then replace it. So if you are doing an 80% water change, I would add about 80% of the Bettafix dose in again to make sure it is in there and still trying to work. If it is a 100% water change, dose the full dose of Bettafix afterward. It's tough to find a filter that will work in a 1 gallon quarantine tank, but with that many changes you should be fine without one. You are right about the filter and the medicine, but it isn't the filter itself that messes with the medicine...it's if the filter has activated carbon in it. So you can run the filter with the medication, no problem, you just have to take out the activated carbon and you'll be fine. But with that size tank and that many water changes, you should be fine without the filter for now, so don't feel like you have to put it in there. Glad to hear he is getting better! Keep up the good work! I agree, stay the course, then try the salt and methylene blue (you can combine them). Hopefully that does the trick without resulting to more potent medication. Let me know if I can help further!
dmichaels fish den Thank you!! I bought him some aquarium salt today, as well as a bigger tank for when he gets better! I’ve started using the aquarium salt along with the Bettafix and Stress Coat Plus. Hopefully that does the trick! Oh, I also got Some Bug Bites for tropical fish, and he ate some since they sink. He didn’t eat much, but it’s an improvement!! I wonder if he doesn’t have enough energy to go to the surface and get them, since he rarely swims. When he does he has to really exert himself to go anywhere. If he stops eating again, then I’ll definitely try what you recommend!! His fins are a lot more fanned out as well! One thing I did notice today was that it looked like his gills were opened way too wide. He may have just been glaring his beard, but I’ve never seen him do that, and he did if for a minute or two. I was looking at him from behind, and I could totally see inside his gills. I might just be worrying about nothing, and I’m sorry for pestering you so much! I would just feel so bad if poor Mike made it this far and didn’t make it. Thank you so much for you help, God Bless!
I am mid way through a treatment of Furan 2 for a fungal disease. I plan on doing another two treatments and seeing how my fish looks. Would you recommend continuing Furan 2 for a second round if it doesn't get better or should I try Kanaplex with it? Also, is it alright to add more API Quick Start and Aquarium Salt every time I do a water change during the medication process?
Cody - sometimes it can take 2 treatments, so yes, I would do a second and then go from there. After the second round of Furan 2 I would evaluate. If nothing has changed you can try a 3rd along with the Kanaplex, but I would see how that second treatment goes first. Furan-2 is pretty good stuff and it should get the fungus...it may just take a few treatments. Yes, I would add more Quick Start on each water change - if you do use the Kanaplex on a 3rd treatment (That will knock out the good bacteria) I would add a little Quick Start every other day while you are dosing the Kanaplex, if you end up going that route. I've never had any amount of success using aquarium salt (I used to use it back in the day)...I know some will say it can help with bacterial infections, etc...and maybe it does sometimes, but I actually stopped using it all together 3 years ago - it caused some bloating in my fish (too much internal water retention), and certainly never cleared a bacterial infection. My tanks have done much better after stopping salt use - it's hard to measure how much is actually in the water and it only comes out through water changes...it doesn't evaporate. I suppose it can't hurt to keep using a little aquarium salt - I've just never really seen any benefit with it, but that's just my experience. Certainly continue with it, though, if it is helping. 👍While medicating, do keep an eye on your water parameters as well - maybe a test every few days to make sure all is well - hope that helps!
@@dmichaelsfishden I sincerely appreciate your response. I have been kinda winging it and hoping that I'm not putting too much stuff in the tank at once. 😄 I'll definitely be keeping up with your channel
My pleasure, Cody! Glad everything is helpful! And don't worry - we've all had to wing it at some point in the hobby....experience is the best teacher and you'll learn a ton as you keep moving forward 👍
Is Bettafix good for starting fungus?
Great video. I've neglected my Betta a bit. He's got bad fin rot, really bad. He doesn't swim much at all. He just rests on top of the filter, maybe he likes the vibration. He does eat reluctantly and then rests on the gravel for a while before going back up to rest on the filter. My cardinal tetras are fine though, as are my kuhli loaches and nerite snails. Please help??!
Hi my black moor has been pooping white and stringy will these medications work for this because I think it is a parasite.
Hi dmichaels, i am using Pimafix and i noticed on the label "contains chemicals known by the state of California to cause CANCER". How does it affect us humans? Is it by touch or ingestion? how potent is it ?
I have used Pimafix in my 3 feet aquarium, should i do a full water change ?
Thank you in advance.
Can i put this fixes in my tank ..when I change my tank water ever week?
Hi Calvin - I wouldn't, no. There really is no need. The fixes are ok to treat very minor wounds, missing scales, etc...they are like neosporin. Putting in the fixes after each water change is like putting neosporin on your hands every day when you don't have a cut. I would only use them for very minor cuts scratches. If you want an additive after water changes that helps, I would add a little Kordon Fish Protector, which helps to strengthen fish's slime coat (also has vitamin B and Echinacea in it), and maybe some API Stress Zyme (sludge eating bacteria) for tank maintenance. But that is about it. (of course water conditioner if you are using tap water). The less chemicals in the tank the better :) Hope that helps!
I have a question. Can I use bettafix to treat popeye? And if I tried it to put in the water would it be bad for my betta?
God....thank you so much I'm gonna pick up some kanaplex tomorrow
My pleasure Demyx - yeah, unfortunately the “fixes” don’t do much, unless there is a very minor little cut or scrape - but there’s better stuff to deal with that out there now....Thanks for checking out the video!
My betta is extremely bloated and he doesn’t have dropsy and his poop does hang from him but it’s the same colour as the pellets I’m giving him and not white. So I’ve nailed it down to either internal parasites or bacterial infection do you have any recommendations as to what medicines to use that could perhaps do both these?
1 thank you for not using photos for the staff infection. I've been searching this info for hours yesterday and today, this is absolutely the best information! I bought a betta from meijer not realizing he had fin rot and used betta fix but he's gotten a bit worse.
Jazqui - thanks for the kind words! Glad the video was helpful. Yeah, staff infections aren't very pleasant to look at and wasn't necessary to include that photo. If you Betta has fin rot, unfortunately, betta fix won't solve anything. I have a video on how I cured my Bettas fin rot - I've always been able to cure it using a combination of Kanaplex and Jungle Fungus Cure (or you can substitute Furan-2 from API). Fin rot is caused by bacteria, and melafix doesn't have antibiotic properties to cure it....If I can help further let me know!
Can I give food while treating my fish with melafix or pimafix?
Thank you so much Sir.
I just came across your video. I recently bought a betta and he came with flukes. I wanted to try melafix but I’ve seen so many reviews like this that it is not helpful. What can I use to treat him? I need help ASAP :(
Melania - my go to everytime for that is a product from Hikari called Prazi Pro. It has praziquantel in it and will take care of the flukes. You can find it easily on Amazon. I've used it many times in the past and you'll only most likely need one dose. One dose lasts 7 days. You are right, Melafix will not help with flukes as it isn't designed to target parasitic issues.
dmichaels fish den Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just purchased a bottle 😁
Hello Dan Great video loved it !!!! Question many of my fishes had died 1 every week I don't know what it is....I do my water changes weekly my PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate everything is good. Do you recommend using Melafix and Pimafix as a preventing med so my other fishes won't died????
Vladimir - thanks for the kind words and so sorry for the late reply. Catching up on comments after coming back from an injury - I'm so sorry to hear you have been losing fish! If the water parameters are good, do you see any sign of disease with any of them? Also - is the tank open or does it have a tight fitting lid? Did any household cleaning products or anything get into the tank by accident? They can be toxic to fish - a friend of mine cleaned a fan above her tank...the cleaning product mist floated down into her tank, and she lost all her fish.....Melafix and Pimafix are preventative but for only the most mild of conditions....kind of like weak Neosporin. So unfortunately, if there is a disease outbreak in your tank, the Melafix & Pimafix likely won't help in that case. You'd want to use a stronger medication, if you can figure out what disease it is....if you aren't sure, you can do one of two things....you can try Seachem Polyguard, which is a very broad spectrum antibiotic, designed to handle most diseases, parasitic, bacterial, or fungal. You can also try salt at a ratio of 1 tablespoon/gallon - that gets most everything, but it you have plants or snails, it will knock out the plants and snails. If you have a lot of plants and snails, I would try the Seachem Polyguard. If no signs of disease are present, I"m wondering if something toxic got in the tank - how is the tank now?
Hi...my oscar fish got a cloudy eye for about 2 weeks...which medication do you recommend??
Hello, I’ve a crazy question. Couple of weeks before, I bought new fishes from pet store (3gold fish), I was little afraid of any disease spread in the main aquarium, so I planned to quarantine them in 10 gallon tank. I took tap water, added aquasafe and then added Melafix (less than 5ml). Within hours all the fishes died. I was wondering whether it was due to water issue and so I tested the water (all parameters were good). Today one of my older gold fish just started having fin rot and planned to quarantine. Tap water + aquasafe + aquarium salt and 2 ml of Melafix. Same situation again within an hour my fish died. I feel disheartened for quarantining the fish rather I should have kept my fish on my actual aquarium. :(. Does Melafix harm or kill fish for any reason? Can anyone advise please. Thanks in advance.
I got fin rot, what ahould i use then? Any brands specifically good or??
Added Aesthetic - sorry to hear your got it...it's pretty common so you are certainly not alone. It's caused by bacteria so to effectively get it, you have to use antibiotics. I've used meds that have worked best for me - 1. A combination of Seachem Kanaplex and Tank Buddies' Jungle Fungus Clear (or you can use API Furan-2). Most of the time, this gets the fin rot. If that combination doesn't work - 2. API Erythromycin. Fin Rot is most caused by gram-negative bacteria....that is what the combo of Kanaplex and Jungle Fungus Clear will get, and the meds I would try first. If that doesn't work, I would give your fish a week to rest, then try to Erythromycin - that gets gram-positive bacteria...
@@dmichaelsfishden thank you for helping me, I'll do my best and see the outcome (: I appreciate it.
My pleasure!
Sarker Md Sharfi Shabab API Furan-2 or Jungle Fungus Clear 👍. Use either one with Kanaplex.
So In Canada you can't buy anywhere any antibiotics for your fish anymore .
So my serious sick fishes has to die because I tried everything what is available on the market and unfortunately nothing is working
Iotnaula - I heard that about Canada...that does make things tough. If you can't get any antibiotics, I would then go to aquarium salt. Sodium Chloride. In the right ratios, it can get just about any diseases, BUT the ratio is really important. Using it as a very mild treatment (for very small wounds, cuts, etc..), 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. For more mild/medium issues like fin rot, fungus, parasitic issues, etc...1 tablespoon per 3 gallons. For a ratio that gets just about everything - fungal, parasitic, bacterial, etc... 1 tablespoon per gallon. If you try this last treatment, to get the fish acclimated, I would do a treatment of 1 tablespoon per 3 gallons for a few days, then up it to 1 tablespoon per gallon after that. Salt can be extremely effective for getting disease, but it is really important to use the right ratios. Hope that helps!
How can you tell if it is gram negative?
Dwight - really great question. Unfortunately, you can't when you see disease on your fish (unless you have the right materials and can swab and analyze) but you can make an educated guess and that is the best we can do. In labs, swabs of bacteria have shown whether a particular disease is gram positive or negative. For example, the bacteria that causes pop-eye in fish has been studied and shown to be almost always gram positive. In fin rot, swabs that have been studied have shown it to be primarily gram negative. So what we can make an educated guess on is the probability that certain bacteria strains are most likely to be gram positive or negative. That doesn't mean some fin rot, for example, can't be gram positive. It is just most likely to be gram negative...So we try medicating...if a medication designed to treat gram negative bacteria isn't effective, such as Seachem Kanaplex, as an example, we may need to try Erythromycin, which kills gram positive bacteria, on the next round. Unless we have our own labs set up and most of us don't, we have to go with the probabilities when confronting disease....have to go where the research is....hopefully that helps?
Hi there, I recently discovered your channel and I am having a bit of an issue with my Betta. He was all fine and dandy a day ago, being active as always and greeting me at the glass. I woke up today to find him quite pale and not swimming too much, just sitting at the top next to the surface, I did an immediate water change as it was water change day anyway (I do fifty percent a week). There's nothing visibly wrong with him, I may have overfed as rather than being cautious and soaking my pellets, the past few days I've been quite stressed and just dropped a pinch into the tank each night. What should I do? Should I fast him or should I get some treatments? Help would be appreciated as this is the first issue I've ran into with him, I've had him for over 5 months and he is in a fluval spec V.
Arenos - welcome to the channel! Appreciate you checking out the video...can you tell me a little more? How are the water parameters? Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate? Should be ok now that you've done a water change...is the Betta swollen in the stomach at all? Is he bloated? Do me a favor as well - shine a flashlight over him and see if there is any rust or gold looking dust on him - that is a sign of velvet, and it's common for fish to lose color with velvet. I get being stressed and overfeeding sometimes...I would absolutely without a doubt fast him - in my experience, when things happen this suddenly, it stems from a feeding issue. If the above symptoms aren't there, I would keep his water as clean as possible and fast him for a few days - has he improved at all?
dmichaels fish den All I can see is that he's a little bloated, his scales are poking out a little bit but nowhere near the amount that a Betta with dropsy has. He's a bit more active now and is swimming, albeit rather slowly. I think it may be because I've been feeding him on soaked pellets the same amount everyday and because when they're not soaked they're compact so I think I've been giving him more so that it looks like the same amount if I were to soak them which is not the same amount due to them being compact. I'm gonna fast him for a few days to see if he's okay afterwards, if not I'll get some weak meds as there's nothing that is visibly wrong with him other than being slightly bloated.
I was also wondering if I could ask you another question on a different subject as I am extremely confused and very stressed what I should do as I've read so many conflicting things, would you be okay answering another question?
Arenos - definitely not Dropsy - that would be all over his body. I think you are right on with the pellet situation...he is just a little overfed. Imagine if you ate an ENORMOUS dinner - would you want to go run 2 miles right after 😉Definitely fast him for a few days, then I'd give him some peas only after a few days to make sure he is cleaned out for sure 👍 And yeah, man...if you have another question, shoot 🤘
dmichaels fish den Thanks, I'm due to get some chili rasboras tomorrow for my 7.5g, 12 specifically. I was going to get six at a time but the postage is cripplingly high (about £25 per order, so that's like $30). My tank has been cycling for maybe two and a half months, it cycled ages ago but I didn't have the time due to my A levels so I spent loads of time doing school work and revising for exams.
This question is about how to acclimate them. I've read so much about acclimating and so many conflicting opinions, I watched your video on it but you only covered drip acclimation for fish that had been bought from a store. I'm not close enough to any stores and I don't drive either so I had to order them online. The shipping is overnight so they're likely to only be kept in the bag for about 20 hours or so (if they come by their guaranteed time that is which is 12:00). I've read that upon opening the bag ammonia starts to form very quickly and in high quantities, how do I combat this if I'm doing drip acclimation? I've read that you can use seachem prime (which I have) to combat it but I don't know because there are so many conflicting views out there "don't drip the ammonia will kill them" "don't temp acclimate, they'll die because they aren't adjusted to your parameters".
Sorry for the long comment/question, I was originally planning on doing drip acclimation from the start but after reading I've been scared away. Help would be massively appreciated, you've got a new sub, your vids (although I've only watched two) are extremely helpful.
Arenos - always my pleasure, thanks for the kind words, and this is a GREAT question. Normally, you DON'T want to drip acclimate fish that are being shipped, because of the ammonia build up in the bag - once that bag opens, ammonia spike, for sure. But that's usually assuming a few days of shipping. 36 hours, 48 hours, or longer...20 hours isn't too horribly long, and chili rasboras don't have a huge bioload. In this situation, here what I would do: 1. Call the company you ordered from, if you can, and find out what their parameters are. If they are similar to yours, I would just temperature acclimate for 15 minutes, dump the fish in a net (we don't want their water going in), and put them right in. 2. If the parameters are super far off, I would open the bag, put a drop of prime in just to be safe, then drip acclimate. Chili rasboras are pretty darn hardy fish, so they will probably be ok with just temperature acclimation if your parameters are close...different story if it was Rams, Otos, or more sensitive fish....do you have any algae starting in the tank? That's when you know it's cycled...to be safe, you can also put a few small pieces of food in and some biological enhancer for a boost before your Rasboras get there, but 2 1/2 weeks should be plenty of time for a 7.5 gallon tank. Hope that all helps?😀
So melafix can't cure fungus on fish and it's just prevent the fungus from spreading only ..? My snakehead fish got fungus on it's body & already lose some scales . 😔
Where can I get the “fixes” for the severe cases?
InsertNameHere - it depends on the case and how severe, and it's a broad topic, but I've always had some success with Thomas Labs, Seachem, and API. They all have pretty good medications. They can be found on Amazon and/or other online retailers. On the bacterial side, they all have some good antibiotics that will fight gram negative and/or gram positive bacterial infections. Jungle Labs has a great anti-fungal product called Jungle Fungus Clear that is similar to API's Furan-2. Jungle Fungus Clear can be found on Amazon. For parasitic infections, they all have good options as well. It's not so much the brand name but what is in the medications. Maybe this video will help a little? ua-cam.com/video/nomx_dwy8JI/v-deo.html I have a part 2 as well. For healing small scrapes, missing scales, etc...a few years ago I switched over from Melafix (Melafix/Bettafix never did anything for me, even as a type of Neosporin) to Kordon Fish Protector, which has worked well. Hope all that helps!
dmichaels fish den oh ok thanks a lot! I think I’ll check them out. I think some of my fish have fungus like the Ram you showed on one of your vids if I’m not mistaken. And my eels are pale and have like red lines. I read this could be hemorrhagic septicemia or red sores. I would like to treat them and all of my other fish with some general prevention medicine.
My pleasure! While I know the Jungle Fungus Clear will take care of the fungus (that's what I used to get the fungus taken care of on the ram), I'm not sure at all how it works against hemorrhagic septicemia, which is what it sounds like your eels might have (this is the internal hemorrhaging). Seachem Kanaplex can treat hemorrhagic septicemia, and if the fish are all in one tank you might try one of these two approaches: One, use a combination of Jungle Fungus Clear and Kanaplex. Two - (I've never used this personally but people have said good things about it) you can use Seachem Polyguard by itself. It's Seachem's broadest spectrum/strongest medication and is supposed to help get fungus and septicemia. It's essentially the medication you want to use if you aren't 100% sure what your fish might have
Debería hacer un tutorial subtitulado o en español
Vere si puedo descubrir como hacerlo! Gracias por ver
Muchas gracias
how can I cure pop eye please
Thanks
Ok so what are fixes for real established bacterial infections? All you said what products don’t work.
dbr - Great question, and I'm glad you asked! This was more of a follow up video. I have a few other videos on what works already up on the channel. Check out the "Beginning Guide To Fish Disease and Medication, parts 1 &2." Those cover what medications work for established bacterial infections and the various types of bacterial infections. It depends on what type of bacterial infection it is, gram-positive or gram-negative, aerobic, or aerobic, etc...Erythromycin is effective against a lot of gram positive bacteria, Nirofurazone and Kanamycin can be effective against gram negative bacteria, etc... I've also have another video on "How I Cured My Betta's Fin Rot," which dealt with a serious case of fin rot. Hope those help! Thanks for checking out the video and let me know if I can help further!
my betta has popeye what can i do to help
Do you have an email? I’d like to show you my betta. We left town for a week and a friend was in charge of “Ruby”. We came back to a different fish.
Hi Starla - Sorry for the late reply here. Sure, you can email dmichaelsfishden@gmail.com.
can i use betafix on healthy fish? i think they may be sick, but will it do any harm if i use it on healthy fish? and if a fish has a fungus and fin rot, can i use a general cure to cure it, or what should i use?
Sorry for the very late reply. I wouldn't use bettafix on healthy fish - no reason to. It won't really help anything or add to their health. If your fish is doing great, best thing is to let them do their thing 👍But I wouldn't use Bettafix for much at all - it really isn't helpful. A better product for maintenance is Kordon Fish Protector, which has vitamin B and Echinacea in it...much better for the fish and their slime coat. General cure is for parasitic infections, so it won't likely get fungus and fin rot. I have a good remedy for those in this video here: ua-cam.com/video/LgQ3mS1jLsE/v-deo.html Hope that helps!
Subscribed. 👍
Proud to have you on board, Jeff, and thank you for the sub!
I'm using an combination of Melafix and pimafix for iredescent sharks and it is perfectly working.
Fingers crossed
Glad it’s working! Stay on track. Like they say, don’t fix it if it isn’t broken 👍
Do these work for popeye?
Really sorry to hear your fish has popeye....Unfortunately, "the fixes" aren't very effective against it. Popeye can be really aggressive - "the fixes" are more intended for very mild scrapes/scratches. Popeye usually requires a more potent medication - I've had a lot of success in the past using API's Erythromycin - very effective against popeye. Hope that helps!
I'm sorry to say that my fish Patriot passed away. Batman passed away. now I've got this poor beta Nightwing who is constipated I think but I don't know why I only feed him a little bit every other day.
None of my female bettas have problems for some reason male Bettas have problems.
Wait so bettafix isn't good to cure a popeye?
Please help🥺
Unfortunately, Bettafix will not cure popeye. Popeye is caused by fluid buildup behind the eye and gram positive bacterial infections, in most cases. Unfortunately, Bettafix is not an anitbiotic, and in most Popeye infections, it takes an antibiotic medication to get it. I would first try API Erythromycin. It gets gram positive bacterial infections and can be effective with Popeye. If that doesn't work you can also try Seachem Kanaplex. Just follow the directions on the back of each medication. I wish I could say Bettafix will work, but it simply isn't designed to get gram positive bacterial infections very well.....Hope that helps a little!
@@dmichaelsfishden oh ok thank you so much I'll make sure to try it
Health Canada banned the sale of antibiotics for fish in pet stores so when our fish get sick, we literally have no idea what to do for them, and neither do the vets. It’s horrifying to watch.
I’m so sorry about that. Salt is your best bet. I have a few vids on that.
Thanks a lot you saved my goldfish from this information thank you kindly
My pleasure, Mahesh! Glad the video was helpful!
Is anybody else having trouble loading this video on mobile app?? Buffering circle of death.
Ohp. Has trouble loading in chrome also. Click on another video that's not part of this channel. Loads just fine.
I used Pimafix to "help" a fish with fungus using the correct dosage...not only did that fish die but another healthy fish died within 12 hours. The next day I did a 50% water change to help remove this awful product. Use at your own risk or just use chemicals that are proven to work and dont risk using Pimafix.
crazee635 - couldn't agree more. I'm not even sure what Pimafix does, if anything. More and more, I lean closer toward the resolution that Melafix, Pimafix, and Betafix don't do anything at all - they are just a herbal liquid sold in a bottle for profit - it's just snake oil....
@@dmichaelsfishden I think the only "natural" product that does have a place in the hobby is "Aquarium Salt" which can be useful in fighting off some fish diseases. The only place my Pimafix went was down the plughole as it has no place being put in my tank where it did more damage than good! Yeah...I have no doubts that Pimafix, Melafix and Betafix are snake oil products!
Interesting vid but please learn how to pronounce melaleuca properly please. As an Aussie I was so confused what you were talking about each time you tried to pronounce it.
is popeye a serious disease?
Pimafix has a bad habit of killing fish.....
Melafix for Popeye?
Jerald - Popeye is usually gram positive, so, on paper according to API, Melafix is supposed to target gram positive issues. That being said, I've never tried it personally, but I highly doubt it would work at all. That sounds harsh, but popeye can be a more serious infection and Melafix isn't really intended to get any serious infections. Popeye really has to be handled with anitbiotics - for Popeye, and my go to for any gram-positive bacterial infections is erythromycin. Hope that helps!
Pimafix kills pencilfish
BettaFix Killed My Fish,I'm a 50 year owner of aquariums,FOR SURE It killed my fish,Expect the same if you use it
Jim Atkins as a 50 yr fish owner. You’ve never had to treat fish previously ? And better still, what have u used previously over the past 5 decades. Love to know
Dont use any of these. They kill fish, even underdosing.
Bad advise. Dont use any of these
I suspect my fish to have columnaris will melafix cure this. If not whats the best treatment