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Re: swim bladder disease... Melafix 4/16/08
I am shocked by this response. I asked for a recommendation of a general antibiotic. Was not giving one. Chose one on my own. It appeared to work quite well, the fish is cured. And then I am told that I made a bad choice.
Confused.
<Hello Richard. The problem with Melafix is that it *isn't* an antibiotic and it certainly won't cure internal problems such as any of the various things called "Swim Bladder Disorder". While some people have found Melafix useful, many of us here at WWM consider it to be at best unreliable, and at worst useless. What Melafix can (perhaps) do is help prevent, and possibly cure, certain external infections. But not all of them, and certainly not consistently enough to be the "drug of choice". In any event, there are inexpensive, safe, much more consistently useful antibacterial and antibiotic drugs out there, so the advantages of Melafix are difficult for some of us to fathom. Anyway, that your fish got better likely has little or nothing to do with the Melafix. Most swim bladder problems come down to either dietary issues such as constipation or simply opportunistic bacterial infections. Improving diet and water conditions can help the fish recover under its own steam. Likely your fish is healthy once more because of your fishkeeping skills rather than the Melafix. Cheers, Neale.> <<Thank you Neale... my "principal gripe" with such so-called remedies is that they are totally untested... and for the most part, at best, worthless placebos... at worse, as the case here, detrimental often in mal-influencing water quality, damaging nitrification... and what passes for "non-critical thinking" results in folks believing they're doing some good... Instead of more thoroughly investigating... discerning that what passes for "advice" often at stores, the Net is homespun nonsense. BobF>>

High Nitrates after use of Melafix – 03/20/08
Hello,
<Hi there>
First, let me say thank you for your wonderful site, which I return to every chance I get. You have been kind enough in the past to help me; and I am hoping for your assistance again.
<Will try...>
I have a 36 gallon freshwater tank, lightly stocked with 10 fish. When my tank was new (15 months ago) it always had an alkaline PH of about 7.2.
<... Mmm, not "that" alkaline... In fact, some good reasons to have a slightly elevated pH... NealeM has a nice article re: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwhardness.htm
and the linked files above>
As my tank matured, I was told that it would probably become more acidic, which it did. It has been around 6.6 for the past few months now. However, 2 weeks ago, my Boesemani rainbowfish got injured in a castle ornament (which I have since removed) incurring significant scale damage. I added Melafix
<...>
to the tank because I had heard great things about it speeding up healing. Well, it worked. He was completely healed within a week.
<Might've taken seven days (or less) w/o...>
I was performing modest 10% water changes every other day for the length of the 7-day treatment in an attempt to keep the water pristine. During the course of the treatment I only tested for ammonia and nitrite to ensure that my bio filter was not being affected. Ammonia and Nitrite always tested at zero and continue to do so to date.
After treatment ended, I put carbon in the filter (Eheim canister) and performed a 25% water change. I tested my water parameters a few hours later and was very surprised to find high nitrate levels of at least 40ppm, but could possibly have been higher. It is very hard to differentiate on my test kit at any level higher than 20ppm since the shades of red are almost identical.
<Mmm, often diluting samples by half (by adding "clean" water of the same approximate volume...) can/will bring readings back "on scale">
My nitrates never exceeded 20ppm before this, as I religiously perform 25% water changes every two weeks with a complete gravel vacuuming.
I theorized that the Melafix must have been responsible since it is a plant derivative and probably contributed to the dissolved organics in the water.
Could this be the reason? Also, as I feared, my PH level has dropped to the lowest range on my test kit (6.0-6.3).
<All are possible interactions, yes>
I have been doing daily 15% water changes since this occurred and the nitrates seem to be dropping (hard to tell once in the "red" range on the test kit) and my PH did go up temporarily last evening to 6.4, but had dropped again by this morning. I don't wish to stress my fish, who all appear fine at the moment, so I hesitate to do large water changes for fear of the PH rising too quickly.
<You are wise here>
Should I proceed with the daily 15% water changes, or do you feel that this is insufficient to correct this issue in a more timely manner.
<I would continue as you are>
Is there anything I could have missed (besides the obvious of not using Melafix in my display tank anymore). I thank you in advance for your assistance.
Michele
<Mmm, I think you're doing fine. I am NOT a fan of the "fix" products by API, but there are folks here (WWM) who are a bit more charitable. Am a bigger promoter of the use of real medicines. Bob Fenner>

Follow-up on High Nitrates/low PH after Melafix use
Hello again,
<Michele>
I wrote to WWM earlier in the week regarding experiencing high nitrates and subsequent low PH in my tank after using Melafix to treat a injured fish.
<I recall>
For your reference, I have included my original correspondence which Bob Fenner answered and was kind enough to assist me with. I have been doing daily modest water changes to bring down the nitrate levels, which has vastly improved (currently reading in the 20ppm range) but of course I'm still working on getting it even lower. However, in tandem with the high nitrates, my PH level dropped from 6.6 to the lowest range on my test kit (6.0-6.3). Water changes have resulted in the PH rising to 6.4, but this effect has been temporary, usually dropping back down within 24 hours.
<I would bolster the alkalinity here with at least a few teaspoons of baking soda... or a commercial prep.... Covered on WWM>
I realize that larger water changes would yield quicker nitrate reduction, but I don't want to stress the fish in case the PH does increase too rapidly so I'm proceeding cautiously.
<You are wise here>
But despite the nitrates being reduced, the PH is not climbing back up as of yet and stabilizing as I had hoped. I was somewhat puzzled about this, so I went to your site and researched some possibilities as to why. In doing so, I realized that I did not know what the KH or GH of my source water was, so I purchased a KH/GH test kit to find out.
<Ahh!>
I live in New York, and we have very soft water, which has almost no KH/GH, which I confirmed with the test (only 1 drop yielded a slight tinge of color). I know now that this is not ideal, and that PH drops can occur without enough buffering;
<Yes>
however I am very leery of adding any chemicals to the tank for fear of rapid and/or wide PH fluctuations which can be much worse than a stable but low PH.
<Best to make all such changes gradually, through/by way of the change out water... modify it and add it to the system>
My father has been using the same source water for 30 years, and has successfully kept tropical fish without the use of any chemicals to alter PH or hardness. His philosophy is to keep fish that will adapt to your conditions and thinks I am overly concerned about this.
<A valid concern; particularly if only keeping livestock that "enjoys" softer/acidic water...>
I tend to agree with his philosophy but my real concern is the low PH hindering the nitrifying bacteria.
<Also a valid concern>
I have read that at lower PH levels, the bio filter does not work as efficiently.
<This is so>
Is this true, or does PH have to much more acidic for this to occur?
<Slightly alkaline is better... the forward reactions/nitrification are reductive in nature... drive pH down... so having some biomineral in place...>
If I continue with the daily water changes and get the nitrates down to about 5-10ppm and keep them there with a more frequent maintenance regimen (perhaps a weekly water change instead of bi-weekly), will the PH increase to where it was a few weeks ago, or without sufficient KH will it remain low no matter how many water changes I do?
<If there is no addition of alkaline material (esp. carbonate, bicarbonate) from somewhere, the GH, KH will not change... If reductive processes continue, the pH will drop...>
Forgive me if this has been explained somewhere on your site.
<An, no worries>
Be assured that I have been reading, but I find this issue of hardness somewhat confusing and wanted to check with someone from the crew before deciding on a course of action. Also, please note that prior to adding the Melafix a few weeks ago, I did not have excess nitrates nor any problems with a sudden PH drop so I am hoping that just keeping the nitrate level extremely low will get my tank back to where it was a few weeks ago. I had also read Neale's suggestions to some people about using crushed coral in the filter to raise KH, but I don't want my PH to rise by very much.
<Depending on how much, how soluble, this addition is very safe... will not raise pH much, very quickly at all>
Since my source water is on the acidic side (6.6-6.8), my goal is to get the tank PH as close as possible to my source water. Is it possible to use the coral and only increase the KH and PH slightly rather than to the basic side of the PH scale?
<Yes... could be placed in a filter, bag... in a container with your make-up water... allowed to "soak" for a few days...>
I'm somewhat confused because I have been hearing/reading conflicting information about their use. How do you suggest I achieve my goal of increasing my PH to about 6.6 - 6.8 and stabilizing it?
<Mmm, the water changes you're doing... with the addition of a bit of sodium bicarbonate (very safe) or a modicum of commercial aquarium pH buffering product>
Once again, your advice is greatly appreciated and invaluable.
Michele
<Let's keep chatting this over till you feel comfortable with your understanding of the underlying principle/s here... This aspect of water quality (pH, alkalinity/acidity... "hardness") is too wordy in English unfortunately... But once you grasp it... Cheers, BobF>

Re: Follow-up on Discovery of Low KH after High Nitrates/low PH w/Melafix use 3/26/08
Hello Mr. Fenner,
<Just Bob please Michele>
Thank you so much for all of your assistance in explaining how KH factors into maintaining PH. I have been doing some more reading and if I am understanding correctly, the baking soda method needs to be replenished with each water change (outside of the system in the new water) .
<Yes, this is best>
Since I'm not great at chemistry, and thus would be experimenting with the amount to use to reach my goal, I fear that this leaves a lot of room for human error.
<Actually, not much error possible. This practice, with Baking Soda is quite safe>
So I think I feel more comfortable with a slow soluble carbonate substance such as crushed coral or even crushed oyster shells and will experiment with a small amount in the filter as a first corrective step to increase KH. The only crushed coral I have been able to find however has aragonite mixed in as well. If I understand correctly, this makes it more soluble, so is this still acceptable for my purposes or would this make the tank too alkaline?
<No, not likely>
If not recommended for my purposes, I have also been able to locate crushed oyster shells packaged as a "bird feed".
<Ahh! This material... usually some type of Dolomite ("Tapa Shell)... a compound of calcium and magnesium carbonates CAN be very soluble... and a mess to handle/deal with... too "cloudy" in preparation/use>
In the meanwhile I will continue with my water changes to further decrease the nitrates and proceed from there. Thanks for the offer/opportunity to continue chatting until I get a better grasp of the subject matter. I'm honored that you would take additional time from your busy schedule to assist me.
Michele
<Am out in Malaysia currently... where am dreading the Net slow-down. Cheers! BobF>

Re: Follow-up on Discovery of Low KH after High Nitrates/low PH w/Melafix use 3/30/08
Good evening Bob,
<Mich>
I hope your trip to Malaysia is going well.
<Yes... but the Net is slow... and intermittent>
I did purchase the crushed coral and added a very small amount to the filter on Tuesday. I figured I could always add more if needed. Since my nitrates are now in 10ppm range, I've stopped the daily water changes and will continue as necessary to keep them low. The PH was holding steady at 6.4 for a couple of days without dropping.
Today it has increased to 6.6, so it seems that the coral is working. My KH test kit still is reading very low (1 degree), but I'll give it some more time since I seem to be making some progress. And speaking of progress, I actually managed to talk my father into adding some coral to his filter as well.
<Ahh!>
I referred him to your site and our discussions; and I guess he realized that no matter how long you've been in this hobby, there's always something to learn.
<Is so for me... and I am indeed an old timer in the trade, science and hobby>
Thanks again for your help. I have been enjoying chatting with you.
I will keep you posted on the progress of my tank, but I'm confident that the coral will serve the purpose.
Michele
<Bob Fenner>

About my goldfish, dis. & homeopathics... avoiding non "fixes" 10/23/07
My two new goldfish have recently been developing small white spots on their back fins and I was wondering if that might be Ich and if there is a homeopathy remedy that can cure that? If not what else would you suggest? Thanks for your help!
Concerned Fish owner
<Sounds like whitespot/Ick. No homeopathic remedy that I know of. Various tea-tree derivatives (Melafix, Pimafix, etc.) are on the market but they don't really work reliably. Avoid them. Don't mess about with this, because Ick is a killer. Go straight for medications that work. Your local retailer will have a variety based on copper and/or formalin. Do also review aquarium conditions -- fish get sick because of the aquarium, nine times out of ten. Review our articles on goldfish care. Cheers, Neale>

Melafix 9/27/07
Greetings all!
<Neale>
I answered a message today that included a comment along the lines of "Wet Web Media recommends Melafix for treating finrot". I'm very skeptical about Melafix. My experience of the stuff is that while it's a fine antiseptic for use preventatively, it isn't very reliable for treating infections once they've set in. Do others agree or disagree? What's the balance of opinion here?
<Mmm, well... it seems that only Jeni is very gung-ho re this Melaleuca tea... Others here will give some mention to this products weak antimicrobial/germicidal effects... I am decidedly NOT a fan... Sensing that westerners are too quick to seize on simple solutions... too often deem such "remedies" as being (sure) cures... and too often losing livestock consequently... Really... if you or your loved ones were sick... would you serve them tea and be done w/ real medicine?>
I'm not trying to push for a resolution one way or the other. I'm just curious to know if my opinion is in the minority, in which case I'll sit down and shut up!
Yours etc.,
Neale
<I look forward to a time when products in our interest will have to face real scrutiny... This and Pima- will surely be banned. Bob Fenner>

Methylene Blue 7/2/07
Dear WWM Crew,
My Betta has been lethargic for a couple weeks with no outward signs of disease. I started treating him with daily doses of Pimafix and Melafix. I have also now noticed a couple of white specs on the side of his head. I am planning to give him a dip bath in Methylene Blue. Is it safe to do this while I am treating him with Pimafix and Melafix? Jean
<Hello Jean. I'm a bit Old School about Pimafix and Melafix. I think they're massively overrated, and have heard far too many stories of people using them *instead* of traditional medications and their fish still getting sick. While they may well be excellent general purpose antiseptics that help keep external wounds clean, I can't see how they can treat internal problems. Whitespot, for example, lives under the skin and is isolated from any medications, which is why most treatments kill the free-living "baby" whitespot parasites rather than the adults you see on the fish. So my recommendation would be to go ahead and add some standard Methylene Blue to the Betta aquarium to fix the whitespot (as this sounds like what you have). Stop with the Pimafix and Melafix while treating the aquarium (mixing medications is somewhat unpredictable). Once the whitespot is fixed, you can go back to doing your Pimafix and Melafix routine, though to be honest you should need either if the aquarium has a proper filter, good water quality, etc. Using Pimafix and Melafix as a standard addition to an aquarium is essentially admitting the water quality in the tank is so bad its filled with pathogenic bacteria. Think of it this way: it would be as if you let your house fill with garbage and filth, but sprayed it with antiseptic so it'd be safe to live in. If you just cleaned the house and installed plumbing, you wouldn't need the antiseptic! This is one reason I abhor those horrid "betta bowls" you see sometimes, with 1 gallon of water and no space for a filter. These force people to keep Bettas on what's basically a live-support level maintenance regime of constant water changes and additions of antiseptics and other supplements like salt. If people just treated Bettas properly and gave them a nice 5 gallon tank with an air-powered sponge filter, problem solved: nice, robust, easy to keep fish. The irony is any money saved on a betta bowl compared to a sensible aquarium is more than frittered away over the long term on all those silly additives! Cheers, Neale.>

Blue Ahli - Sad Story. Electric Blue Treated With Melafix – 06/15/07
I had the pleasure of stumbling onto your site after trying to do some research for something that was affecting my Blue Ahli. (Like that past-tense...?) Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any medication that could help the little guy out, and after 4 days of care the little guy passed on. But, I wanted to pass this information on in case you guys might have a solution and someone finds their fish are affected by a similar problem. I apologize for the large pictures, but I wanted some detail for myself, and didn't have Photoshop installed to reduce the quality/size for you. Nonetheless, here's my story:

I put my 80 gallon tank back together (it's been dry for 2 years) about 2 weeks ago and purchased a couple of small Jack Dempseys, two small Green Terrors, and two small Firemouths to start the tank. I also purchased a ProClear 120 Wet/Dry filter to replace my old Emperor filter that I had on there. To start the tank of with some bacteria my local aquatics store offers what they call GO-Juice... it's essentially just the crud they squeeze out of a used fish filter sponge. Works quite well and I've used it before to start this tank off several years ago. Well, the six fish were doing fine, but after about 1 week, I went back to the store and noticed several Africans which caught my eye. Since the store owner and I have known each other for quite some time, I asked if I could trade in my juvenile South American Cichlids and get 4 Africans. "No problem, just get the pH up, and you should be fine."

Well, this last Saturday, I traded in my Amazonians and bought two Venustus, one Bleekeri, and a Blue Ahli. In order to get them used to the difference in pH, I performed a drip over a 5 hour period into a 5 gallon bucket that they were in. The pH in Florida is kind of high anyways, from the tap it sits at around 7.8 and the tank was probably at 7.4, so I performed a 15% water change to the tank to increase the pH a bit more during the drip. When I was finished with the drip, (that included taking out 50% of the water after it filled the bucket, and running the drip some more) I put them into the tank and they appeared to do well and seemed to get accustomed to the tank quite well. To aid in waste removal, and since the filter at this point still really hadn't built up the ability to remove ammonia or nitrites, I decided to also add 4 plants; two Amazonian Swords, and two other freshwater plants that have an onion like bulb at the bottom and are long and leafy.

It seems on Sunday all seemed to be doing well, and I was quite sure everything was going to be alright.

On Monday, I got up in the morning to look at the fish, and I noticed that the Blue Ahli had a white "mark" near the top of his right gill (see attached pic 1) and he didn't eat any of the Cichlid pellets. I didn't think much of it and I went back to the store and asked the folks there what they thought I should do since the fish weren't so happy about the hard Cichlid pellets, so I picked up some Super Soft Frozen Food Alternative by HBH and I also picked up some Brine Shrimp. When I got back to the house, I noticed the Ahli just wasn't going after the new soft tasty looking pellets. Heck... he was not even interested in the Brine shrimp... not one bit! I immediately took one of my 5-gallon buckets and prepared it with a double dose of salt and dechlorinator. I put an airstone in there and then put the poor sap in the bucket.

Well, I went back to work for a couple of hours, and then decided to go back to the aquatics store and get their opinion the situation and one of the clerks hands me some Maracyn. Thinking, wow that's pretty stringent, I decided to stop at a PetSmart on my way back home, and listened what the aquatics folks there had to say. They recommended a bottle of Melafix made by API Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. Apparently this stuff is all natural and the aquatics clerk told me, it's what they use when they have problems with their fish. So, I decided to give this Melaleuca based (extracted from Tea Trees) stuff a try first. (Boy... it sure makes the water smell better... let's hope it works as well on the fish) After I put the Blue Ahli in the bucket, he seemed to pep up a bit and swim quite a bit more, so I thought this stuff should work quite nicely then.

Tuesday... The Blue seems to be a lot more active, but no improvement in the physical condition. The white area now appears to have some redness in it, it's getting a bit fuzzy, and a patch of it seems to have developed near the poor guy's mouth. Well, I did a 10% water change to the water (since there wasn't a filter attached to the bucket), and re-dosed it with the Melafix and Lake Salt early in the morning. I figured that since he hadn't eaten in 2 days that the level of waste shouldn't be too bad, and I tested the water at 7.8, zilch on ammonia and nitrites... good to go I thought. Maybe this is just a part of the disease's stages...

At lunch that Tuesday, I checked the Ahli... nope... seems to be little worse. Still active, but the infection seems to be spreading. I put in a 1/2 dose of the Melafix and a full dose of the Maracyn. I immediately busted out that old Emperor filter, cleaned it thoroughly and was looking around for something to put it on since I don't have an extra tank laying around. So, I found a 69 quart Rubbermaid plastic filing bin. I cleaned it thoroughly and set it up with some bagged aquarium sand I had sitting around (which I washed until the water came up clear) all in a two and half hour lunch period (I'm on Salary ok?!! :-) ).

I also decided to stop by at the Aquatics store that evening and get the owners opinion about the Rubbermaid container vs. the Bucket. Well, he wasn't too happy about the fish's condition and he said that I was to use a half dose of this green and yellow capsule. He said the water will turn yellow which is a normal process. Keep the fish in the bucket, keep aerating it as I've been doing, don't change the water, salt it every morning with a normal dose, and bring him water samples. Well, that evening kept a close eye on the water. The temp was staying at around 80 - 81F and the chemicals hadn't changed either... 7.8, 0, 0. Lets see what the poor guy looks like Wednesday morning...

Wednesday morning came around... not looking good for the poor guy... quite active, not darting aimlessly, just more active than when he was in the 80 gallon tank. But, the whole right side of his head was now affected! So, I changed 10% water, dechlorinated the added water, added a little salt... not much, and put in another dose of Maracyn. Lunch-time... no change, he seemed to be breathing in and out some skin from his lips now and along with his eye getting a little cloudy from the infection... looked quite sad really.
Didn't make me feel good either. Even the water's edge on the bucket had a reddish tinged buildup on it... like his flesh was just liquefying and floating to the top. That evening... not much better. Checked water temp, chemicals... normal. I then had enough and popped in 1/2 of that green/yellow capsule, no more Melafix! Let's see if there's improvement the next morning.

Today... Thursday. Woke up... checked the fish. Yellow water, reddish residue/buildup near the water level. Man... I'm not feeling good about today. I called the aquatics store and asked if the owner was around because I wanted to get his opinion about putting the fish down and out of his misery... well he wasn't there and the clerk advised me that he didn't think that the owner would want me to put him down just yet. "Call back in an hour or so... he should be back from lunch." So, I went home for lunch myself... as I was sitting at the computer, I hear splashing from the bucket every now and then. Didn't think much of it... maybe he's just getting restless in that bucket. A half hour later... more splashing. I got up and checked the bucket... he was darting about upside down before I got close to the bucket, and when I stood over it, he stopped. Lifeless.

I got a net, pulled him out of the bucket, took my last few pictures (also attached) and was quite amazed with the speed of which this "disease" hit... and the fact that his anal region looked ulcerated...? I'm thinking Mouth Rot that progressed to the insides? I'm not quite sure...

The other fish in the 80 gallon... watching them like hawks and they seem to be doing just fine. I make sure not to overfeed them, just trying to prevent The Bloat and excess waste. I feed them once a day now, ever since the Blue got affected by the disease... I was feeding once in the morning, once at lunch, and then at night... small doses. Now, just enough for each fish, like 1 - 2 pellets each. The Venustus are about two inches each, the Bleekeri is about 3 inches long and they are a joy to watch and feed. Just too bad the Ahli didn't have the same success these guys did...

Anyways, there's my book and I'm sticking to it. Maybe this story will help some other individuals with a similar issue and hopefully this'll provide a better outcome for them. Do you guys have any insight on this situation?
< Your Sciaenochromis ahli is an open water fish predator from Lake Malawi. I suspect that during a fight or being chased he injured himself on something in the tank. The wound got infected and a secondary fungus infection set in. These fish are actually quite delicate as far as these cichlids go. The stress from his injury and the high water temps caused him to probably bloat up. So now you had two problems. An internal and external infection. Although some people swear by it, I have heard that Melafix works better as a general tonic then as an actual cure for most diseases. I would of recommended placing the fish in a hospital tank with clean water at 75-77 F. Treat with both Metronidazole for the internal infection and treat the external infection with a full dose of Nitrofuranace.-Chuck>
Other than that... you guys provide a great resource and you've helped me be
more aware of treatment methods and medications. Regards, Mark

No tea please.

Melafix, and Re: ongoing Af. cichlid prob. – 06/19/07
Hello WetWebMedia,
<Mmm, well just one person...>
I recently had a question that was answered by Chuck and I thank you for the input. I have a question about Melafix by API Aquarium Pharmaceuticals.
Mainly, what have you heard about Melafix, do you recommend the use of it, and how would you use it, if at all?
<There are some of us here who endorse this Melaleuca extract for various purposes, in some situations... I am NOT one of them though>
The reason being that recently I had a Blue Ahli in my 80 gallon display tank that unfortunately may have had mouth rot, or as Chuck stated some type of secondary fungal infection. When I first spotted a whitish spot on the fish I immediately separated the fish from the main tank and tried treating him with aquarium salt, 15% regular water changes, 80F water temperature, Melafix, Maracyn and another antibiotic. (I had him in a bucket because that's all I had). Unfortunately the Blue Ahli did not make it.
Here's my concern:
The remaining fish in my 80 gallon tank, a Bleekeri and two Venustus, seemed to be doing fine during this whole Ahli ordeal. But, I was monitoring one of the Venustus for frequent scratching on some flat rocks that I had in the tank. Over a period of 3 days, the scratching became quite frequent. I watched the chemicals in the main tank and the bucket religiously to monitor for 8 pH, zero NO2 and Ammonia. I did have a little bit of a spike in ammonia in the big tank, but I resolved this with a 15% water change. )I believe that there weren't enough nitrifying bacteria in the tank)
Well, the one Venustus continued to scratch himself, and I've finally resolved myself to separating him from the group also. This time he's in a 69 quart Rubbermaid container with some sand and rocks, a filter, and a heater. I have resolved myself to start treating him with a light dose Maracyn over then next week. As far as the main tank is concerned, should I use Melafix just to keep the tank in good condition or prevent possible infection? I have perform 10% water changes on the tank every night so far.
The tank looks clear, the chemicals appear fine.
Do you have any suggestions for the separated Venustus and/or the Bleekeri and Venustus in the main tank? (They appear healthy and quite happy).
Thanks again for all your input, I would just hate to lose the Bleekeri since he/she is such a charming fish.
Mark Wolf
<I really only have two comments to make. If you were ill yourself, would you first or even treat yourself with a leaf extract (of no known therapeutic value)? And secondly, have you read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/afcichdisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above? Bob Fenner>

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