Can I add Malafix to main tank?

FLReefGirl · #1 05/14/2007, 11:34 AM

My Canary Wrasse apparently buried himself under a rock Wed night and got stuck. He was MIA until Sat when I lifted a rock looking for him and out he came. Now he has a cloudy eye. I know I won't be able to catch him to add him to QT. He also needs a DSB and QT will not have that.
I read I can add Malafix to the main display w/out ill effects. I just want to make sure before I do it?
Thanks for your help.

DarthBaiter · #2 05/14/2007, 12:42 PM

Yes, turn off the skimmer first as it will go nuts from the foam.

Sugar Magnolia · #3 05/14/2007, 12:43 PM

You can add it, but be sure to turn off the Remora - it'll go nuts from the melafix.

FLReefGirl · #4 05/14/2007, 01:00 PM

Thanks Guys!
ps. Sugar, love the avatar.

r0bin · #5 05/14/2007, 01:16 PM

Will melafix actually help with cloudy eye though? I read it has to heal on its own if its sustained during trauma. On wet web media they suggest adding epsom salt to reduce swelling but there isn't much else you can do.
Also when adding melafix how do you start skimming your tank again, its so foamy.

FLReefGirl · #6 05/14/2007, 01:48 PM

The bottle says it treats...
Open Red Sores
Fin & Tail Rot
Eye CLoud, Pop Eye, Body Slime, & Mouth Fungus
Open Body Wounds.

Sounds like mostly fungus/bacteria stuff. My Canary Wrasse has a cloudy eye that looks like it is starting to swell. I like that this stuff is natural. I thought I'd try it before stressing out the whole tank trying to remove the wrasse.
It says to do a 25% WC after treatment so that should help w/ the foam when I start skimming again. Right now it's not a problem anyway because I'm waiting for a new impeller for my mag pump for my Remora. 3 months old and it's already broken.

FLReefGirl · #7 05/14/2007, 01:55 PM

WOW! Smells like Vicks-Vapor-Rub.
It's the sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, so your fish can rest medicine.

Has anyone ever used Malafix for this or other things w/ success?
I read here on RC once that someone used it for a problem w/ their corals. I don't remember all the details but it slimed up real bad and then it was better than ever. Stopped some kind of recession and had superior growth afterwards.

r0bin · #8 05/14/2007, 02:45 PM

Thanks for the reply. The reason I asked is my flame angel suffered an eye trauma this past weekend and now has 1 cloudy eye. I have some melafix on hand. I may give it a try, I was just worried about when I turned the skimmer back on, lol. Let me know if it seems like it helps. Thanks.

DarthBaiter · #9 05/14/2007, 03:13 PM

I've used it for Popeye with great success.

jeffbrig · #10 05/14/2007, 03:30 PM

Probably 90% of eye problems are just mechanical abrasions, and don't require any treatment to recover. I've seen popeye a few times with fish in QT. Sometimes I added epsom salts, sometimes I didn't. The fish always recovered, regardless of what I did. I read the same article on wwm, but I'm not convinced that adding small amounts of epsom salt to the water has any effect. Think about it - large quantities of epsom salt raise magnesium, why is that going to cure popeye?

I would not attempt to treat with meds in a reef aquarium. There is always a risk of harming your corals, whether a product is said to be "reef safe" or not. If the eye problem gets really bad, then move it to a proper QT and treat without worry about harming the other inhabitants of the tank.

FLReefGirl · #11 05/14/2007, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DarthBaiter
I've used it for Popeye with great success.

How long did you treat it for?
Pop eye or cloudy eye isn't a disease and it says for disease or wound treatment dose daily for 7 days. I did a 5 gal WC first then dosed. After I dosed my nem and open brain swelled up like a balloon immediately and 5 minutes later they were back to normal. They seem fine now. What gives?

FLReefGirl · #12 05/14/2007, 05:30 PM

^

Amphiprion · #13 05/14/2007, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jeffbrig
Probably 90% of eye problems are just mechanical abrasions, and don't require any treatment to recover. I've seen popeye a few times with fish in QT. Sometimes I added epsom salts, sometimes I didn't. The fish always recovered, regardless of what I did. I read the same article on wwm, but I'm not convinced that adding small amounts of epsom salt to the water has any effect. Think about it - large quantities of epsom salt raise magnesium, why is that going to cure popeye?

I would not attempt to treat with meds in a reef aquarium. There is always a risk of harming your corals, whether a product is said to be "reef safe" or not. If the eye problem gets really bad, then move it to a proper QT and treat without worry about harming the other inhabitants of the tank.

I agree. IME, popeye (unilateral only) remedies itself pretty easily. I do not like melafix in saltwater tanks. It seems to do very little, IME, and if overdosed, clouds the water and drops oxygen levels.

DarthBaiter · #14 05/14/2007, 07:51 PM

When my fish had popeye...it looked like it was gonna burst any second and "just waiting" didn't seem like an option.
My blk saddle back had popeye. It took me a week to get him out of display and a week in qt before I treated him with melafix. Even in qt the eye was getting bigger and bigger. I was afraid it was gonna pop and he(she actually) would lose the eye. It was cured in less than a week...4 to 5 days with melafix. I noticed dramatic improvements and all the pods in the qt were fine.

Oh yeah...you need to do a large water change after wards and run a lot of carbon before starting the skimmer.

TonyOrlando · #15 05/14/2007, 09:44 PM

I have been using Maelafix now for 3 days in my main display tank. My corals seemed not to like it that much. I noticed a lil shrinking, but not that bad. Im going to use it for 4 more days and then do a 30% WC. Hopefully all goes well.