Melafix

[kpris]

Okay so after the last three fish i bought turned out to be sick i decided that i should get a bottle of melafix to treat new fish.
BUT
I don't have another spare tank?
I was wondering if it would be okay if i treated them with my other fish? Would it be harmful to the other fish at all? I assume it wouldn't be seeing as it doesn't harm new healthy fish but just making sure.
A quick reply would be good because i actually already just bought some and forgot to ask the lady at the store... ^^;;

 

[Shrimper]

It depends on what your other fish are... some are more sensitive to meds than other. Its not safe for shrimp if you have any of them.

 

[hollyp0p]

what are they ill with??

 

[fourthtimelucky]

Melafix only treats a few specific conditions. Some people use it as a tonic treatment but having any medication in the tank permanently could also weaken your fish's own immune systems.

If you can tell us more about the problems you had with them it would be easier to advise you as to whether melafix would help. It would be useful to know the following:

What was wrong with the sick fish?
What kind of fish were they?
What other fish are in the tank?
Is your tank cycled? What are your levels of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate?
How big is the tank?
Did you check whether the ph of the water at the store was the same as the ph in your tank?
How did you introduce the fish?

It's always useful to have a small tank to quarantine new fish and treat sick ones. It doesn't have to be anything fancy - you can usually buy little "my first aquarium" kits fairly cheaply. These are usually a 3 gallon tank with a small filter, pop a small heater in and you're done. It doesn't need to have any gravel (you might want to chuck in a few plastic plants for the fish to shelter under) and you can keep it in a cupboard in between uses. I store all my other fish bits in mine so it's not like it even takes up much storage space.