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Re: melafix
Chad Attlesey wrote:
> You can also go to http://www.petopia.com/ and do a search for Melafix. Try
> it, it is good stuff. I used it to treat torn fins and infection with great
> success. I like it because it is a natural antibiotic and seems to greatly
> accelerate fin repair and minimize/eliminate permanent damage. Unlike other
> medications, it doesn't seem to have any side effects or stress the fish
> being treated. It isn't snake oil. No, I don't own stock in the company
> either....
I want to make a quick comment here because Chad brings up an important point
which happens to be a favorite topic of mine.
Don't be fooled into thinking something is better in any way, shape, or form just
because it's "natural." Without being particularly facetious, I can bring up that
digitalis comes from the plant foxglove, and that atropine comes from deadly
nightshade. Aspirin first came from willow bark. I can understand the motivation
behind trying to buy natural products, but I have reservations about using tea
tree oil in a fish tank.
My reasoning is this: tea tree oil is an effective, NONSPECIFIC bactericide; in
other words, it kills bacteria indiscriminately. Including, potentially, the
biological filter. I've read that people have used it to treat Hexamita spp.
infections. Sure, it might work, but so does metronidazole, and metronidazole
does not hurt the biological filter. Also, it's not generally recommended that
tea tree oil be taken internally. Who knows what the toxic dose would be for
fish, anyway?
If you have a stubborn infection and you can properly isolate your ill fish in a
treatment tank, then it might not be a bad idea to use something broad-spectrum
like tea tree oil. It may or may not have side-effects; certainly anecdotal
evidence that it doesn't speaks well for it, but by no means do we have a
significant sample. Bear in mind that "natural" doesn't equal "safe" or "better."
Stuart
(Oh, I don't know, I guess it just pushed one of my buttons.)
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