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can someone please tell me if its ok to treat my 8gallon with medication, the tank contains 2 apple snails but im not sure if they can tolerate meds? the fish i want to treat are 3 guppys i bought 1 week ago, they look really healthy except they are now scratching themselves against gravel/plants ect. should i treat with Malafix or Pimafix? they are scratching worse by the minute so could someone please answer ASAP. i really want to treat tonight.
water stats are as follows
ph 7.6
amm 0
nitri 0
nitrat 0
temp 25
heavily planted with CO2 and ferts weekly
thanks
weekly water changes of 25%
tank is 7 weeks since setup, filtration consists of internal and trickle filter.
there are no other fish in there just the 3 Guppys and the 2 apple snails

Last edited by loulou at 10-Dec-2005 06:56

It is advised to not add any copper to a tank containing invertebrates, and many medicines do contain copper. Make sure you always read the label on a medication before you dump it into your tank; it comes in handy even if you don't have inverts to worry about.

"Scratching" or flashing by fish often means some type of parasite, and I doubt that Melafix and Pimafix will help much (if at all) in your situation. I'm a fan of water changes, as cleaner water can help relieve stress on sick fish and allow them to fight an infection on their own. Maybe try a couple of extra water changes over the next few days?

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Any medication should be read very carefully if not sure get the makers WWW and ask direct.

This is the best way if you are not sure what to use.

I think it would be safe to say not all medications give all the info required.

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ok thanks, i will do a water change now and hopefully they will be ok. theres no sign of white spot or fungus or anything so maybe there own immune systems are dealing with it. i added some Melafix to tank last night and today there not scratching anywhere near as much. i will however get some meds tomorrow. is there one that is gentle and safe to put in main tank that wont stain everything blue?

I personally wouldn't add anything else. For one thing, it may not be a good idea to mix medicines. Some do not work well together, and extra meds will add general stress to the already stressed fish. Secondly, we don't know exactly what is wrong with your fish. Supposedly "flashing" can be caused by a number of things, even just food being caught near a fish's gills. Unless someone here can narrow down the probable cause of the scratching, I think there is just too great a risk of treating for the wrong problem.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

i havent added anything else as i didnt have time to stop off at a FS for some meds. unfortunately the only symptom of illness is the scratching against plant leaves. they are very active and eating like greedy pigs. i will just keep up with water changes as i dont want to harm my apple snails and i dont want them in any of my other tanks so i cant move them out anyway.
thanks sirbooks

Last edited by loulou at 12-Dec-2005 07:06