Medicating!

[bettacove]

I've been reading a lot of post lately (not just on this forum) about how people are dumping in meds for every little problem. Especially with bettas, and how people are just adding bettamax and melafix or whater for the smallest reason- like a rip in its fin.

First of all I will just say that I rarely use meds, I think they can actually be worse for a fish. The best treatment is clean water and if you have clean water in the first place then you shouldn't have problems! Yet of course I know that there are some things that cannot be prevented, but for the most part a lot can.

Like for an example: There have been numerous posts about bettas with fin rot. People are dumping in meds then saying 'well he doesn't look so good anymore'. Well duh! You've got so much crap in there! If you simply do water changes and keep it clean then it will go away. And you wouldn't have that problem in the first place if you just had clean water!

Anyway, thats been on my mind and I just needed to get it out.
ashley

 

[TankGirl]

I have been fortunate not to have much personal experience with fish illness, and it may be coincidence but I am positive it is due to my water changing regimen, which is a little on the heavy side, compared to most. I think a lot of it is LFS folks advising medication when someone comes in with questions about torn fins. I would be shocked to hear one of them advise increasing water changes!

 

[bettacove]

Ya I understand why LFS would recomend medicating- then they make money!

Same with me. I started off with doing less water changes, and I had all kinds of problem. Velvet, ich, fin rot...ect ect. Now I have none of those problems. Sure I do have fish with torn fins, no way you can prevent that, but they heal on their own time.

ashley

 

[oscarbreeder]

I agree.
I really dont like to use meds. just change..change..change the water.

 

[TankGirl]

As I am sure you know, Ashley, bettas cannot handle rough decorations or plastic plants with coarse leaves, but I'll bet most LFS employees don't think to ask about what kind of decorations are in the tank - just medicate!

 

[Christmasfish]

heh! though with all the bacterials hitting everything lately I look to meds more often, I really feel uncomfortable with hit and miss diagnosis. But if I wait until I am sure, they are guarranteed to get dropsy within a day of figgerin it out.

Frayed fins are my least concern, at least one betta here chases and bites it's own caudal and dorsal.
Most lfs have them floating in a soup of meds so they can fall victim to the first thing down the road.
This plague was rough, I am so tired of nursing sick fish....it is disheartening
pretty much now with a single exception, all that made it to over in inch by now are healthy and all the betta that were kinda small for their age are dead. With the final fry the number stayed the same. And most of them are nearly as big or bigger than some of the fish she got this feb and mar.
We are in full panic state here now. She is changing the mintanks daily with the aged water we keep for discus and gourami, she tests frequently and there is a separate feeding stick per tank. They are poured/dipped into holding bowls. Glass for easy sterilization. By the time she starts her breeding program at the end of this month, half her most important fish will be gone
bummer

 

[bettacove]

I hear ya tankgirl! Guess they figure to that if the fish dies from the meds the person will come back and get more!

Ah i hate dropsy! I don't even bother trying to treat it anymore, every fish that has had it has ended up dying no matter what I do.
Oh man that stinks!!! But I know how you feel! I had the same thing 2 months ago. I don't know what the heck happend but something wiped them all out. Now I have around 10bettas left. None of which I could make any good crosses from. Go figure

ashley

 

[Christmasfish]

She has lucked out in keeping all the butterflys and marble fish that are where she is heading anyway. Her nice solids are all gone.
It started with a sick discus and suddedenly it was that whole side of her room.
We are still not 100% sure what happened. They were not things that bettas usually die of I don't think. She only share 3 to a 10 gallon usually. Except her social girls.

 

[quarryshark]

Don't know about FW treatments, but if it wasn't for cupramine I wouldn't have any fish left. Mine were dropping like flies from SW velvet until I ran cupramine in a qt tank. It was a wonder drug for me.
I get the point though, most of the literature (at least in SW) points at using drugs to fix everthing. My Yellow Tang wasn't looking so good when I got her, good food and excellent water quality fixed her right up.
But there are times when it is appropriate.
FWIW

 

[smilla4]

cupramine - that's primarily for parasites, no?

 

[quarryshark]

cupramine - that's primarily for parasites, no?

]
Yes and it is relatively gentle for a copper compound.