Has anyone ever used PimaFix to treat fungal infections?

[QTOFFER]

My four serpae tetras appear to be suffering from some body fungus that I have been watching for about three weeks. Two of them have a small cottony growth on the side that is too big to be ich. One has wispy dark grey patches on the side and head. All of them have been eating and behaving normally, but since I have lost two serpaes to body fungus in the past, I decided to treat them proactively.

I transferred all the serpaes to my H-tank, did a 20% water change, and added MelaFix and PimaFix (5 ml ea to 10 gal). PimaFix is a reletively new product from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals that contains an extract from Pimenta racemosa. It is supposed to treat fungal infections as well as internal and external bacterial infections. It is also supposed to work synergistically with MelaFix to promote faster healing. Both drugs are supposed to be administered daily for one week. I will be performing daily water changes in the H-tank as well.

I'm just wondering if anybody has had any experience with this combination. I will keep everyone posted as the week progresses.

 

[QTOFFER]

An Update:

The serpaes have been in a 10 gal hospital with MelaFix+PimaFix for 3 days. I have been doing 20% daily water changes prior to dosing with the meds. The tank has a Penguin mini HOB minus the carbon. Today, for the first time, NH3 in the hospital was 0 - usually it is 0.25 ppm - I guess the tank is finally cycling.

The large round white cottony spots seem to have disappeared. The other fish still has some of the dark grey stuff near the tail fin, but it is improving. The fish are active and still colorful, but very skittish - I guess they miss the plastic plants in the main tank. They also are not eating as much.

My hospital/quarrantine tank is bare save for a resin log and it does not have a light. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals recommends treating fish for a week, but I am going to get these guys back into the main tank tomorrow after just four days of treatment. I'm a little concerned about their reduced appetite and I suspect that the smaller tank size, reduced lighting, and lack of places to hide may be the cause.

 

[Allivymar]

I've never used PimaFix, but I do appreciate your letting us know whats happening; it appears to be pretty effective so far! Keep us updated; I may need to add PimaFix to my list of effective meds I have read about it, but you're the first person I've heard of who's tried it.

I wouldn't return them to the main tank just yet; it would suck to have them wind up infecting the rest since they are not completely healthy yet. You might want to grab some cheap plastic plants from the lfs; they're easy to disinfect and may make them feel more comfortable in the QT tank.

 

[QTOFFER]

Yeah, you're probably right, Allivymar. These meds are supposed to be very gentle to the fish and the biofilter, so I'll leave them in there for the full seven days. I'll steal a plant from the main tank and just 'nuke' it before putting it back. I'll also pick up a cheap fluorescent fixture from Home Depot so the fish don't get depressed.

MelaFix has been highly recommended on this board for treating minor scrapes and injuries, so I figured I'd give PimaFix a try. I do have Jungle Fungus Clear in my arsenal as a backup, but I don't think it will be necessary. The Mela/PimaFix does seem to be effective so far.

Other observations:
Both of these medications smell absolutely God-awful! They also produce some foaming on the surface that dissipates with time.

 

[QTOFFER]

Another Update:

The serpaes seem to be completely cured of the fungal infection thanks to the concurrent treatment with MelaFix and PimaFix.
The fish and the tank's biofilter tolerated the meds very well.

I would heartily recommend this med combination for finrot and minor cases of fungus. Plus, it's safe for cycled tanks and aquatic plants.

More info can be obtained at Aquarium Phamaceutical's website.
http://aquariumpharm.com/new.html