# Pimafix dosing woes... HELP please!



## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

Hello all...

Thanks in advance for those who take the time to read this; this forum is so very helpful.

SITUATION:

I'm a newbie and have a (mostly) mbuna tank.

Bought a venustus (thinking it was some type of mbuna... it was in a tank w/ other mbunas and was only 1.5 inches long. just very young, I guess...)

It was really picked on in the LFS (torn up fins), and I felt sorry for it. It was beautiful. So, I bought it on a whim... Getting bullied continued when I brought it home. It had what I thought were either abrasions or bite abrasions on right side. Nothing that looked like bite marks per se, just loss of color and it looked "scratched" for lack of a better term.

I Isolated it when it was hanging out around the filter; hiding out basically. I thought the behavior was indicative of bullying, and what I could see was injury-related, so I Treated w/ Melafix at recommended dosage for 6 days (by itself, in my largest soup kettle). During the 6 days on Melafix, it ate fine, pooped fine, acted fine. Never seemed to be bothered by the Melafix at all.

The fish did not look better when I put it back in the main tank yesterday, actually I could now see that it was a body fungus of some type. (The makeshift hospital tank I used was my largest soup kettle, so I couldn't see it from the side. The fungus grew while getting treated w/ Melafix.)

OK, so I knew I needed to get it back out of the main tank, and now had access to a small 2.5 gallon bowfront tank to use as a hospital tank. I thoroughly cleaned it. (It has a very small filter w/ fresh filter floss only, airstone, small heater) and decided to start Pimafix treatment last night.

Fish seemed immediately stressed after adding Pimafix, but I waited it out last night. (used just over 1ml Pimafix for 2.5 gallon tank; dripped it in slowly over the bubbles from the airstone.) Fish swam around some, but respiration seemed unusually high.

In about 30 minutes, it started flashing some against the one rock from the main tank I put in there with it, like it started itching. I took this as a good sign.

Today, however, it's respiration still seemed way too fast, and the fish just sat on the bottom... It didn't move at all during the day that I could tell.

I broke down and did a 50% WC to give it some relief... (Seachem Prime for my water conditioner)

Fish is doing better, swimming around some, ate a little... but still, breathing way too fast... added 4 more drops of Seachem Prime; afraid maybe there was a chlorine spike in my city water or something... still about the same.

Now, looking back at the main tank... there seems to be mouth fungus on 2, possibly 3 fish... OMG... To ALL the people reading who are FOOLISH LIKE ME... DON'T BE FOOLISH LIKE ME! use a hospital tank for newcomers... OK, movin' on...

QUESTIONS:

1.) Does anyone have experience w/ dosing Pimafix at less than the recommended dosage? I think I will kill this fish with the full dosage...

2.) Is there anything gentler than Pimafix for fungal-type problems that any of you have had success with?

3.) Dear Lord, I'm going to have to dose my whole main tank now... with something... again, anyone with success low-dose Pimafixing an entire tank, or using something else? (I have a Raphael catfish in there...) I'm scared to death to start, but if I wait I know it will be worse... ****!

BACKGROUND STUFF FORUM USERS ALWAYS SEEM TO ASK... 

1.) I test my main tank nearly every day or every other day. I'm kinda OCD. Ph stays usually rock solid around 8.2. I decided to raise the main tank temp a few days ago from 78 to 80, and my Ph went up to 8.3. Ammonia is always 0. Nitrite is always 0. I was having trouble w/ Nitrates climbing too fast, but since I started w/ Seachem Purigen, I went a whole week and my Nitrate didn't even get to 20ppm! It was like 15ppm. My carbonate hardness and general hardness cannot be measured... my water is ridiculously hard. The API drops tests have a chart that go to 12 drops... to get the color change, I have to add 13-14 and 19 drops respectively. I facebooked API about it, and several days later, they said "don't worry, Africans love it..." hmmm... I dunno if this could be a problem?

2.) I do a 50% change whenever I need a change. The longest I've ever gone is one week. I use Seachem Prime, Seachem Stability, and Seachem Cichlid Trace Minerals. I do a thorough gravel cleaning once per week. I have some live plants, and my rock is petrified wood from Oregon.

3.) My 29G tank is ridiculously over-stocked with 19 mbunas, male and female, ranging in size from 1.5" to 2.5" and 1 Raphael catfish. And, I overfeed, too! On the bright side, I have a Cascade 1500, rated for 200G and a HOB rated for 40G that I run the Purigen through. I use a spray bar that runs the length of the tank, and had my husband drill a second line of holes pointing down and back to the intakes of both pumps. Water is very aerated and very clear. Clean filter once a month.

4.) In general, my fish seem very happy and healthy... like unsupervised teenagers... (everybody LOVES everybody... you know the little "circle dance" as I call it? There are sometimes as many as 4 or 5 in the same "dance"...)

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your help...


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Any pics? 
Pimafix/Melafix are what I call preventative medications, meaning that they're good for when fish, such as yours are injured. It's like using Polysporin for a cut. You're not infected but it will prevent one from starting. It's about as mild as you can get for fish apart from just water changes.
Are you using mature filter media in the 2.5g tank to offset ammonia production? What did you use to clean the tank?
The majority of infections afflicting fish are bacterial in nature, even while sometimes appearing fungal. If the infection is in the early stages, Melafix and/or Pimafix can cure it (you can treat with both simultaneously). Other, stronger medications include kanamycin, minocycline (Maracyn 2) and nitrofurazone in order of my preference for this type of infection.


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

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https://flic.kr/p/mPH1Np


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https://flic.kr/p/mPHg4M


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https://flic.kr/p/mPJU61

HOSPITAL TANK:
I have 3 photos posted. The Pimafix seems to be killing the fungus, because it is turning brownish... Now that it is brown, I can actually see the extent of the fungus; you really couldn't see it that well before. The pimafix has also made it "puff up" more. It is covering SO much of this little guy's body...
I am still feeding him. 4 pieces of the 1mm NLS pellets twice/day. He eats them, but only after picking them up, spitting them out a couple of times, but does definitely finish them off after they go a little softer. Cleaning out the poop twice/day w/ turkey baster. Checking the water once per day. Yesterday, no ammo, today, over 0.25+ so I added 4 drops of Seachem Prime. I will probably do a 50% WC later even though you are not instructed to do so. Cleaned the tank w/ vinegar. rinsed with scalding hot water for at least 3 minutes.
As far as all my concerns about Pimafix strength; I've been trying to read up on folks that have had problems like mine, and I've come the same conclusion that you're telling me... Pimafix is relatively mild, and my little fish was probably a lot sicker, a lot sooner, than I could determine... the thing is, I had him in that little tank for several hours before I added the pimafix... he was fine until I added it.
As far as bacterial vs. fungal - I dunno. 6 days of Melafix before didn't help... he did actually seem to enjoy that; and regain his strength... this made me think he was better, so I put him back in the main tank, and that's when I saw the fungus was really fungusy looking, and moved him to this hospital tank. So, he had 6 days of Melafix, one day of nothing, and then I started on the Pimafix. I thought about using both, and probably should have. I was afraid to... read too many things on the internet about mixing them with bad results...

(Side note on MAIN TANK: I started my main tank last night on a 25% dose after doing a 50% water change (wanted to start as fresh as possible; previous WC was only 4 days ago). The fish didn't even act like they knew I'd added anything... This morning, I added 50% dose... again, they barely noticed. this shows that there is nothing wrong with my bottle of Pimafix, or something like that... and that pimafix should not stress fish like this.)

So, viewing the photos... what do you think? If the Pimafix doesn't work, which of those meds you mentioned would you try first? and where do you purchase them? ...assuming he lives through this... Thanks again for your assistance.


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

...he died... I just didn't get to him fast enough I guess... I'll keep your suggestions for meds for next time though. that was helpful... Where do you purchase your meds from? Thanks.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Sorry for your loss. Apart from metronidazole, I purchase meds here in Canada from Big Al's.


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## chopsteeks (Jul 23, 2013)

Sorry about your loss !!

Administering Pimafix.

You need to increase aeration when using Pimafix.


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