Melafix

[redphoenix]

:hail: 8) dodgy MUCH lmao! see u at the pet expo!

[ozzchick]

You sure will!! I will be at the cat show serving FOOD!!

[BikBok]

here ya go

this is Reds fish (with permission)

[Aquila]

I agree with all of this as well. I've used it several times in the past during my days working for the ichthyology department at uni. It is terrible stuff. We used to top up the preserved specimens with the stuff and even though the room was being ventilated and we had masks on with goggles, it still burned your eyes and throat. I don't like to think about what kind of damage my body has been exposed to from doing that. I wasn't aware at the time of it being such a potent carcinogen. The policies at the uni got changed a few years later and they were forced to switch to ethanol.

Formalin/formaldyde is still used in preservation, but now now they use it to fix the tissue at the beginning, and then switch to store in ethanol. Thankfully all the dissection animals which are forced upon uni students are now formalin free when they arrive to the labs.

I see no justification for using it as a med. Its just not worth it. There are other meds out there that do the job. Bleach is a better alternative as a disinfectant, and ethanol is too, but it just evaporates quickly (good to clean surfaced though). I wasn't really aware how easily available it was to the general public either.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PEOPLE, DON'T LET IT TOUCH YOUR SKIN OR BREATH IN THE VAPOURS IF YOU ARE SET ON USING IT!!! And spread the word to other aquarium hobbyists!

A 5% v/v solution is 5mls/100mls. A 10% solution of formaldehyde is the strength used to preserve biological tissues samples in the hospital. It will well and truly pickle your skin upon contact and can build up and predispose the skin to cancer. If you smell the lovely tea tree oil vapors from the Melafix, you will most certainly be breathing in toxic formaldehyde. It is very serious stuff and since we know it builds up in tissue, any contact is too much. Take care everyone, and spread the knowledge!

:bounce:

I wouldn't have thought that you could just buy formalin. its pretty nasty stuff, and many people I have seen are far too casual with it, eg not washing hands etc...

its a nasty carcinogen.

1PPM maximum daily exposure is actually quite a high standard considering that it is a gas in solution and that standard relates to an industrial situation and continuous exposure for 8 hours. I have no problem using it to medicate fish assuming it will not be toxic to the fish in the manner used. I would not want to use it in an open bucket to soak nets in where the formaldehyde can fume off even though I would suspect any fumes would be way below 1ppm.

Chlorine gas is a highly toxic chemical and was used to kill soldiers in the first world war but is frequently present in drinking water at around or more than 1ppm. Bleach is a solution of HTH which releases chlorine gas and will fume from an open bucket as well. The main thing to remember with formalin is that it can produce compounds during storage that are very toxic to fish so do not shake the bottle when using it and decant the liquid to leave any precipitate behind. Keep formalin from contact and don't breath the fumes.

Any chemical used as a medicine is likely to be toxic (that is why they work) so should be treated with respect.

Ureaformaldehyde is used in the manufacture of many modern building materials and will fume off formaldehyde (presumably at acceptable levels).

[BikBok]

is it the melafix you are talking about?

[Cricketman]

summing up....

formaldehyde(sp)/ formalin (sp) = carcinogenic vapours and should be avoided contact... (not for aquarium dosing but can be used to prevent cross-contaminations as a dip, not a soak..)

melafix= possibly toxic/ carcinogenic.... questions as to its possible validity

stress coat = aloe vera may possibly damage gills.... questions to possible validity

rock salt/ tonic salts = may be dangerous to certain species of fish...

so basically.... were all nailed to a post in terms of anything we do has possible side effects to fish or the user, and as such different solutions may be appropriate to different people in different circumstances, and as long as you know how to handle the different chemicals that you want to use some work and some may not....

sounds like life in general to me! lol

[JazzyJeff]

Tail tears are common and they will heal on their own but the Melafix may speed up the process.

My bottle of Melafix has on it; Contains Melaleuca CAS#8008-98-8 and inert ingredients.

When I looked up the Melaleuca bit I found this. Once on that page, click on the Risk Satements! Interestingly, apart from the carcinogens (plus lots of sentences starting with 'harmful, toxic, or very toxic), it also says Very Toxic to aquatic organisms, Toxic to aquatic organisms, Harmful to aquatic organisms, May cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment, Toxic to flora, Toxic to fauna. :-?

My bottle also says; Warning. This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm.

hmmm.... I clicked on the link and took a look out of concern. I am little confused (not hard to confuse JJ!) Under risk statements it says #10 - when you click on this it tells me #10 is "highly flammable" Then under safety statement is has #16 which when you click on it referrs to "keep away from sources of ignition, no smoking"

The way I read it, all of the other alarming stuff doesn't seem to pertain to Melaleuca - Am I wrong?

[phoenix44]

are you guys talking about formalin / formaldehyde OR melafix.

formalin is the known carcinogen.

melafix is not something you can really use to cure a fish from a scratch or similar - it is used when transporting, qt-ing new fish to increase the odds of nothing bad happening at that point in time. some of its ingredients are good anti bacterials.

looks like the wires have been crossed somewhere along the way in this thread.

[darkfur]

I think you'd probably have to *drink* Melafix for it to be dangerous. The warning probably stems from melaleuca being used as an essential oil in aromatherapy, and some aromatherapy oils are known/believed to be dangerous to use during pregnancy. If melaleuca was that dangerous a lot of cosmetics would be off the shelves, including quite a lot of what the body shop sells

[Caryl]

JazzyJeff when I click on No10 it lists about 68 hazards re using the stuff, then goes on to list many other risks etc.

[Aquila]

Sorry, I wasn't talking about any ingredients in Melafix. I was referring specifically to formalin. I don't know anything about what Melafix contains...

But in general, most medications contain ingredients, which if taken in large amounts will be toxic to your fish or you. The key is to follow the instructions so that you do not over dose... and in my opinion avoid anything containing formalin/formaldehyde at all cost.

is it the melafix you are talking about?

[alanmin4304]

The whole point of using medications is to kill things (diseases or parasites) if they were not toxic they would not work. A doctor once told me that half of the prescriptions they write are to treat the side effects of the other half they write. If it is a medication treat it with respect. If you don't wish to subject your fish or yourself to the presence of toxic chemicals then don't treat them. I prefer to treat mine when necessary using common sense and care.

[JazzyJeff]

JazzyJeff when I click on No10 it lists about 68 hazards re using the stuff, then goes on to list many other risks etc.

I hear what you are saying Caryl but I think you will find that it takes you to a complete list of "Risk Phrases" - A link that is used by all substance's that you reference from this site - the number 10 is the rating melaleuca has been assigned as a risk and number 16 is the safety phrase.