Hi Everyone
I'd just like to say a word on Melafix. This is about the only meds I use and I love it. It contains tea tree oil, something I use myself personally all the time. I buy the pure oil and use it for wounds, hair care, cuts, colds, etc. It is 100 times more potent than any antiseptic we can use. I have a booklet on tea tree oil and its uses are many. Melafix has tea tree oil in it and when I saw this I said to myself "No wonder I love it so much " It really works for fin rot and frayed fins and just about any othere physical ailment. (at least it won't hurt). This oil costs about $22 for 2 ounces, and I'm cheap but I alway have a bottle on hand. So when it comes to Melafix, I always have that on hand too. Just my own experience but I had to voice it. Oh, by the way I was bit by a snake once and it took the pain right away. And I know it cures fungus because it works for athletic's feet too.

Melafix is great at helping to regenerate tissue and allowing the fish to heal itself, but in lab testing it has been found to have no significant antibacterial effect. There are many cases in which adding tea tree oil could be not only unhelpful but detrimental, since it adds organics to the tank environment and coats the surfaces of the fish. There is also good evidence that it is an irritant, which is another reason it could be problematic. I generally don't use the stuff, and IMO many people tend to use it much too liberally.