API Melafix is used to treat various bacterial infections for your fish. So, will this treatment also harm the beneficial bacteria in your aquarium?
You can find out in this guide at Aquarium Blueprints.
Quick Summary
While API Melafix will help treat various bacterial infections, the product shouldn’t harm the beneficial bacteria living in your tank as long as you don’t overdose it.
If you managed to overdose Melafix, then you can do a 50% water change and/or add carbon. You should also test your tank water to see if there are any traces of ammonia or nitrites.
If your test detects that ammonia and/or nitrites, then you need to build your beneficial bacteria colonies back up to stabilize your biological filtration.
What is API Melafix?
API Melafix is made of 1% melaleuca, also known as tea tree oil, with the rest of the 99% being plain water.
With this treatment, you can heal your fish from bacterial infections that lead to fin rot, tail rot, eye cloud, pop eye, body slime fungus and mouth fungus.
Will Melafix kill the beneficial bacteria in your fish tank?
Melafix shouldn’t kill the beneficial bacteria living in your fish tank as long as you managed to follow the directions on the bottle.
For the uninformed, you need to dose 5 mL for every 10 gallons or 38 liters of tank water in your aquarium. You then need to do a water change every 7th day during your treatment plan.
If you managed to overdose this product, or forgot to do a water change, then it may lead to issues with the beneficial bacteria, fish and other inhabitants in your fish tank.
One of the potential issues of having too much Melafix in your tank may be the depletion of oxygen. The beneficial colonies that will consume ammonia and nitrites in your aquarium need oxygen to breath.
What to do if there is too much Melafix in your fish tank
If you believe that you have too much Melafix in your tank, then you should do a major water change of 50% as soon as possible. You can also add carbon in your filter to further dilute the concentration.
When putting new water back in, make sure you use a water conditioner if you are adding tap water as it will contain chlorine and chloramine. These two compounds will kill the beneficial bacteria in your tank if not removed from the tap water.
You should also test your tank water. If you see more than 0 ppm of ammonia and/or more than 0 ppm of nitrites, then there is something wrong with the biological filtration.
To prevent these nitrogen compounds from harming your fish, we recommend using a product like Seachem Prime to detoxify ammonia and nitrites until the beneficial bacteria colonies grow big enough to handle both without help.
You can also add live bacteria in your tank by using a product like Seachem Stability, to repair the biological filtration in your tank.
