Does medication for fish change ph lvl's?

906 Views 7 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Bombalurina, Apr 2, 2012

MrNand

Discussion Starter · Mar 31, 2012

I was wondering if medication changes a ph lvl of a 10gal tank. I bought some of those hanging ph lvl reader and put it in the tank...then stupidly put in some "BETTAFIX" to heal damage skin and fins some 5min later. I completely forgot about waiting 30min for the thing to read properly and after i came out from the shower i saw the thing and it was marking 8.2(or higher) ph lvl. i did a 40% water change but the ph lvl staid the same. i also use those fizzy tablets to balance the water and it didn't work... dont know what to do now >.< .... any suggestions?(could it also be the water that i use?)...

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Bombalurina

· #2 · Apr 1, 2012

It could just be your water, but I wouldn't really trust anything but a liquid test kit. Strip tests etc tend to change according to environmental factors, so can be a bit off.

I would also caution against using BettaFix. There are some risks associated with it, that, for me, make it not worth the risk, and really, it won't do anything that clean warm water won't do.

I'd also advise against pH adjusters. It is better to have a pH that is slightly too high than one that changes.

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Bombalurina

· #5 · Apr 1, 2012

I agree that it is probably safe in the recommended dosage, but it is easy to overdose unless you are doing full water changes between each dosing. I'd also worry about using it multiple times in a betta's life in case it has a cumulative effect. Tea Tree Oil is an irritant. Personally, I just don't want to risk it. I have also not noted a benefit in dealing with things like finrot. I'm not a fan of any medication unless it is absolutely unavoidable. Natural remedies (clean water, heat, IAL) first. It's never a good idea to treat a fish with chemicals unless you have to. I give similar advice on all medication: I'm just more wary of Bettafix as I know someone who lost a betta whilst using it (and they did not overdose by much).

I used Melafix successfully to treat a goldfish with columnaris (although there is nothing to suggest that it did anything that a water change wouldn't have done, since poor water quality was the cause of the illness), but with a labyrinth fish, I honestly don't see the point of risking it.

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Bombalurina

· #6 · Apr 1, 2012

Sorry for the double post: http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/betta-fish/75644-update-regarding-labyrinth-fish-melafix.html. This link basically summarises my opinions on Mela/Pima/Bettafix.

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Bombalurina

· #8 · Apr 2, 2012

Adding driftwood to your tank or peat moss into the filter will gradually bring the pH down, more gradually and safely than a chemical adjustment.

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