With popeye being such a common problem for so many fish keepers, we often see people reaching out and asking how they are able to treat popeye in their fish.
Although there are a number of different courses of popeye that will require slightly different treatment options to each other, one of the most common ways to quickly treat popeye is Melafix with it being very popular amounts fish keepers.
Due to so many people always recommending the use of Melafix to treat popeye in fish, we have noticed a spike in the number of people asking if you can use Melafix for popeye or not as well as if it is safe to use with their fish.
We wanted to publish our own article going over using Melafix for popeye as although it is an excellent option for one of the most common causes of popeye in fish, it is classed as a controversial treatment amongst the community that is regularly debated.
The main thing that people seem to overlook in these discussions is that popeye can occur in fish due to a bacterial infection or due to injury.
If the popeye in your fish is due to a bacterial infection then Melafix can be an excellent treatment option and it should have your fish back to full health in no time.
If your fish is suffering from popeye due to injury then Melafix will not be able to treat the cause of the popeye but it can still be great to protect the wound while it heals.
How To Use Melafix For Popeye In Your Fish!
The two most common causes of popeye in fish are bacterial infection and an injury from fighting. You can follow the dosing instructions on the label of your Melafix for treating the bacterial infection to help your fish recover from popeye quickly.
If your fish has popeye due to an injury then some people will still add a quarter of the normal dose to their fishes water to prevent any bacterial or fungus setting in on the wound while it heals.
This is where most of the confusion that we see online from people discussing using Melafix to treat popeye in fish comes from.
Melafix is used in two different ways for the two main causes of popeye with one being to directly counter the cause of the popeye and heal your fish quicker and the other being to prevent the cause of the popeye from having any secondary issues.
As you can imagine, this is why things often get heated on social media with some people saying that using Melafix did nothing for their fish with popeye.
It was highly likely that the cause of popeye in their fish was due to an injury rather than a bacterial infection so Melafix can only prevent secondary issues developing rather than treating the cause and helping your fish heal quicker.
What Dose Of Melafix Should You Use To Treat Popeye?
The correct dose of Melafix to use on your pet fish suffering from popeye will depend on what is causing the popeye to occur. If the popeye is due to a bacterial infection then sticking to the standard recommended dose on the label of your Melafix is the best option.
If the popeye is due to an injury then using between a quarter and a half of the recommended dose to prevent infection setting in can be a good idea.
Of course this will depend on the specific fish species that you have in your tank and if you are able to quarantine the fish that has the popeye in its own tank.
Some fish are more sensitive than others with Betta fish being a common fish species that don’t do well with normal Melafix and Bettafix usually being the better product.
Our article on using Melafix and Bettafix on your betta fish goes into more detail on this.
There are also some other commonly kept fish species that can be sensitive to regular Melafix where a weaker product like Bettafix may be the better option or a diluted dose of Melafix being preferred.
Due to there being so many fish species, quickly checking the dosage for your particular fish species that has popeye and its correct Melafix dosage is probably the best route to take.
How Long Does It Take Melafix To Treat Popeye?
Melafix can treat popeye in your fish in as little as a week provided the cause of the popeye is a bacterial infection rather than injury. If the popeye has had a chance to see in and the infection is bad then it can take longer than this.
If your fish has popeye due to and injury then Melafix will not actually speed up the normal recovery time but can protect the wound from becoming infected.
We would always recommend that you take the time to stick to the recommended dosing instructions on the label of your Melafix if possible though.
We see people trying to “speed up” the recovery of their fish that is suffering from popeye by adding more Melafix to their water than is required only to make the situation worse.
You should also consider the health of the other fish in your tank when dosing your Melafix to treat popeye.
If possible, the fish suffering from popeye should be put in a separate quarantine tank just in case the popeye is due to a bacterial infection that may spread to your other fish. Even a cheap fishbowl can work for short-term quarantining for most fish species.
Will Melafix Always Treat Popeye In A Fish?
Melafix has a good chance of being able to treat bacterial infections in fish causing popeye. If the infection has had time to develop them Melafix may not be strong enough to fight the infection and additional treatments may be required in some situations.
As we explained above, if your fish has popeye due to an injury then Melafix is unable to actually treat the cause of the injury.
There can still be a benefit in adding a low dose of Melafix to help your fish as it can prevent infection from setting in on the wound on your fish to prevent it from getting worse and to prevent secondary problems setting in.
This is why Melafix is usually the default recommendation from the fish keeping community when it come to treating popeye in your fish. It makes it very simple to treat bacterial causes of popeye while also helping prevent injury based causes of popeye from getting worse.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over using Melafix to treat popeye in your fish to an end. In our opinion, it is definitely one of the better options available and its low price tag and ease of use makes it an excellent option for the majority of people.
