Does Pimafix work?

Does anyone have any experience with Pimafix? My ram has some cotton like fluff growing on his top fin, he's acting normal and has been eating.

Is this your newly acquired one? I would be checking with the store you got it from and ask what the policy on selling sick fish is. A new fish should not have to cost you in meds, just my 2 cents.

Pimafix is about as good as Melafix, and in my opinion they are both very weak. I like Para Guard by Seachem. Mel and Pimafix will work, but I myself am not impressed. If that is all you have, by all means use it, with some salt and some good water changes.

I will call them but I would have to treat my tank anyway, I don't have a quarantine tank so my other fish might get it to.

Here is the thing I dont like about the products, they lower the oxygen levels in your tank. You need to increase aeration if you decide to treat with these products. Like madness said salt and water changes are an effective means to try first.

Ok ill add salt and increase my filter flow, I'm not very happy with this fish store  first they have the fish mislabeled and now they have fungus...

MorganEA wrote:Ok ill add salt and increase my filter flow, I'm not very happy with this fish store  first they have the fish mislabeled and now they have fungus...

Flow is not really your issue, you need to do a thorough gravel vac, under wood and ornaments, and change to fresh water. Increasing the flow wont do much, unless you are doing this to create more oxygen.

yes to create more oxygen I did a 50% water change and vacuumed every nook this morning.

MorganEA wrote:yes to create more oxygen :)I did a 50% water change and vacuumed every nook this morning.

Vary nice, you sound like you are doing what you can. Good luck, you should see improvement soon.  

I hope so  Pimafix wont kill my plants right? If I loose my fish I'm going to be so mad.

I believe Pimafix/Melafix are suppose to be "natural" remedies, which shouldn't hurt your plants.

Just thought I would update you guys   The cotton like stuff on his fin is smaller and he looks way happier today.

Good, glad to hear of the improvement.

        

I thought the ram had kicked the fungus but now I found some on its tail.. No one else seems to be affected. I'm not sure if he will survive the treatment this time  

How about some pictures? Maybe it is not what you think it is.

I will try
its cotton like and only on the fins

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That's the best I can do..

It sounds like Lymph to me, and it is incurable. ITs like herpes, you always have it, and some things cause a flare up. Sometimes it goes away (but never gone) other times it never goes away and gets worse.

Lymph is the same way, if it gets to bad and spreads to the body of the fish, you may never be able to save it. Oh, and it is contagious. So before another fish gets weak enough to allow it to attack, you better remove that sick fish as soon as possible.

Hmmm, is it like a pimple in the fin, or does it look like it is on the outside and attached to the fin

Has it always been that small?

No its on the outside and the one on his dorsal fin started that small but got larger.

Did it look like it was a piece of cauliflower attached to the fin?

nope it was fuzzy like cotton.

Can you catch the fish? If so, hold it in your hand and use your finger nails to drag it off. If it is cotton it will brush off, if it doesnt just brush off and feels hard like you almost have to scrape it off, then it indeed is Lymph

well either way he's probably not going to survive, I'm going to get some clove oil tomorrow.

Honestly, before you euthanize him, I would do what I suggested just so that you have an idea of what it was, so that you can possibly take precautions for future issues.

If it is Lymph, it doesnt look that bad, and maybe all the fish needs is some good clean water to get healthy and put it back into its dormant stage.

Yea I will never shop at that store ever again and I'm getting a 10 gal quarantine tank.

I'm sorry I must sound like I'm heartless! but the ram has been sickly since I got him, and I don't have the money to set up his own tank so he doesn't infect everyone else.

Pimafix works for what its meant for. As for fish herpes, gross!

Once a fish gets sick like this, he will never full recover (unless its an African lol). I've had a couple bettas with velvet, ick and all that nasty shit that hits them all at once. They get healthy, but never fully recovered before dying unexpectedly.

I don't think you sound heartless, a fish is a fish. It's smart to cull when needed, especially to protect the rest of the tankmates.

Is he stressed out by the other fish at all? Does he flash on a certain object? Is the tank overstocked? etc etc

Im not sure if the other fish are stressing him out, they all seem to get along. He shares the 40gal tank with 4 platies and an angel fish.

It's understocked! How dare you!?!?! lol jk that probably helps him quite a bit that there's a lot of space.

I hate how empty it is   I would love to stock it more but I need to get my quarantine tank set up first.

Use an old ice cream container! Sponge filter and 2.5gal heater. Very inexpensive compared to other tanks, and doing it like that would help to keep yourself from converting the quarantine tank into just another tank (I've done it a few times lol).

Of course that limits the size of the fish and the amount you could get at once.

I have a camera that I don't use, I'm hoping I can find someone on CL that will trade a 10gal setup for it. An open bucket just invites cats to go fishing