Melafix & Tropical Fish

Question
Hi Karen,
My situation involves pop eye. First, a few stats to help you out:
   Tank: Eclipse System 3 (with Bio Wheel) water temp is 78, ammonia is 0ppm, No2 is 0ppm, No3 is 10ppm, ph is 7.2, with no live plants.
   Stock: Endler's Livebearers (4 male, 6 female and 7 fry born last week) 2 Ottos.
I noticed yesterday that one of my males had pop eye. It affected only 1 eye, and he was exhibiting stress by shimmying in place at the surface with fins held close to his body. I went to my local fish store and was sent home with Melafix. By the time I got home, it was too late for the little guy. He was gone. I then noticed another male with a slight bulging eye but still behaving normally, so I went ahead and added the treatment.
I'm still a little confused on how to do this; the directions are vague to me. I'm concerned about filtration as well as the fry. With the Eclipse system, all the media is in 1 cartridge, so in order to remove the carbon for treatment everything has to come out except for the Bio Wheel. Don't they need at least a sponge or ammonia absorber? And should a water change be done everyday? It seems like 7 days (per the bottle) without one is a little drastic. As far as the fry, is this course of treatment going to be rough for them? I'm now kicking myself for having lost a fish, but more so since I don't have a QT tank. Also, I know that I'm overstocked, but rest assured the problem is in the process of being fixed-I am in the process of cycling a 20 gallon which should be ready by the time the Melafix course is done. Thank you for your time and consideration!
Melissa

Answer
Hi Melissa,
Sorry to hear about the fish trouble you've been having.

I believe that Melafix is safe for delicate aquatic life and that includes fry.
While Melafix can be a good medication but it may not be able to actually "cure" illnesses like stubborn bacterial infections or fungal infections.

The shimmying behavior is common in livebearers and is usually a symptom of stress or poor water quality. I know you mentioned testing the water but I would go ahead and start doing daily 30% water changes on the tank until you notice a change in the fish. Filth in the gravel bed and dissolved waste and pollution are primary triggers for illnesses.

Popeye is often more a symptom of an environmental condition rather than an actual illness. And it can commonly be reversed just by improving the water quality as well as supplementing with a high quality fish food rich in vitamins.

You can go ahead and use the melafix. But I wouldn't follow the directions advising to wait 7 days to do a water change. You are right for being concerned about this. I agree with this being too long without a water change. Go ahead and do daily water changes on this and just redose  melafix according to however much water you took out and replaced.

About the carbon filtration problem. Is it possible for you to cut open the cartridge, dump the carbon out, and put the cartridge back in?  Good bacteria thrive on the cartridge and it'd be best if you could save it if at all possible.

I wouldn't kick yourself for having lost a fish. These things happen even with the most experienced and perfectionist aquarists!

You are doing better than most. Just try and see what melafix, water changes and a high quality diet do for your Endlers. I like to feed "Aqueon" brand tropical flakes to all my fish. It contains a bit better ingredients than most other common brands of fish flakes. And of course, frozen food several times a week is wonderful for a balanced diet.

I do hope this helps!
Karen~