Meth Blue

[oldschoolculture]

Hey,

just wondering, if the tank has meth blue in it, and the parents ate the eggs, do i need to completely drain the tank to get rid of the blue.

Cheers

[DR.V]

why did you use meth blue for ??
meth blue is not good for discus because it will make a pair cannot produce slimes for the fry.
If you want to get rid of it, do w/c 30% everyday until it clears also add carbon in your filter.

Good Luck

[oldschoolculture]

I asked the lsf near me about fungus on eggs. I noticed that eggs were starting to go furry, so the told me to add meth blue.

I'm guessing this was the wrong thing to do. So what can i use to stop fungus?

Thanks

[Shawnts106]

The eggs may have died and the parents just ate them for nutritional needs... this happens, IM NO discus expert, but Fish are Fish and the same rule applys!

[DR.V]

I asked the lsf near me about fungus on eggs. I noticed that eggs were starting to go furry, so the told me to add meth blue.

Thanks

Meth Blue does treat fungus, but on the other hand it cause harm to the pair,as they reduce the slime production.

[Ben]

Hi Mate,
The best bet is to do %25+ water chanes once a day and maybe add some activated carbon to your filter is possible but dispose of after 10 days of use.
It should clear up and go back to normal quite quickly. But dont stress that you have added meth blue to the parents it will slow muscus production but there will be no long term problems.

HTH

Ben

[oldschoolculture]

Phew.......
thanks Ben, I was really worried for a sec. I guess next time ill just let nature take its course and do the things u advised.

Thanks guys

[Trebs]

For meth blue to be effective you need to use it pretty much straight after the eggs are layed. What PH are you running at? I find a slightly lower ph will solve the fungus issues without the need for meth blue.

[oldschoolculture]

PH is about 6.8............the meth blue just scares me a little

[Merrilyn]

No need to be worried about the Methylene Blue. It's a remedy that has been around for a long time, and has been been used by fishkeepers worldwide to prevent fungus on eggs. It will do no harm to the eggs or the fish, or the baby fry when they hatch.

Unfortunately, in the case of our discus fish, it inhibits the production of the slime coating that the fry feed on during their early weeks. The effects only last for a short time, 48 to 72 hours at the most, by which time the parents have regained their slime coat. I prefer not to use it, because of th effects on the parents, and would rather lower the ph using peat moss if the fungus on the eggs became a problem.

Some discus do mouth their eggs, and keep them free from fungus, and some don't. Try lowering the pH first, as bacteria don't survive well in acid water, and see if that makes a difference to your hatch rate.

Remember that infertile eggs will become white and fungus within a fairly short time. Usually the parents remove these eggs, but sometimes the fungus will spread to healthy eggs too.

[oldschoolculture]

Cool,

thanks ladyred. If I were to put a satchel of carbon in the water, will this help the eggs from becoming fungusy?

[DR.V]

Nope.
The carbon will take out all the medication in the water. In other word purify the water back to normal. ^^

[Andrew Soh]

Hello oldschoolculture,
As ladyred said, MB has been inour ornamental fish culture for a long time. I really do not understand how MB can completely stop mucus secretion?

I must say that I have used MB @ a dose of 80-100mg MBpure powder to 100liter water and never had a problem. In fact, I have constant successes.

In general, the application is done 2 hours after the eggs are laid...but if you are going to put MB, you must be prepared to use a mesh to prevent the brooders from eating the eggs. The reason is that the parents feel threatened as there is a change to the environment and will eat up the spawn. Generally, beside the snakeskin strains (most of them), normal hatching will take place on the 60th hour after laid. Make water-change either 100% or 50% 6hours before the eggs hatch. That is most ideal. But if not possible, you can do it later...even after they free swim for a few days.

The problem with many cases that make breeders to put the blame on MB is this:
MB kills nutrifying bacteria and some very small micro-organisms. This causes the water to foul and ammonia level is increased. Other protozoans like costia, chilodonella, and flukes..etc.... are not affected, but because the ammonia level soared, this favors parasites proliferation thus the MB seems to affect the discus brooders and their offspring.

If your discus brooders and tank are clean and free from most pathogens, MB is a blessing.

Just a thought!!

Warmest regards,
Andrew :angel

[Merrilyn]

Andrew, thankyou so much for your input here. We really appreciate you sharing your experiences with us.

[fishinggame]

Oldschool
Do not be worried using methylene blue on your eggs i use it all the time and have had no problems with the slime coating on the parents. The only thing i do is around 1 and half to 2 hers is inject methylene blue directly onto the eggs rather than dosing the whole tank. result is less meth blue used andno fungus
Cheers
Tony

[Andrew Soh]

:D Hello Merrilyn,
You are welcome.

But do pardon for my style of answering.........I think I am too direct..because I am very serious about discus issues...he! he!

You are right, Tony

Warmest regards,
Andrew :angel