Methylene Blue

[AKBlueJacks]

I am pretty new here on the forum, but have gained a good bit of information from it over the past couple of years. I did a search on this topic, but really can’t find a thread that answered all of my questions on the use of methylene blue to prevent fungus on eggs.

About two months ago, I had a pair of Jack Dempsey that spawned and I removed the piece of slate that the eggs were on and placed it in a 30 gallon tank. I worked hard with the turkey baster to remove the bad eggs and I would guess I had about 60 percent of the eggs that made it to the free swimming stage. I wanted to improve on this, so on my next spawn I decided to do the same strategy, but I added methylene blue to the 30 gallon tank when I added the eggs. My hatch rate was significantly improved. I would guess 95% of my eggs hatched. Then about 24 hours into the wriggler stage I had about a 70% die off.

So I am wondering how others add and remove methylene blue when hatching cichlid eggs. When do you add? When and how do you remove? Is there anything that helps the wriggles make it through to free swimming without dying?

Right now I am thinking that next time I could place my eggs in a ten gallon with methylene blue and then remove the wriggles when they have all hatched and place them in my 30 without any of the methylene blue. ???

Any help is appreciated.

 

[tlindsey]

I am pretty new here on the forum, but have gained a good bit of information from it over the past couple of years. I did a search on this topic, but really can’t find a thread that answered all of my questions on the use of methylene blue to prevent fungus on eggs.

About two months ago, I had a pair of Jack Dempsey that spawned and I removed the piece of slate that the eggs were on and placed it in a 30 gallon tank. I worked hard with the turkey baster to remove the bad eggs and I would guess I had about 60 percent of the eggs that made it to the free swimming stage. I wanted to improve on this, so on my next spawn I decided to do the same strategy, but I added methylene blue to the 30 gallon tank when I added the eggs. My hatch rate was significantly improved. I would guess 95% of my eggs hatched. Then about 24 hours into the wriggler stage I had about a 70% die off.

So I am wondering how others add and remove methylene blue when hatching cichlid eggs. When do you add? When and how do you remove? Is there anything that helps the wriggles make it through to free swimming without dying?

Right now I am thinking that next time I could place my eggs in a ten gallon with methylene blue and then remove the wriggles when they have all hatched and place them in my 30 without any of the methylene blue. ???

Any help is appreciated.

The Methylen Blue is important of preventing the eggs from fungus as you already stated after they become wriggler's stop treatment of Methylen Blue and do gradual wc's to rid of med or try what you stated transferring them into the 30 gallon.

 

[squint]

MB readily degrades. If you don't see the blue anymore, it's gone. No need to do anything to remove it.

 

[AKBlueJacks]

I have read that MB kills off all of the beneficial bacteria. When removing with wc’s, when is it safe to add a seasoned sponge filter back into the tank? I didn’t test my “blue” water, but I wonder if I had some ammonia pop up do to the loss of BB. It was new seasoned water that I had never put any food into though.

 

[tlindsey]

I have read that MB kills off all of the beneficial bacteria. When removing with wc’s, when is it safe to add a seasoned sponge filter back into the tank? I didn’t test my “blue” water, but I wonder if I had some ammonia pop up do to the loss of BB. It was new seasoned water that I had never put any food into though.

Yes you are correct about possible ammonia spike.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; I have done it this way. I use a small tank to put the eggs into but only add about 1/3 of the water. I put a bubbler a short distance from the eggs so to have a gentle flow of water. I add a few drops of the MB.

For my angel eggs it took almost a week for them to hatch out. By then the MB is a bit degraded already. I can then add some fresh water to further dilute the MB.

I also keep some hornwort live plants in my tanks and add some of this. The hornwort can be added when you first put the eggs in if you want. It is my understanding that organic debris will take up some of the MB so my guess is as the hornwort sheds bits these bit will also remove some of the MB. I also figure the hornwort might take up some of any ammonia that may develop directly. (other live plants should do the same job. Hornwort does not have to be rooted.)
I also generally keep a sponge or few of a sponge filter in the back of a HOB filter. I grab one of those and set up a sponge filter in with the newly hatched eggs. That way I have a bb (beneficial bacteria) loaded source always ready to go.