Re: [RML] Methylene Blue

Gary Lange (gwlange at stlnet.com)
Thu, 29 Apr 1999 21:45:39 -0500

Do you use this mix (acriflavin) on your rainbowfish eggs or just your
killifish eggs?? I didn't obtain very good results using ANY amount of
acriflavine with rainbowfish eggs. It had worked quite nicely with
killifish for me until I advanced :-) to the peat spawning killies and then
it became unnecessary. There was a vet 2-3 years back in TFH that said that
methylene blue really served no purpose except to darken the water and cut
down on the light. Do you have any references for methylene blue being an
anti-bacterial? I have found the best use for methylene blue is when I want
to find which eggs are fertile. Infertile eggs will stain a very dark blue
where fertile eggs will exclude the dye. If you don't overdo the MB it's a
good way to quickly tell the difference. I don't add anything to my hatch
water tank and have fine hatches. I usually put the mop into a tank with
freshly dechlorinated tap water though so there aren't a lot of bugs to
cause problems. Sometimes I think that people end up with a lot of fungus
in their eggs because their males are shooting blanks or not driving the
females hard enough. Then they blame fungus. If you think this could be a
problem try picking a few eggs and putting them in a shallow tray of MB. If
they all turn blue then you've got troubles with your male.

gary lange

-----Original Message-----
From: Wright Huntley <huntley1 at home.com>
To: rainbowfish at pcug.org.au <rainbowfish at pcug.org.au>
Date: Thursday, April 29, 1999 4:49 PM
Subject: Re: [RML] Methylene Blue

>
>Methylene blue has been shown to have no particular effect on egg
>fungus. It works by killing bacteria. That *can* keep the fungus from
>ever appearing.
>
>A weak solution of methylene blue, best when combined equally with
>acriflavin, can cut the bacteria count way down. Fertilized eggs, in my
>experience, don't ever fungus unless first attacked or damaged by
>predators or bacteria nearly thick enough to deplete oxygen.
>
>Excessive or too long use of the analine dyes can make the egg chorion
>too tough, and the fish can't hatch properly. My mix is a very pale
>green. I rarely use the dyes, but when I do, it is for only one day,
>with successive 50% or more daily (or twice-daily) dilutions to take the
>color back down quickly.
>
>Java moss and peat act as antibacterials, too, I find. The peat does it
>with natural dyes (tannins?), while the Java moss apparently carries
>along a population of bacteria eaters, like rotifers, paramecia, etc.
>Either one is usually better, IMHO, than either methylene blue or
>acriflavin or both, for they don't seem to create that tough-egg-casing
>problem. YMMV.
>
>Wright
>
>
>--
>Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679 huntleyone at home dot
>com
>
> Stop passing new laws!
> Repeal some dysfunctional ones. It will do far more good.*
> http://www.self-gov.org/libertarianism.html
>________________________________________________
>*Substance-abuse laws and other victimless-crime laws for example.
>