Methylene Blue???

[JamesP]

Hi,

I have been having a few problems with my fish and one in particular. It has been developing ich and has been hovering either really close to the top or right on the bottom. I checked my readings and got the folowing:

Ammonia: 0.1
Nitrates: 10
Nitrites: 1

I then bought some Methylene blue and added 5g which is what is recommended for a 10Gallon tank.
Straight away all of the water in the tank went dark blue and I thought 'fair enough, it will fade away soon'. However, nearly 3 hours later the water in the tank is still the same colour! Is this normal?
Also, (sorry if this sounds a bit stupid!) it says to change the carbon at the end. What exactly is the carbon??? Is this the biological media?

Many Thanks

 

[WILDER]

The black carbon is a bag of carbon or a sponge which you have to remove, or it will remove the meds, just throw it away, yes the water will be blue nothing to worry about, you have readings in ammonia, and nitrite, did you do a water change before you added the med, turn temp up to 30 cover with a blanket, and run an airstone for extra aeration with having med and high temp as it will reduce the 02 in the tank.

 

[WILDER]

Can't see why you are using that med.
Methylene Blue( zinc free ) 100% Can be used to increase oxygen in water. But other then that it has been prove to be of little value in fish tanks. Dosage: 24 grams makes 1 pint. Then use 1 drop per gallon of water. (Don't expect much form this chemical and you won't be disappointed)

 

[WILDER]

This one yes as it treats itch.
Malachite Green (zinc free) 100% Cures Ich, fungus, oodinium (velvet) mouth fungus, and prevents fungus on some eggs, most effective when used with salt. 28.4 grams make 1 gallon. Then use 1 drop per gallon.

 

[JamesP]

I used this one as it says on the side....

- For use in the treatment for ich
- For use when fish or hovering near the top or bottom of the tank

Still a little confused by 'removing the carbon'....

I have not got another sponge so I take it I will need a replacement. Really confused now because I thought that sponge has been gathering bacteria which is good for the whole Nitrogen cycle. Surely by replacing this with a new one will lose some of this bacteria??

By the way my tank is the same as the one detailed below
Via Aqua

 

[beblondie]

Have a link http/www.petsforum.com/novalek/kpd28.htm

 

[WILDER]

What colour are your sponges, black sponge is the carbon that's the only one you remove.

 

[JamesP]

Yes, I do have a black sponge. I did not remove this when I added the Methylene Blue... should I remove this now? If so do i need to get a replacement and when do I replace it? Sorry to ask so many questions!

 

[WILDER]

That's fine that's how you learn, remove the black sponge, add it back when you have finnished the treatment and the itch has gone, but you have to do a water change to remove the meds, that's when you put it back, good luck.
Also you don't have to have the carbon sponge in all the time, some only use it to remove the meds after treatment, as it can be rather expensive as you have to replace the black carbon every six weeks, or the carbon sponge release the chemicals back into the tank.

 

[JamesP]

That's fine that's how you learn, remove the black sponge, add it back when you have finnished the treatment and the itch has gone, but you have to do a water change to remove the meds, that's when you put it back, good luck.
Also you don't have to have the carbon sponge in all the time, some only use it to remove the meds after treatment, as it can be rather expensive as you have to replace the black carbon every six weeks, or the carbon sponge release the chemicals back into the tank.

Okay thanks for all yor help. Last 2 questions.. If I remove the sponge I take it I should just keep it in a container or something and NOT clean it with tap water. Also, is there anything I will need to replace after I have returned the sponge when the treatment is finished?

 

[OrkyBetta]

let it sit in a container of old tank water. It shouold be ok. If you want to clean it swish it in "dirty" tank water.

 

[JamesP]

Thanks everone for your help

 

[pk237776]

Having struggled to grasp exactly where the carbon filter was, I decided to double check in the instructions that came with my aquarium.

10. Place the filter pads on the top of the biological media. Optional: Via Aqua carbon cartridges and filter pads can be used
a. A small amount of carbon and/or resin filtering media is recommended. Place the media in a filtering bag and insert into the filter

I take it that I did not have any carbon related materials to start with then and do not need to remove anything from my existing setup! Can somebody just confirm this for me and whether I need to go and buy any carbon cartridges in the future

Thanks

 

[Dubby]

Having struggled to grasp exactly where the carbon filter was, I decided to double check in the instructions that came with my aquarium.

10. Place the filter pads on the top of the biological media. Optional: Via Aqua carbon cartridges and filter pads can be used
a. A small amount of carbon and/or resin filtering media is recommended.  Place the media in a filtering bag and insert into the filter

I take it that I did not have any carbon related materials to start with then and do not need to remove anything from my existing setup! Can somebody just confirm this for me and whether I need to go and buy any carbon cartridges in the future

Thanks

Carbon is not required. I use it once in a while to remove traces of medication that maybe left over after the disease has gone away.

In any case carbon has an effective life of around a month. So you need to change it regularly for it to be doing its job properly. BTW carbon is used to trap toxins and other unwanted chemicals in the water.

 

[pk237776]

Thanks Dubby