Dart Den
Serving the Dart Frog Community Since 2004...
Dart Den

Serving the Dart Frog Community Since 2004...

Methylene Blue - egg fungus control?
Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Methylene Blue - egg fungus control?
#1
Is this a frequent solution (no pun intended) in the hobby for controlling fungus on eggs? My azureus' first two clutches had low yields with high losses due to what appeared to be fungus / disintegrating eggs - 1 tad that died on hatching. A local frogger suggested I use methylene blue as a fungus preventative so I applied a diluted mixture via a spray bottle to subsequent clutches.

I hatched out 2 tads per clutch (about 40% success, or 2/5 eggs on average) for three clutches in a row. I suspended the use of Methylene blue for 2 subsequent clutches and no eggs survived. I resumed on the last clutch and 5/5 are developing. So, though not terribly scientific, so far it seems like the methylene blue is helping. Does this mirror other folks' experiences?

Note - I'm using SeaChem Prime for treating tap water for use with egg/tad rearing - I only use distilled water for misting.
Jim from Austin | https://www.oneillscrossing.com/dart-frogs/
fantastica nominant | summersi | reticulata | A barbotini
Reply
#2
I've used it with good results.
https://www.facebook.com/dartden/

https://twitter.com/DartDen


"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana".
Reply
#3
I used to use MB but have switched over to using blackwater expert by Kent marine. Both are effective in helping prevent mold but I figured the more natural the better (I also use blackwater for my tadpole water). You may also want to check the dates on your supplements as this could also be a factor in the issues you are having with your eggs. Are you using the suite of repashy products to supplement your frogs?

Chris
Reply
#4
Thanks! I'll take a look at blackwater expert. The supplements are a rotation of repashy calcium plus (added to rotation in early July), dendrocare (added in June), herptivite (on this since I got them) and rep-cal (on this since I got them). Refigerated and replaced every 6 months. Last set purchased in early July. The pair is also relatively young - the female is 14 months OOW and the male is 11 months.
Jim from Austin | https://www.oneillscrossing.com/dart-frogs/
fantastica nominant | summersi | reticulata | A barbotini
Reply
#5
No problem. Honestly, I would definitely add repashy Vit A to your rotation (I use it twice a month). I'm not sure about Dendrocare but I don't recall it being a sufficient source of VitA which your frogs will definitely need now that they are breeding.
Reply
#6
This may help with Chris' recent sylvat egg issue post, also.
I've found it's not usually a fungus issue with bad eggs , rather an issue with young females. Sometimes a male does not fertilize the eggs properly, but mostly we notice this issue with young females.
How many times do you read ' it takes the female a few clutches to get ti right'? It's not really getting it right, more an issue of young females.
I like to keep my breeders separate if I suppose there is an issue with too many early bad eggs with newly sexed females. No issue with males being fertile. It gives the females time to mature and build fat reserves useful in good egg production down the line.
Just because a female of any species can breed does not mean she should be breeding yet. For optimal health.
Darts with parasites are analogous to mixed tanks, there are no known benefits to the frogs with either.


If tone is more important to you than content, you are at the wrong place.

My new email address is: rich.frye@icloud.com and new phone number is 773 577 3476
Reply
#7
Good point Rich! In my case I added the group of young frogs to a viv I had been working on prior to them coming in. They have settled in nicely and I'm afraid it would do more bad than good to separate them into temp tanks. Looking back I probably would have grown them up separately to prevent the "teenagers" from getting busy so early. Oh well..
I still think that VitA would help the OP's problem with eggs as his are being fertilized and even developing, just not making it to froglets. It could be lack of vitamin A, it could be age, or it could be a combination of both. Even if it isn't the root if the issue, it's a cheap potential fix and your frogs will benefit from it regardless of wether it helps with the bad eggs.
Reply
#8
Thanks guys. Agreed it's probably a combination of issues. They started breeding earlier than I anticipated, so I have since improved their supplement rotation and added a UVB lamp. I've also boosted their daily feedings.

Initially about half of the eggs in a given clutch would change shape developing a head and tail. I did not treat clutches 1 and 2, and only 1 tad developed and hatched (but died immediately after hatching, first clutch). I have 1 tad developing nicely from clutch 3 (first MB treated clutch), and 2 tads each from clutches 4 and 5 (both MB treated). I lost all of the developing eggs in clutches 6 and 7 (both not treated with MB). The clutch from last week (their 8th, resumed MB) was the first one where all eggs in the clutch have shown some development, so I think they are getting better at fertilization/egg quality. I have a ninth from 2 days ago that is too soon to call. (They produce about a clutch per week, with 3 to 7 eggs per clutch.) So overall MB seemed like a good thing, but again, nothing scientific here just anecdotal observations.

I appreciate the help and advice!
Jim from Austin | https://www.oneillscrossing.com/dart-frogs/
fantastica nominant | summersi | reticulata | A barbotini
Reply
#9
anyone have a 'hard or fast' dosage of Methylene blue that they would like to impart ?
https://www.facebook.com/dartden/

https://twitter.com/DartDen


"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana".
Reply
#10
I have been told 1 drop of Methylene blue per 3-5 ounces of water. Can anybody confirm this?
Thank you for your help
Reply
#11
Mike,

I really feel the posted use or 'recommendations' of things like this - medications......people are squeamish about posting and volunteering. It's one of those things where advice that could backfire and cause someone to say 'hey man, you killed my eggs' is causing people to pause.
https://www.facebook.com/dartden/

https://twitter.com/DartDen


"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana".
Reply
#12
I understand Phil, I can see how people would be hesitant about giving that kind of advice. I try the 1 drop to 5 ounces and see how that does.
Thanks again Phil
Reply
#13
Bumping for Diane. Figured I'd add some info as well on what has been working for me.

Added Repashy with vit A in January
Cycled pair down in December through February
Pair is about 2 years old as of this post

So far this year when I leave the eggs in viv I have about a 20% to 50% egg development rate (it was on the lower end last year but has been increasing this year). The pair has not transported a hatched tad yet so zero percent in viv froglets. If I pull and treat with MB the rate goes up to 90% and all those eggs have hatched. I treated two different ways. The first was to dilute some MB in a spray bottle and use that to mist. That worked ok. The second may be a bit different - I have plastic pipets that you can stretch the tips on to make micro droplets. I use these to drop one tiny drop of MB on the opposite edge of the dish. As I mist the MB dilutes around the dish and surrounds the jelly. This has worked very well for me and I have morphed about 30 froglets this way this year. I have another 40 or so tads that are in cups after using this method - all with a high success rate and no observed issues. I did cease MB treatment for two clutches in June and both were back to the 40% range. I'll skip the MB treatment on a few more clutches and monitor.
Jim from Austin | https://www.oneillscrossing.com/dart-frogs/
fantastica nominant | summersi | reticulata | A barbotini
Reply



User Panel Messages

Announcements
Announcement #1 8/1/2020
Announcement #2 8/2/2020
Announcement #3 8/6/2020