did I just poison my cory fry?

[ripit]

So I had cory eggs. The eggs were developing fungus. I tried hydrogen peroxide but it didn't stop anything. As a last ditch effort, I added some methylene blue (actually tetra contra bac which is methylene blue based and mentions use on eggs. Problem is, it is 20 years old (just bought it on ebay). Thats why I didn't use it in the first place. So now I just realized why there were not many eggs (I had been removing fungus ones but it still didn't seem like as many). They hatched (some at least). I used 1ml (bottle said to use 6ml). It still turned the water dark green. The filter on it is a 280gph filter (water flow is restricted by the filter material so its less). I put a fine cloth bag over the intake (it can not suck up the fry but they might get sucked to it). I can use a lot of fresh carbon if I keep that big filter running or I can slowly change water (maybe a drip into the filter alternated with a drip out, like a drip acclimation for the tank). I feel pretty stupid. Now I read you only need a drop (though this is a dilute bottle, 1oz treats 100 gal).

So how to proceed (the filter is running with fresh charchol and I will start very slowly changing water but will watch this thread for responses).

I can also rig a small filter with a little carbon if recommended.

[Lady Hobbs]

I would have left them alone and allow the parents to care for the eggs. Nature doesn't a better job than us human do. If the eggs had started to grow fungus, they were most likely already dead.

[ripit]

I think the fungus was only on the unfertilized or damaged ones but spread to good ones (there are still a few in there that look clean and unhatched).

The parents were in a community tank. The eggs were unexpected. I removed a ceramic house that had eggs on it to a 10 gal and a few scraped off the glass to a couple of fish bowls. Most stayed in the tank with the parents but I'm pretty sure they all got eaten (or hatched). If they hatched, I'm guessing they got eaten or managed to hide (they are pretty small). There is at least one alive in the 10 gal that I added methylene blue to. I assume that is is attached to the yolk sac as it just sits there most of the time (when I turned the filter on for a minute to get a liittle fresh water sitting in the charchol it moved around a bit). What I am doing is pouring water by hand occasionally into the filter (that is not powered up). I'm hoping the water sitting in the charchol is getting detoxified so I'm slowly changing it. I'l also slowly changing water (a cup or two every 10-15 minutes).

Am I doing more harm than good trying to get the methylene blue out? Is it toxic to the fry (assuming its not bad from age)?

[ripit]

There are some alive still but they are so small and do not move much so it's hard to tell or even see them. I wonder if there is even enough methelene blue in there to effect anything? It wasn't enough to stop fungus. The filter current seemed to be too much for the fry to handle so I left it off. The rest of the eggs seem to be fungusing over including ones that were clean yesterday (I assume because of the lack of current). I did perch an air stone over the house (trying to create an up current) but that didn't seem to help. I changed a lot of the water very slowly (I stayed up till 5am, I have to work overnights the next 2 nights so it was good to get on a late schedule anyways). I put maybe 1/2 a cup charchol in a bag and put an air line in it to try and move water through it. I have continued to run the filter for several seconds here and add cups if water manually to the filter (to expose new water to the charchol I put in the filter). I also ran an air line into the filter (not that it was cycled anyway but I didn't want any bad anaerobic activity.


There are at least 2, maybe 3. One is bent and swims in circles. My wife saw one dart to the top. I have seen them go under things so I wonder if some are hiding. Are they supposed to sit around a lot not moving when brand new? Am I right that a heavy current is probably not good for them? I would imagine the ones that instinctively hide would survive in nature so maybe its natural?

I would really appreciate any advice on how to continue. MY 5 year old would really be happy it if they lived (the cories are his favorite, and are the only ones he has named except for the betta). Its not about getting fish (not that much to buy a few). Its about the experience for the kids . There is a ceramic house and a small bowl that they could be hiding under or in but even in the open, I can not find them unless they are moving.