Blue liquid

[senorkevin]

I have this blue liquid which the seller told me I need to add everytime I change the water or add new fish.
My question is if I need to add this liquid if I am doing a 50% water change everyday during the cycle?

 

[Mebbid]

It depends. What is the blue liquid called and what's it supposed to do?

 

[senorkevin]

It's called All-Blue (methylene blue).
It is used to prevent infectious and parasitic diseases and it is also used as a therapeutic agent. Or so the bottle says!

 

[Mebbid]

I wouldn't use it on a regular basis. It's excellent to use as a treatment for many things but I would never recommend using any sort of medication for proactive treatment. It's still a good buy though since it can be hard to find locally.

 

[senorkevin]

So not to use it during the cycle. How often should I use it? It says to use 1 drop for every 2 litres.

 

[Mebbid]

I wouldn't use any unless you're seeing signs of infection on your fish.

It is mainly used to treat fungal infections but it is also effective for treating nitrite poisoning, cyanide poisoning, some bacterial infections, and lastly some external parasites.

 

[threnjen]

Methylene blue has a lot of awesome uses but it will kill your biofilter. so it is not something you want to use regularly. It will also stain your decor, wood, and silicone blue and turn your water blue (pretty, but makes it hard for light to penetrate). It's also toxic to your plants.
Your best use of it is in a hospital tank if you need to treat some fishes there. A hospital tank doesn't have to be fancy, it could be a plastic bin if that's all you have, although it needs a simple filter and a thermometer.
I can't think of a lot of reasons I would add methylene blue to my display tank, though. It would really wreak havoc on the ecosystem in there.

All of this sounds like I think methylene blue sucks - not at all. I am using it now in a hospital tank. I just don't think it belongs in a display tank, unless ALL your fish are sick and need it.