# Why do you clean up unhatched eggs?



## dancelady

I know why the tank has to be cleaned because of the waste there from the fish. But when you have unhatched eggs which are rich in protein, and have a strong potential for nutrients, why would you clean that up? It isn't waste that you are removing. Somebody please tell me with good data on this... I know you give birds the old, used or unhatched eggshells and material inside of it that are left over. This is very good for them. Why wouldn't the new hatchlings get benefit from the eggs?


Read more: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/catfish/could-corys-eggs-341210/page3/#ixzz31j0RnNnC


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## MattsBettas

Anything dead, including eggs, _is_ waste. As someone who has bred multiple species of fish, I can confidentially tell you that dead eggs and fry get nasty quite quickly. One of the best ways to distinguish between living and dead eggs for some species is to see if they are covered in fungus. Dead eggs rot, and in doing so release ammonia which is dangerous for all fish, fry especially. I can assure you that the fry simply aren't going to benefit and may even suffer from leaving dead eggs in the tank.


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## corina savin

My experience is limited to Angelfish eggs. After 60 hours, the eggs that are turning white are those not fertilized. They will never hatch but will get fungus that will spread to other (good) eggs. Parents usually remove those bad eggs and often move the entire batch to a different clean spot. If you decide to raise the batch without the parents, methylene blue or hydrogen peroxide is needed to prevent fungus growth on eggs. Fish eggs don't last long. They rot quickly, long before fry are able to eat them.


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## Tolak

I learned long ago that the fungus you see on eggs is secondary to a bacterial issue in most cases. Treat it as such & you don't get fungus. I don't think you want fish eating bacteria that kills eggs.


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## dancelady

*I got a snail & cleaned up the dead eggs*

Just because everyone was so nice to tell me about what goes on with the non-viable eggs in the aquarium, I cleaned them up using q-tips and tipping the junk out. No babies were hurt in this process! 

And I bought a snail to put in the tank to keep up the good work. He is not there yet, but in the morning I will check out the progress of the fry, they are finally getting big enough that I can see them, and see them flitting around. If I think he won't scoop them up, I will put him in there.


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## corina savin

Snails will eat the eggs (good and bad). Wait until you get free swimmers.


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## corina savin

Tolak: The idea that fungus comes after a bacterial issue seems interesting but not convincing for me.
Let me explain: I never separate eggs to artificially raise fry but I know that those who do it fear fungus first. The water they hatch eggs in is treated with antiseptics such as methylene blue or hydrogen peroxide. Both will address bacteria and fungus. Sometimes they use Acraflavine which is strictly anti-fungal. Never antibiotics, which in my opinion will take care of bacteria.
I know is off topic but I am open to discussion.


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## Tolak

I breed angels as well, 30 tank fishroom designed for angel breeding. HP is an antibacterial, not to be confused with an antibiotic, the same with acriflavine. I use a mix of meth blue, acriflavin, an Maroxy in my hatching tanks, Maroxy is an antibacterial chlorine based product. Much of what I do with angels was taken from various discus breeding books, sites & discussions with breeders, and applied when appropriate. I believe Jim Quarles book on breeding discus is the one that goes into detail on fungus being secondary to bacterial issues with eggs, I'll have to knock the dust of of that & give it a quick look. 

Bacteria are much faster growing than fungus, and not visible to the naked eye, where fungus is and is often given blame. Antibiotics won't do a thing for this, a topical antiseptic will. Bacteria control is a huge part of running a fishroom, cleanliness is next to Godliness in many respects. 

Bottom line as it applies to this topic is don't let fish eat fungused eggs if at all possible, as you are uncertain what bacteria they may contain unless you're willing to do a bit of scope work.


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## corina savin

I know you do, that's why I value your opinion.
My fish will eat what they want no matter what I tell them to do 
For me, HP is an antiseptic (kills bacteria, fungus and viruses) not just an antibacterial (at 2ml/10 gallon). 
Anyway, it's a point I will consider in the future.


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## dancelady

*Your discussion is keeping me awake at night...*

Tolak and Corina, you are not letting me sleep soundly... so my Cory babies are swimming around, though only a few times a day, I need to know if I should treat their tank with methylene blue, acriflavine, etc. Since the eggs have hatched, the unviable eggs have been removed by hand, and I put a small snail in there to help vacuum up the debris. I don't even see the snail anymore, he headed to the decor cave right after I put him in the tank. There is still a lot of junk on the bottom, will this be removed by the snail, or is it still an issue with the bacteria/fungus problem? Can I leave it for awhile, there is a philo leaf and some moss there, and I give them one dose of Hikari First Bites and a shrimp pellet? Of course, the shrimp pellet is way too big, but I am hoping it will soften and they can nibble at it. Advice?


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## corina savin

We were talking about eggs here. Me and Tolak are two different breeders. He fears bacteria. He is a professional breeder. I don't blame him. An infection is a huge risk. Breeders work in close to sterile environments, like OCD. They change a lot of water because they don't count on biofilter (good bacteria). All bacteria is bad for them.
I bred angels as a hobby. I enjoy watching parental skills. I am interested in the science behind it not in the number of fish produced. But I produced good quality fish in a less than sterile water. Bacteria is not a big issue for me. I don't think I'm wrong and neither is Tolak.
No methylene blue after the eggs stage. No methylene blue unless you separate the eggs in a clean jar. Methylene blue is an antiseptic and will kill your biofilter.


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## dancelady

*Uh oh, about my filter, what did I do?*

Uh oh, I forgot to remove the filter media when I dosed the tank for ICH, but it was not methylene blue, it was victoria green. Is the filter dead now... don't tell me I killed it? What do I have to do after about a week or two since the dose, to redo it, start it back with the cycling?



corina savin said:


> We were talking about eggs here. Me and Tolak are two different breeders. He fears bacteria. He is a professional breeder. I don't blame him. An infection is a huge risk. Breeders work in close to sterile environments, like OCD. They change a lot of water because they don't count on biofilter (good bacteria). All bacteria is bad for them.
> I bred angels as a hobby. I enjoy watching parental skills. I am interested in the science behind it not in the number of fish produced. But I produced good quality fish in a less than sterile water. Bacteria is not a big issue for me. I don't think I'm wrong and neither is Tolak.
> No methylene blue after the eggs stage. No methylene blue unless you separate the eggs in a clean jar. Methylene blue is an antiseptic and will kill your biofilter.


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## corina savin

Keep an eye on ammonia for now. Do you have carbon in your filter? Carbon will remove organic medication (I don't know Victoria Green). If you have plants, you are fine. If not, try to seed some extra bacteria from a different tank.


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