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Re: Russian BSE's

PayneDDS at aol_com wrote:
> 
> I have a can of Russian BSE's that aren't hatching for me. I put the can in
> the freezer until I was ready to open. Hatch time's at 80F are not at all or
> sparse.  pH is 7.5 and I added some bicarb to the last batch with no
> improvement.

Coupla hints:

My best authorities in the industry heartily oppose freezing as potentially
harmful to the cysts. Refrigerator temps provide optimum long-term storage.
[I know. Freezing *used* to be recommended!]

When frozen, you must wait a *long* time for them to reach room temp or
there will be invisible dew formed on the eggs that may ruin them. Same
problem with refrigeration, but the time to warm up is then less than a day.

The Asian eggs (I know -- too broad a generalization) I have tried all took
longer to hatch than local eggs, typically 48 hrs or more. I never got much
hatch at 24 hrs, even by lowering salinity, increasing temps, etc. The long
hatch time gave bacteria lots of time to explode, too. Stinky pink water was
always drained off of them.

> 
> Is decapsulating a way to salvage the food value? Looking for hints.

Yep. Don't count on them hatching any better, but the decapped cysts are
still good food, just as is. Most babies that have been exposed to live
nauplii will take them readily. 

Be careful with that sodium hydroxide. It not only can mess you up, it can
do a real number on your equipment. I also discovered a lot of plastic
containers, airlines, etc., don't do well in strong bleach. Use only good
Pyrex containers and avoid soft plastics if you don't want strange
plasticizers in your eggs. NaOH can even etch more reactive glass, so a
fused silica or Pyrex container is a good idea for avoiding unwanted
contaminants.

Guess who decided that decapping at home was not worth the bother?

Wright

-- 
Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679  huntley1 at home_com

        "Congress has not unlimited powers to provide
for the general welfare but only those specifically enumerated."
                                      --Thomas Jefferson

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