Re: [Killietalk] shallow vs deep for hatching eggs

[Wright Huntley <whuntley at verizon_net>]

I know you aren't a troll, Diane, but this kind of question is what gets 
flame wars started on less courteous mail lists. :-) Trolls do love that 
stuff!

I suspect you'll find lots of divergent opinions, here, but let me start 
with my perspective.

Years ago, I observed that new hatchlings often make a dash for the 
surface as soon as they are free-swimming. Some species (*J. floridae* 
comes to mind) seem to need actual surface contact to establish normal 
horizontal swimming posture and survive.

Others may just be seeking the more oxygen-rich water that lies just 
beneath the surface.

For those reasons, I have made a habit of hatching in shallow plastic 
boxes, with not much over an inch of water above the peat. Babies can be 
removed from the peat with a medicine dropper, if hatch extends over 
more than a couple of hours. For Nothos or Fp. that hide in the peat, 
just slowly work the tip of the dropper through it, starting at one end. 
That will concentrate them at the other end, for easier capture. A back 
light really helps, here.

I usually add an airstone with a trickle of bubbles to redistribute the 
surface oxygen as much as possible, if the process takes more than that 
hour or so. That may slow the remaining hatch, but will help those 
already out and trying to swim.

I'm sure the force-hatching with deep water works for some, but I have 
never needed it. A CO2 injection with a fine airstone, or carrying in a 
film cannister in my pocket for an hour usually does the trick when eggs 
get stubborn.

[Guaranteed method to get eggs to hatch (Patent Pending) is to try to 
bottle them and take to a club auction!]

Wright

Brown, Diane wrote:
> I am getting ready to hatch my first annuals:  peat-incubated n. guentheri.  I've read posts that suggest putting the peat in a shallow container with just enough water to cover it by an inch or so.  In contrast, however, sometimes the recommendation is to put the eggs in  a smaller container at the bottom of a tall tank.  Does either method decrease belly sliders?  Is one method or the other better for specific types of killies?  Or should the deep-water approach be reserved for eggs that don't hatch in shallower water?  Or is this one of those things where it really doesn't matter too much, because if it really was clear cut, everyone would be doing it the same way?
>
> Just curious....since it would be easy for me to set it up either way.
>
> Diane Brown in St. Louis
>
> To join the AKA see http://www.aka.org/pages/join.html

--
Wright Huntley -- 760 872-3995 -- Rt. 001 Box K36, Bishop CA 93514

   Happy holidays to all!



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