RE: [Killietalk] Infertile Egg Fungus... timeline

["Brian R. Watters" <bwatters at sasktel_net>]

Lee Harper wrote:

>
> In my experience, infertile eggs will turn cloudy or disintegrate within a
> day after collecting. Fungus comes later. A clear egg after a day or so
> indicates a viable egg.
>

Mark Pearlscott wrote:

>
> Thanks for your input.  I had no idea they would change so fast,
> as normally
> I collect and put them away for a few weeks before I check them.
>

As Lee points out, infertile eggs will turn white within a day or so of
spawning. However, for Nothobranchius at least, that does not necessarily
mean that all of the fertile eggs will then survive the incubation period. I
do not know for sure the reason for this but some eggs may die and
disintegrate at some later stage during incubation (in damp peat moss). Many
times, I have heard people say something like: ".....there were plenty of
eggs in the peat when I bagged it but I got only a few fry...."

N. ocellatus is a typical example of this tendency and is a major reason
that makes this Notho so difficult to maintain over the long term. They are
not very prolific to begin with but one can put away what looks like a good
spawning, only to find that 3-4 months later all, or most, of the eggs have
disappeared. I have noted this tendency with some other species as well but
not nearly to the same degree.
___________________________________________
Brian R. Watters
University of Regina
Regina, Sask. S4S 0A2, Canada
Ph: (306) 584-9161 (home); (306) 585-4663 (work)
Fax: (306) 585-5433
E-mail: bwatters at sasktel_net



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