[Killietalk] thoughts & rant on the egg trade aspect

["Ken" <ken_combs at sbcglobal.net>]

Low bandwidth subscribers, plz forgive the long but thorough rant...

...I've only been enthusiastically keeping killifish for 5yrs, and during
that short span the number of N.American hobbyist offering eggs has dropped
to near zilch...although 1 bad peat don't make a crook, bad news travels
fast and I know of many hobbyist that won't risk the reputation, nor the bad
blood by putting their reputation in the hands of the local P.O. In short,
many species that otherwise "Could be" distributed via eggs, are limited to
"fish only" transaction and therefore likewise limited to "fish only"
distribution restrictions (species end up being "geographically limited" due
to hobbyist induced constraints)...this is a "conservation" issue that could
be addressed if a cultural & educational paradigm shift took place...

...I got a fish room that varies between 55F (winter) and 90F (summer).
After having fried & froze more eggs & fish than anyone in 5yrs, I think I
got a handle on what species eggs will survive or die within certain ranges.
Moreover, I've kept VERY detailed records of every transaction and every
species I've tried to obtain during the last 5yrs. I got the spreadsheet
with names, dates, and species to backup a few theories on patterns with
regard to "Success/fail" of killifish & eggs via post (I count 135 incoming
"species transactions" just from Aquabid & Killitrader 85 of them were
failures, that's a LOT of wasted time & money!). Heck, even if I go by my
own outgoing transactions & mistakes, certain things are clear:

-Fresh eggs don't ship well (I'm guilty of this big time!)
-peat storage/shipping may be "practical", but doesn't always equate to
consistent hatching for each and every killifish species (personally, just
off the cuff, I wouldn't let cinnamomeus or oeseri eggs get anywhere near
peat, but YMMV)
- Some species have zero tolerance for chilling. Personally, I no longer
bother with shipping or obtaining "hand counted" notho eggs stuffed in an
envelope, that's esp. true during cool months or shipping any distance
oversees (actually all my nothos have long since froze!)
- There is a CLEAR corollary with the packaging and the origin of the eggs
and the failure rate. I've yet to hatch any eggs simply stuffed in a small
ziplock, thence stuffed in a yellow envelop and sent "slow post" to or from
Asia (except to/from Japan). I'm not blaming the hobbyist per se, just that
clearly this method of shipping eggs that time & distance invites too many
negative variables. It's no coincidence, most of my successful hatches
originated in N.America

Anyway, I wish Aquabid, Killitrader, the AKA or any other venue that acts as
a medium for hobbyist to exchange eggs would post a guidelines & disclaimer
statement wherein any hobbyist using that venue complies with certain
shipping standards/practices that mitigates loss and enhances hatching
success at destination. I agree the AKA's code of conduct is good, but IMHO
not enough. And unfortunately AB & killitrader are "wide open" for any
neophyte, crook, or idiot to send/ship empty "mud in foil" via slow post
(and I admit I'm not w/o guilt myself)
...IMHO, there should be minimum packaging/insulation requirements, minimum
labeling standards, standard abbreviations & synonyms, et et. This is the
"Computer age" and it's not that hard or expensive to include the following
in a printable FAQ, checklist & agreement that's included in the BNL,
Aquabid killifish section or killitrader FAQ or wherever else. If the
breeder/seller is using the eBNL, or internet boards, then they have a
computer & printer and can include the checklist with the material:
- will use a "padded" envelope as a minimum <check>
- will use a minimum "thermal mass" to protect the eggs <check> (even at the
increased postage, because whats the point saving a few bucks if the eggs
fail in transit?)
- Will ship eggs in the correct medium <check> (granted this is a very
limited list but some species/genera have hatching inconsistencies in peat,
others are best in peat only)
- bags will be marked with permanent ink or labels <check>
- will not incorrectly label or guess species location <check>
- the recipient sends 10day weather forecast to sender <check> (VERY easy to
cut & paste this data)

I'm sure we all have spent/wasted a few dollars obtaining eggs wherein one
of the above standards were "violated" (or we are guilty ourselves)...What
ends up happening is: the less well known hobbyist are avoided because of
too many unknowns, and/or we don't ask about their shipping practices out of
courtesy, and many transaction fail or don't happen simply because of a
"educational" deficiency. IMHO, a short well placed paragraph of the above
verbiage would absolutely save a few fish/money for little effort.

...end rant
KC

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