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Re: Killifish egg hatching solution recipe sought
-----Original Message-----
From: AUS62 at aol_com <AUS62 at aol_com>
To: killietalk at aka_org <killietalk at aka_org>
Date: Thursday, November 19, 1998 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: Killifish egg hatching solution recipe sought
>I had never seen that recipe, but would
>discourage the use of Methylene Blue as this dye apparently penetrates the
>shell and has been blamed for damaging the embryo over the long (2 or 3
weeks)
>incubation period. I is safe for eggs with short incubation period such as
3
>days for freshwater Angelfish. Various substances have been proven to be
safe
>for killifish eggs such as Acriflavine, which I use. I still check the eggs
>daily for the first three or four days and dilute the dye solution each
time
>so it is barely tinged yellow when the lengthy incubation period occurs.
Harry's mention of the Methylene Blue triggered the memory of Detroit's late
Art Titus, who was one of the really innovative killie keepers of the late
'70s and a darn nice guy to boot. He recommended using Methylene blue for a
day so that it would enter certain eggs on the assumption that those with
weak membraines would prove infertile or so fragile that they would perish.
They could then be removed before going bad, fungusing and messing up other
eggs.
Art and the Detroit crowd got ahold of a solution called "Ringer's Solution"
which had a slight salinity and raised the specific gravity of the holding
solution to that of the eggs internally. They claimed good things for it.
Among the benefits they claimed, was that annual eggs could be better
incubated (the old 80 degrees plus water incubation). Art encountered this
when he incubated some eggs he received as "Epiplatys annualatus." In due
time they hatched and grew up to be Nothobranchius guentheri! His oppinion
of the sender diminished.
Overdosing with acriflavin has been rumored to cause birth defects. Most of
the medicinal dyes have also been accused of being possible cancer causing
agents too.
Probably using a dye for the first couple of days and then using no dye
would be best. I prefer to simply incubate in a container of fresh water (ok
seasoned a couple of days) and remove bad eggs daily.
Three other things which can be done if the eggs don't develop properly
include:
Changing the water completely in the holding container after a week.
(Developing eggs do produce metabolic wastes.)
Incubating the eggs (yes even of plant spawners) on very wet peat moss. They
stay wet and can be separated from one another, Loosely cover the container.
Leaving the killies in a tank, preferably planted, spawning them and
removing them. Sometimes certain eggs just will not put up with being
handled. Alternatively, do the "rainbow thing" and spawn them in a mop and
put the mop in a hatching tank.
If feeding and water changes are consisitant, a case can be made for the so
called natural aquarium too.
All the best!
Scott
Park Forest, IL