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Notho incubation times, Daniele's observations
Daniele Cerri wrote:
>
>
> In this way, I have posted an Email about N. albimarginatus Kiparanganda Tan
> 97/40 because I have founded a fast egg development. I'd like to propose a
> discussion on this atypical phenomenon. This Notho presents a fast egg
> development. Why ????........
>
> Greetings from Italy,
> Daniele Cerri
> AIK secretary
>
Daniele,
Fast egg development in Nothos is nothing new for me. I myself have been keeping
Nothos
for many years and fellow killi members always laughed at me when I said that I
regularly
hatch out Notho eggs in THREE weeks. I generally even hatch out South American
Annuals
at this short incubation time. The question is why? In my opinion the answer is
simple. Killifish are by far the most adaptable freshwater fishes in the world.
They live in quite various habitats
that other fishes do not live in so, therefore; killi eggs survive where other
eggs don't. In the wild, especially in annual habitats, rainfall is predictable
but yet very sporadic. One place has rain and mature fishes breeding and another
pool one or two kilometers away has fishes just hatching out. This is what
happens all the time. When the fishes lay the eggs they are genetically
"programed" to hatch out at various times. This allows for an early rainfall
period or extended period depending on where the rain actually falls. So annual
killifish lay eggs that have short (three weeks) and long (two years or so)
incubation periods because they don't know when the rains will fall. This
ensures their survival for these many thousands of years. In one pool there are
both types and they hatch out "on time" according to us because we see only the
ones that made it.
I remember way back (in the 1980's) (and I hope this doesn't still go on
today!!!!) that killi keepers say for a certain fish "oh yea, you should hatch
that out in three months. Everyone else does and I was successful with it."
With this sporadic form of breeding, you selectively, and continually, produce
eggs that ONLY hatch out in three months. This is very bad for ALL annual
species. How do I get around this you may ask??? Well, what I do is two fold.
First, I breed more than one pair and I collect the peat on the same day and I
mix all the eggs together. Second, I hatch out fishes with a short incubation
period to fishes with a long incubation period and breed them together. Sounds
easy? Yes it is, and in my opinion it creates healthier, stronger and more
genetically diverse fishes.
I hope everyone is doing this......(or at least will start).
Sincerely,
Dr Rog
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