RE: [RML] Body Sliders

Taylor, Ralph (taylorr at Marshall.edu)
Mon, 08 Jun 1998 09:21:33 -0400

Adrian, The technique that I spoke of earlier (forcing eggs to hatch)
is primarily a technique that works with those nasty little critters
called killifish. Luckily I have not had difficulty getting eggs of the
"bows' that I have to hatch. Maybe I have only the easy ones.
The theory of carrying the eggs in a small container in your pocket
(after exhaling several breaths into the container) involves several
issues. First you are gently sloshing the eggs around in the container,
second your body temperature increases the water temp., and third the
increase in CO2 from the breath may be a triggering factor. Some folks
also put a small number of microworms in the container on the assumption
that these critters will also contribute CO2. Whatever happens "It
works"!
Dr. Ralph Taylor
Associate Dean, College of Science

270 Science Building
Phone: (304) 696-2338
FAX: (304) 696-3243

-----Original Message-----
From: Adrian R. Tappin [SMTP:atappin at ecn.net.au]
Sent: Friday, June 05, 1998 4:12 PM
To: rainbowfish at pcug.org.au
Subject: RE: [RML] Body Sliders

At 16:45 4/06/98 -0400, Ralph wrote:
>Adrian, Belly sliders are simply fish with a swim bladder that
is not
>properly formed. Several theories abound about the cause.
Some folks
>will say the young fish did not get to the surface soon enough
to "gulp"
>air and thus fill the bladder. I don't think that this is a
good
>explanation because there is not a good opening directly into
the
>bladder in most fish. I feel that the bladder fills with
internally
>generated CO2 and something simply goes wrong with this system.

>It seems that when I force hatch fry there is a greater chance
of
>getting bellysliders than if I water incubate. Perhaps these
fish are
>simply too young to hatch and are not well developed enough to
have the
>bladder developed completely.

Would you like to expand on your comments "when I force hatch
fry"?

I was wondering if maybe a low oxygen level in the hatching
water might be a
cause? The reason I ask is that like Mach, I generally handpick
my eggs and
hatch them in small (4 litre) containers. Usually about half
full with water
and added methylene blue.

Adrian.

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Adrian R. Tappin
"Home of the Rainbowfish"
http://www.ecn.net.au/~atappin/home.htm

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