I'd like to have some informations on the "Waterfall Creek exquisita"
which shall look different from the other exquisita. They are said
to occur in a streamlet above the UPD falls (whatever that means).
Additionally I'm still interested in the Dwarf maccullochi. Who is
keeping it and who could eventually sent eggs next year, when it's
warm here again?
Harro
harro.hieronimus at t-online.de
I can't answer your questions about these two species but I can tell you that
unless the temperature is dropping below freezing (0 C or 32 F) right now you
are still able to receive eggs. Even in the small styro containers that Ron B.
(aka Mary Poppins :-) - see latest issue of FOS) the eggs are fine. Down to
about 38 degrees F (you'll have to translate to C) I have absolutely no problem.
Actually that's the best time to ship. Hopefully whomever you get to ship will
remember some of the RULES for shipping eggs in vials, NAMELY 1) 1/2 of the vial
is filled with air 2) the eggs are only a few days old 3) and the eggs are
separated using a virgin piece of yarn. When you send eggs in a ball at the
bottom of a tube they stick together. One bad egg does spoil the whole bunch
when they are stuck together. Also putting more than about 30 eggs in a
container also seems to cause a problem. Oh yeah, don't forget to tightly tape
the lid as the air pressure will often pop it off. Failure to follow these
rules has caused quite a few shipments from Europe to be fouled by the time they
reached the States. Also I have found it to be helpful to place in a light
solutin of methylene blue the night before so as to determine which eggs are
fertile and which are not. The infertile ones stain fairly dark blue.
Until we start getting people to follow through with the basics of
intercontinental shipping it will be difficult to share egg supplies.
Gary Lange
Rainbowfish Study Group
gwlang at ccmail.monsanto.com