Force-hatching

[timebomb]

Hi, folks,

I thought I've heard them all or if not, most of them. I'm referring to force-hatching of eggs when they are all eyed-up and well developed but for some strange reason, not hatching. This applies only to eggs of non-annuals.

There are several well-known methods. One is by putting the eggs into a small container, blowing some air into it and walking around with the container in your pants pocket. Either its the higher level of CO2 concentration introduced by your breath, the movement caused by your walking or the higher temperature because its warmer in your pocket, the eggs will usually hatch after a few attempts. They also say if you do the "funky chicken" or the "macarena" with the eggs in your pocket, chances of them hatching improve dramatically Another well known method to force-hatch eggs would be to introduce microworms which eat off the outer casings of the eggs and thereby forcing them to hatch.

But I heard something really radical and new the other day from my good friend and killlifish buddy, Lily Choo. No, she doesn't do the "funky chicken" or the "macarena". But as I've said once, Lily is a very clever girl and as with everything connected to killies, she has her own methods. Believe it or not, she uses a Satay Stick. It's amazing how many things her Satay Stick can do.

When eggs are well-developed but not hatching, Lily punctures the eggs with the sharp end of her Satay Stick. She confessed to killing a few eggs but she also said it works more times than not. I suppose if everything else fails, this would be the last resort.

If you meet up with Lily during the gathering, be careful not to offend her. This is because she usually carries a few Satay Sticks in her handbag and if you are rude to her, she may poke you in the eye with them

Loh K L

[gweesm1]

The outside of a fish egg consists of a tough protein coating known as chorion. This is exceptionally thick in killifish and one of the reasons annual eggs are so durable. When the embryo is ready to hatch it produces an enzyme (chorionase) that breaks down this protein, softening the outer shell so the fry can break through. The production of chorionase is triggered by rising levels of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) around the egg. In nature this occurs when soil containing fish spawn is wet by rains. Mud holds less oxygen than moist earth, signaling the developing fry that conditions are right for hatching.
Extracted from G.C.K.A. Newsletter, Sept/Oct 1998

For some strange reasons, some eggs are too stubborn or the embryo is unable to produce sufficient enzyme (I am not sure). The reason could due to the peat dampness. – too dry, causing the egg coating to be very tough. Lily’s idea, by poking the eggs with satay stick has assisted the hatching of the fry as the protein coating is weaken.

This is just an attempt to answer why and how it works. Anyone have other reasons??

Actually, I am not sure if this should be done. The other reason why the eggs refuse to hatch could be:-
The fry is the weakest among the whole lot. Fry being weak is unable to force itself out of the shell. Thus the fry doesn’t deserve to live at all. By assisting these fry to survive might lead to other problem if the fry really turn out to be the weakest. Eg breeding of these fish causing the problem of inbreeding. Perhaps it won’t as it will be out compete by others… who knows??

This is just my opinion, I am hoping that someone can say that it sounds reasonable.

Regards,

[RonWill]

[i]Actually, I am not sure if this should be done. The other reason why the eggs refuse to hatch could be:-
The fry is the weakest among the whole lot. Fry being weak is unable to force itself out of the shell. Thus the fry doesn’t deserve to live at all. By assisting these fry to survive might lead to other problem if the fry really turn out to be the weakest. Eg breeding of these fish causing the problem of inbreeding. Perhaps it won’t as it will be out compete by others… who knows??

Sia Meng,
In the original Jurassic Park movie, paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill) opined, when told about genetic manipulation for the 'raptors' to be sterile, that... "life will find a way".

Such is the thought I share and personally, I won't go beyond conventional methods of force hatching as it defies Mother Nature's way of culling of the undesired.

Not allowing a 'compromised' fry to hatch may also be her method of minimizing faults in the genetic chain.

Just my 2 cents too.

[imported_lily]

Hello guys,

I think I need to do an explanation here. Before I knew anything about killies, satay sticks was my all time essential household multi purpose tools. I cannot think of any better equipment other then a handy SS when it comes to handling of the killies’ eggs.

I bought some eggs (mixtures of annuals and non-annuals) from Canada recently, and, as far as I am concerned, the eggs of the F. Gardneri N'sukka are the hardest to hatch. I received the eggs in very bad conditions, it was flattened and with funguses. Nevertheless, I managed to pick some good eggs, to be exact, five eyed up. I waited patiently for the arrival of the fry but nothing happen.

It is my normal practice to use a satay stick to check on the eggs everyday. I punctured an egg accidentally with the first touch and surprisingly, it wiggled, giving sign of life. The next day I saw a fry. Thinking I might be their savior, I defied mother’s nature way of hatching and decided to move on with the ‘piercing’. Out of the five eggs, two survived and three died. If only I can wait, they might survive.

I am not trying to encourage this method of hatching because the chances of seeing them alive are near to zero. A mere coincidence has somehow made me sound like an expert to Mr Loh but I am not.

Many hobbyists, after so many years, still declare themselves as beginners, which make me forever a newborn here! Now I wonder; how many years do I need to reach the beginner level?

The way I kept and reared my killies may differ greatly from you people but what matters most is how I enjoy this hobby and keep the breeding going on! :wink: