Mop problem due to toxic chemicals?

[erikthur]

I think I better post these observations in this forum too. I posted this in Cynolebias yesterday. I post it here too beacuse of my earlier more positive notes on breeding SAA with bottom mops.
I am concerned about possible residue of toxic chemicals in the yarn one uses to construct mops with.

Background observations:
No fry out of 200 whitei eggs collected after spawning in bottom mops.
No sign of developed whitei eggs either. Similar experience with suzarti.
My present SAA (se above and add longipinnis) and 3 Nothos species
readily spawn in the mops and the eggs look fine at sampling. When
rechecking the peats, that I store the eggs in, within 10 days I
easily find undeveloped eggs. When checking older peats of 4 species I
found no eggs att all (I know it can be difficult but it is so far zero).
Can this be due to toxic chemicals in the yarn I use to make my mops?
The yarn in question has only been rinsed. The idea is not that
far-fetched concerning the use of toxic chemicals to protect cloths
during transport from the factory to the shop.
Additional observations:
No viable eggs at all when using my new mops with sjoestedti earlier
and surprisingly poor results with nigerianus "Makurdi". With old mops
and young sjoestedti I got at least some fry. And the gardneri group
always produced much more in my hands in the 1980-ies despite the hard
water I used then while living in Uppsala, Sweden. I now live in
Huskvarna with water suitable for most killies.

[timebomb]

Erik,

I've not heard of anyone here who has problems with the yarn he's using for spawning mops. I don't know about others but I don't boil new mops anymore. I simply wash, rinse and use.

But I've some bad experiences with toxic chemicals that came with new sponge filters. I can't say for sure but on at least 2 occasions, perfectly healthy fish began to die within a few days after I put in a new sponge filter into their tanks. These filters were thoroughly washed before use but it seems like washing isn't good enough.

Here's a pic of the sponge filter that killed many of my fish before I realised what was wrong:



Loh K L

[erikthur]

Of course I just may-be unlucky in my choice of yarn.
Who knows?
However, in Cynolebias there were similar reports of failures with SAA.
I decided to go back to peat as a spawning media to secure new eggs for some time.
I plan to wash the yarn, may-be boil it too.
One might even consider soaking it in alcohol.
All procedures not aiming at sterilization but to reduce unwanted chemical residue.
Then test the bottom mop in a pot again.

[RonWill]

Can this be due to toxic chemicals in the yarn I use to make my mops?

Erik, some people may think that it is overkill but with new mops, I rinse, then microwave the mops with a fistful of salt. That's to make mop 'color-fast'.

After that, I'd rinse and microwave it another 2 times on High setting for 10mins. No problems with said toxicity but I do wish for cooler weather.

[stormhawk]

Erik, the disinfection method used by Jorge Sanjuan for his mops is pretty good too. I read your discussion on the SAA group list and did reply to one of them.

Oddly enough Fred Behrmann says methylene blue is useless as an anti-fungal agent. If that's the case then probably those eggs incubated in methylene blue would have turned into fuzzy balls. But oddly that isn't so since some eggs (non-annuals in this case) remain unaffected by fungus when methylene blue is used in their incubation water.

[stormhawk]

Here's a pic of the sponge filter that killed many of my fish before I realised what was wrong:

KL, I use the same type of sponge filter almost immediately after a simple rinsing. No problems so far.

[promethean_spark]

Make sure your yarn is labeled as "acrylic yarn" or whatever that translates to in swedish... I got hunter green acrylic yarn and it's worked beautifully. I did boil it in the microwave and poured off some greenish blue water, but it's been fine since.

My most recent spawning I accidentally threw in the wrong mop - one I'd tied and my toddler claimed as a toy before I'd washed it. Fish spawned okay (they didn't like that mop because it was smaller than the other mop though) so at least it didn't poison the fish. Only 10% of the eggs came from that mop, so I don't think I'll be able to tell if those eggs have problems since they're all mixed up.