All The Way From Thailand! - They Are Here!

[Ludwig Venter]

One batch of 100 Killi eggs was posted to me (from Thailand to South Africa) on 23 March and the other batch of 200 eggs on 31 March..... in total, there appears to be 120 Nothobranchius Rachovii, 90 Nothobranchius Eggersi Red and 90 Eggersi Blue.....

Now... It took more than a month for the eggs to arrive and the first batch of 100 has a hatch date of 21 April 2010.... which means I am more than 2 weeks late...

DOES THAT MEAN I BETTER GET THEM IN WATER STRAIGHT AWAY???

The 2nd batch of 200's hatching date is indicated as 28 April 2010, which makes me 8 days late on those...

SHOULD I PLACE THEM IN WATER AS WELL, AND CAN I PLACE THEM IN WITH THE 1ST 100??

It is no use telling me about the golden iris trick, as (even with a gigantic magnifying glass) I cannot even distinguish the eggs from the peat let alone the eyes.

I have 3 inch deep containers... I assume these will be fine to place the eggs in untill they hatch.

HOW LONG BEFORE I SHOULD WORRY IF I SEE NO FRY AFTER EMERGING THE EGGS??

Any other advice will also be appreciated.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Oh my Goodness gracious me!!.. I decided to just go ahead and put the hatch by 21 April's in the hatching container and see if I can see any eggs this way.... within 3 minutes, I saw at least 4 fry wriggling to the surface and then falling back into the peat...

Does this mean they were already hatched when they were still in the peat out of the water?? Or did they hatch immediately on contact with the water??

A very new experience for me.

So, Do I put up artemia eggs tonight already to start feeding tomorrow afternoon?

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Oh my goodness Gracious!!!!... it's all happening in one night!!!... just went back there for a checkup and have about 20 free-swimming fry and some others wriggling to the surface... Still no shrimp breeder in place... (somewhere in a box after the moving house)...

Will it be ok if I feed them fry food for egg layers until I can get my shrimp breeding up???
Someone!!!.... Anyone please talk to me... I'm a nervous wreck!!!!

 

[Biulu]

If you have java or other moss put that in. They will be able to eat from the micro organisms in there. Then get your shrimp breeder ready as soon as possible.

 

[BigC]

Calm down Ludwig,
There should be enough infusorians in the peat to get a culture started but do as Biulu recomended and get some plant matter in there, even pond water will have some microscopic life to keep them alive until you get your brineshrimp going.
Relax man. You should have preped before you wet the eggs.
If I'm not around then email me or send a PM at least
Regards
C

 

[Ludwig Venter]

... I'm used to eggs hatching 3 days after being laid ... fry hanging on for 2 more days and the likes... not 3 minutes after being put in water!

 

[Inchworm]

Instant fish. How exciting! I want some of those too!

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Believe me... they caught me by surprise as well, (and fortunately) I did not put all the eggs into water... I still have 2 batches of 100 each, (with hatch by 28 April dates) which I'll be putting into recepticals this afternoon. But I know now to have the brine shrimp ready for them in time.

Also another miracle of nature, I'm not hatching the artemia eggs they supplied with the fish, but way back in 1974, I bought a 5 liter tin of the stuff and still have a standard peanut butter bottle full left, which I'm hatching in sea water which I collected in small bottles in 1995.... can you believe that... Eggs being dormant for 36 years in a refrigerator, and then they hatch within 24 hours after being put in a brine sollution...

 

[Ludwig Venter]

I have now put the remaining 2 batches into their respective recepticals (about an hour ago)...

I've just seen 2 fry moving in the one, but in the other one there is no movement yet... (Unlike yesterday when there was movement after 3 minutes)

I have a bare bottomed tank ready for them and a fresh batch of brine shrimp will also be hatched tomorrow afternoon at around this time..... for their first meal.

The first lot got a feeding of freshly hatched shrimp today, (nice bulging pink stomachs), but there are not many of them.... They are in a well planted 2ft tank... maybe some damage was done cause I was not prepared for them (to hatch so soon)... I count only 5. Hopefully these 2nd and 3rd batche will do better.

BUT!!!!... just in case it all turns out to be a flop.... I'm ready to go & order another 2 lots. - (practice until I get it right)

 

[BigC]

Dont throw the peat away as you can re-dry and re-wet up to perhaps three times. leaving a two week period in-between wettings. You may get more hatch from the second wetting that the first. Natures way of ensuring the survival of the species.
I think the Killi-Bug has well and truly bitten you Lud! Would I be correct in my presumption.
Regards
C

 

[seffieuk]

Oh how I would have loved to have seen your face when they started hatching straight away

Seffie x

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Oh how I would have loved to have seen your face when they started hatching straight away

Seffie x

Well Seffie.... In fact!

 

[Dan-CR4]

 

[Ludwig Venter]

My latest 2 batches are doing a lot better than the first (because I was ready for them)... There seems to be about 8 fry from the original batch.... 15/19 in the 2nd batch and around 30/35 in the last batch...

Question is, if they claim to have sent me 100 eggs.... why is my hatching rate so low??... I do not believe that there was 100 eggs in any of those batches.

How many should I expect to hatch in a batch of 100

 

[BigC]

If you would take time to read my last post (#10) then all will become apparent.
Regards
C