Is it too dangerous to fridge axolotl eggs? I want to slow their development because I am going to be shipping most of them out. I also want to keep a closer eye on them. Just curious if fridge cold is just too cold.
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Axolotls are illegal in California. Please read this thread for detailed information and links to the actual laws: https://www.caudata.org/threads/axolotls-are-illegal-in-california-here-are-the-relevant-laws.30779/
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Fridging eggs?
- Thread starter kenya
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Greatwtehunter
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I'd be a little apprehensive getting them any colder than 45F.
But high 40's is okay? I really just want to get them out of the tank, but a bin just in my room woudl be too warm. I'm afraid the ghost shrimp are messing with some of the eggs, and I need to count and organize them to get them ready for shipping. And anything to slow down development and buy myself some time will be great too. Looks like I need to test the temp in my fridge here. *Digs out digital probe*
Greatwtehunter
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I've kept them at around 49/50F for a few days without any problems.
Hi there,
As I am new at all this I have been reading voraciously, and I came upon this wonderful article:
Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center in which the author describes fridging eggs for
the purpose of delaying development in order to ship them out. Just the ticket for you, I hope.
Good luck with it all. I am jealous!
floosy
As I am new at all this I have been reading voraciously, and I came upon this wonderful article:
Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center in which the author describes fridging eggs for
the purpose of delaying development in order to ship them out. Just the ticket for you, I hope.
Good luck with it all. I am jealous!
floosy
Darkmaverick
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Don't worry, the eggs will be fine. The daily water changes coupled with the cold ensures a higher concentration of dissolved oxygen.
blueberlin
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I did not know it is necessary to change the water at all for eggs?
-Eva
-Eva
Darkmaverick
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Do also remove any dud eggs as well that you see are turning cloudy. They will foul the water.
oceanblue
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Fridging eggs is not quite as trouble free as a quick read of the above posts indicate. It is fine to refridgerate eggs which have reached the blastocyst stage and probably any egg which has undergone a few divisions.
New laid eggs are not necessarily eggs but oocytes with sperm near them. If you chill them the division to create the egg is halted and then fertilisation results in a triploid axolotl (One with three sets of chromosomes.) These often have health problems.
Keep the eggs cool but not refridgerated for a day or two. If you can see the eggs are developing then put them in the fridge.
Reference: Induction of Triploidy and Haploidy in axolotl eggs by cold treatment G. Fankhauser and R. R. Humphrey - 1942 available as a free PDF download via Google.
New laid eggs are not necessarily eggs but oocytes with sperm near them. If you chill them the division to create the egg is halted and then fertilisation results in a triploid axolotl (One with three sets of chromosomes.) These often have health problems.
Keep the eggs cool but not refridgerated for a day or two. If you can see the eggs are developing then put them in the fridge.
Reference: Induction of Triploidy and Haploidy in axolotl eggs by cold treatment G. Fankhauser and R. R. Humphrey - 1942 available as a free PDF download via Google.
Darkmaverick
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This is another one of topics that everyone is right!
The material on the Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center is correct in that fridging will slow down egg development.
The interesting paper that oceanblue hightlighted is also correct that fridigng can cause developmental mutations and induce high mortality in eggs treated this way.
However the difference lies in the definition of temperature between their two respective fridiging protocols. In the former, the fridging temperature is always above 5 degree celsius, whereas the temperature for fridging in the paper by Fankhauser and Humphrey (1942) is stated to be between 1-3 degree celsius and some of the experiments also subject the eggs to drastic temperature shifts (from 1-3 degrees transferred to ambient temperature and observed for development).
It has been experimentally found in animal cell cultures kept in temperatures below 4 degree celsius undergo a certain degree of cold shock damage although cellular activity is slowed down or halted. Hence i hypothesise that the high mortality and mutations induced in the developing eggs in the paper were attributed to the 'cold shock' temperatures where the eggs were treated. In addition, the shifts in temperature from very cold to ambient can also contribute to higher mortality and mutations
Our usual fridges will normally be around 5 degres celsius and can be adjusted to be higher too around 7-10 degree celsius.
Thus i think what we can draw from these is that fridging can indeed slow down egg development but there are two important factors to consider - the temperature which the eggs are kept ( around 7-10 degrees and definitely not below 5) and the stage of egg development at which the eggs are fridged. I agree that it is best to wait till you at least see definite signs of morulation in the eggs before fridging them though.
The material on the Ambystoma Genetic Stock Center is correct in that fridging will slow down egg development.
The interesting paper that oceanblue hightlighted is also correct that fridigng can cause developmental mutations and induce high mortality in eggs treated this way.
However the difference lies in the definition of temperature between their two respective fridiging protocols. In the former, the fridging temperature is always above 5 degree celsius, whereas the temperature for fridging in the paper by Fankhauser and Humphrey (1942) is stated to be between 1-3 degree celsius and some of the experiments also subject the eggs to drastic temperature shifts (from 1-3 degrees transferred to ambient temperature and observed for development).
It has been experimentally found in animal cell cultures kept in temperatures below 4 degree celsius undergo a certain degree of cold shock damage although cellular activity is slowed down or halted. Hence i hypothesise that the high mortality and mutations induced in the developing eggs in the paper were attributed to the 'cold shock' temperatures where the eggs were treated. In addition, the shifts in temperature from very cold to ambient can also contribute to higher mortality and mutations
Our usual fridges will normally be around 5 degres celsius and can be adjusted to be higher too around 7-10 degree celsius.
Thus i think what we can draw from these is that fridging can indeed slow down egg development but there are two important factors to consider - the temperature which the eggs are kept ( around 7-10 degrees and definitely not below 5) and the stage of egg development at which the eggs are fridged. I agree that it is best to wait till you at least see definite signs of morulation in the eggs before fridging them though.
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