Singapore fish - sterile?!

stina · Post by **stina** » 12 Jan 2005, 21:10

Hi ppl!
Just had a pleasant chat with one of the importers here, and he says that one guy who has farm in Singapore uses some kind of UV tube for water sterilization!
But, they discovered that very large percentage of fish that goes in that tube(in a plastic bag with water of course...) are in the end = sterile!!
Now they are doing this with plecs and discus and about every other fish...

He has at home some of that sterile fish at his home(i belive hypancistrus sp. L333)...

Do you belive that is true!??!
Jut wanted to know,
kind regards
Vedran

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 13 Jan 2005, 10:17

I'm not saying it's impossible, but I would think that it's unlikely that high-order creatures like fish are actually sterilised by UV without also getting other harm to them.

I would expect the fish to get "sunburn" of at least almost fatal levels long before they become sterile.

Single cell creatures aren't made sterile by this, they are just simply killed (making the water "sterile"), because sufficient UV light will kill individual cells, whether in our skin or in a single-cell creature.

I'd be interested to hear what the others have to say on this, but it doesn't quite make sense to me.

--
Mats

stina · Post by **stina** » 13 Jan 2005, 10:48

Well, before a year ago, he (his pet shop) recieved a gift... 7 sp. of plecos... all deiferent!
There was label..."sterile"
Maybe this farm in Singapore uses some other stuff to sterile fish... who knows?!
regards

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 13 Jan 2005, 11:34

Fish can be sterile for many different reasons, including environmental and genetical, just like some humans. Hormone treatments at some stage during the initial formation would potentially cause this.

Or just simply the "right" mix of parents...

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Mats

Tom2600 · Post by **Tom2600** » 13 Jan 2005, 23:29

I would guess that the water the plecs were shipped in had been sterilized using UV light. In order to sterilize a fish using UV light you would have to literally cook it!

stina · Post by **stina** » 16 Jan 2005, 20:57

Yes, but the guy i was talking about still claims that this 7 plecos are sterile...
Now he sad something about Rontgen + UV sterilization... could exposure to radiation really make pleco sterile...!?!

Mike_Noren · Post by **Mike_Noren** » 16 Jan 2005, 21:06

RÃ¶ntgen radiation is another name for x-ray radiation; the guy who discovered x-rays was Wilhelm RÃ¶ntgen.
I've not heard about x-rays being used to make fish sterile, but it isn't impossible - x-rays are used to render mosquito/fly males sterile (the males are then released, and any mosquito/fly female which mates with them will not lay fertile eggs).

X-rays are also used to sterilize (as in kill off bacteria) some kinds of foodstuffs, ie spices.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 16 Jan 2005, 21:24

It DOES happen with aquariumfishes; tough....

one notorious example is the rare and very expensive Betta macrostoma of Brunei.
most of the time only males are exported. the few occasions where females where exported, those hadbeen treated with X-rays to prevent people in Europe (and elsewhere) breeding them; thus keeping the monopoly and the price intact.....

once the big money and people with few or no ethics join up....

stina · Post by **stina** » 16 Jan 2005, 23:15

Yes, but aparently sometimes fish after treatment isn't sterile so you can breed them... but this is on out of 100 if i am not wrong...
I am very sorry that ppl do this stuff to animals, and this is just to make money

There was once similiar thing with glowing tetras i think... tank breed glow-in-dark fish... one piece 8$ i think, and every one is sterile just to protect their investment...

John7 · Post by **John7** » 20 Jan 2005, 00:32

stina wrote: There was once similiar thing with glowing tetras i think... tank breed glow-in-dark fish... one piece 8$ i think, and every one is sterile just to protect their investment...

The Glofish (zebra danios with coral DNA spliced into their genes) are not sterile, they will breed true, but you must be licensed by the patent holders to sell any of the offspring. This is how they are protecting their investment. The price is coming down though, it is now at $5.99 in our LFS (Pet Supplies Plus). They do not glow in the dark though, just under bright lights (some more than others, too).

John

BTW, which forum is for health questions. I have a sick, I think, spotted raphael. He has whitish bumps all over his belly. I quarantined him just in case.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 20 Jan 2005, 12:23

Sick Raphaels are best discussed in the "South American - Other" section...

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Mats

polkadot · Post by **polkadot** » 21 Jan 2005, 12:00

I'm from Singapore, but havent hear of things like that. I'll check it out though....

stina · Post by **stina** » 21 Jan 2005, 12:15

Well i am getting one L333 that is 2 years minimum old... so i will put him/her with in my new tank with some other L333(on their way!) and try to breed them...only time will tell...