Re: NANFA-- bleak news for fish lovers

Bonnie Ullmann (ullmann_at_uoneuro.uoregon.edu)
Fri, 3 Dec 1999 09:44:08 -0800

Hi Dave, Thanks for replying! I was pretty sure you meant EtOH but thought
I maybe should ask to be on the safe side. Just 'cause I'm an old dinosaur
and associate with even OLDER dinosours on the rare occasion.....
I have extra small nitrile gloves but they are kind of big for kids
even though they like the idea of wearing them anyway. I was wondering if a
source for kid-sized ones might exist?
I would love to have the protocol for Sudan Black, if you don't
mind. We use an antibody to stain nerves and it's not too practical for
demos, just for prints or slides.
My boss tells me you CAN leave specimens in with the dermestids too
long ( I think he means way too long) and start to lose the connective
tissue, too. But with the abundance of road casualties, it's not too likely
that the critters will ever have to go hungry for long, huh?
Happy paddlefishing!
Bonnie

>
>Specimens were fixed in 10% formalin for a period of 2-4weeks, rinsed in
>water until no residual formaldehyde odor was detectable (overnight for most
>small fish) and transferred to 70% EtOH. Waste formalin is either reused or
>disposed of following OSHA-approved methods. We certainly don't "swim in
>formaldehyde" anymore, and use all appropriate measures to limit contact.
>
>When I say the fish were dried out, I mean excess EtOH was blotted off with
>an old towel. Kids handling the fish should wear gloves; mainly because the
>EtOH causes your skin to dry out... Even though they DO lose some of their
>color, when you plop a 1.5m long paddlefish down in front of kids, they WILL
>get excited. Guaranteed.
>Same with most of the other fish that you could use...
>

>
>You can also use Sudan Black to stain nerves, which produces a REALLY cool
>effect. Clearing and staining is also inexpensive, which makes it a great
>way to get fish into the classrooms. It's also neat to do a series of fish,
>salamanders, snakes (remove the scales 1st), and small mammals, and then
>have them find homologous structures across all of the groups.
>
>Dermestids are awesome critters- I've been teaching a vertebrate zoology lab
>this semester, and we've been cycling everything from paddlefish to
>armadillos to salamders through our colony. They don't disarticulate the
>skeleton like boiling or fire ants do. If the colony is kept well aerated,
>and the specimens are allowed to dry before you put them in, it produces
>relatively little odor. I'd be happy to mail folks enough for a starter kit
>if anyone is interested... (shireen? ;)
>
>Oh, and before anyone starts on how paddlefish are cartilaginous and bugs
>would eat everything, that's what I thought too. Wrong. The rostrum is
>partially ossified, formed of an intricate lattice-like matrix of bone. It's
>got to be one of the most awesome and beautiful structures I've ever seen in
>a vertebrate. Can't wait to get my hands on a fresh sturgeon (NOT sutkussi!)
>and see if the rostrum looks the same.
>
>Cheers,
>Dave
>
>
>
>
>
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
>/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
>/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
>/ Association"
>/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
>/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
>/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
>/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
>/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
>/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org

/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org