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US member w/good luck with eggs from Europe? (Read 904 times)
Charles Smart
Ex Member


US member w/good luck with eggs from Europe?
Jul 6th, 2020 at 4:55pm
 
One of the great perks of our new AKA membership back in 1970 was the exchange of eggs. Sue and I have fond memories of the CHR we raised from eggs; we got them from Jose Arredondo. He sent them from Madrid in a thin 1" diameter pillbox tucked into a letter. Remove a layer of moist packing, and there they were, fertile eggs. Every last one hatched.

These days Aquabid has taken over the role of the Fish & Egg Listing in Killie Notes. There are a few egg sellers from the US, notably Jim Kostich, but the species offered are few.  We have had good luck with Jim's SJO and WAL, but we wish we could get West African Aphyosemion. Many breeders in the EU offer eggs from a variety of West African species, but so far we have not received any viable eggs. Friends blame USPS x-rays, delays, etc.

So our question: have you, a member living in the US, had good luck with eggs from Europe and the UK, and if yes, who did you get them from?

Thanks, Chuck Smart
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Tyrone Genade
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Re: US member w/good luck with eggs from Europe?
Reply #1 - Jul 8th, 2020 at 11:39am
 
I know a few people that have had good luck with eggs sent from sellers in France. I don't know how they ship.

I am having OK luck sending eggs to far flung places. I ship eggs on cotton wool swabs in a small petri dish.

I know a lot of people send the non-annual eggs in peat which rarely works well. For some species, such as Eppilatys annulaus, picking the eggs is a disaster. The best results I have had were with eggs sent unpicked on the mop they were laid in.

I am hoping that recent events, and postal snarl-ups, will stimulate more local breeders to sell eggs.
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Ken Murch
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Re: US member w/good luck with eggs from Europe?
Reply #2 - Jul 8th, 2020 at 5:18pm
 
I've had mostly poor hatch rates from European sellers on eBay and Aquabid.  Out of 20-45 eggs advertised, I might get anywhere from 0 - 3 fry hatching.

The peat seemed to be thoughtfully packaged in ziplock bags, and padded with styrofoam and aluminum foil.  The sellers I purchased from have good ratings, so I believe shipping over extended time or extreme environments is harming the eggs.
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Pat Kapsner
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Re: US member w/good luck with eggs from Europe?
Reply #3 - Feb 26th, 2023 at 6:06am
 
I've gotten eggs from Europe and Asia over the past 50 or so years without a hitch, and then. Just recently I ran afoul of USFWS when they seized my shipment of six species' eggs (still not resolved) from Scotland, but the USFWS Inspector I'm dealing with walked me completely through it, and it turns out to be not so difficult a process at all.

Importation of tropical or ornamental fish or their eggs in non commercial quantities is not prohibited unless they are on the endangered species list or vulnerable to either of two diseases that only affect carp or tilapia. No importer's license is needed.

If you're bringing in ANY fish or eggs then legally you'll need to fill out and submit USFWS Form 3-177 either by mail (takes a while to process) or you can join the eDecs (Electronic Declarations) system (https://edecs.fws.gov/) and then you can submit online which should get almost immediate clearance. Instructions for filling out this form, including all the codes you'll have to use, can be found on the bottom portion of the form itself.

Enjoy!
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