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Crayfish Anesthetic

Started by Guest_blakemarkwell_* , Oct 09 2013 09:23 PM

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4 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

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Posted 09 October 2013 - 09:23 PM

Does anyone know of an effective anesthetic to use on crayfish? I think I remember reading that they have a high tolerance to MS-222 and clove oil, and neither are particularly effective even at high doses.

I'd like to start photographing some phototank style, which will require fixation in formalin. I know that if I were to be killed via formalin, I'd prefer to loose consciousness first, so I'm wanting to follow a similar route with my (our) crayfish friends.

Dosage amounts and anesthetics that are readily available will be appreciated, but not mandatory. Any tips will be welcomed, as this project is still in the nascent stage.

Thanks!

#2 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

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Posted 10 October 2013 - 09:13 AM

Actually, after doing a bit more digging it seems that clove oil works just fine. Don't let that stop further suggestions, though. Apparently 60 mg/L is the optimal dose.

#3 Guest_centrarchid_*

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Posted 10 October 2013 - 09:30 AM

I have photographed a good number of crayfish. At this point I have settled into simply chilling them down to about freezing and making photographs before they wake up. Adding salt to water enables getting the liquid fraction a little cooler and does not seem to harm them. They will move a little but is something that is tolerable. Otherwise freeze them solid overnight then photograph them in the morning after thawing them out.

Edited by centrarchid, 10 October 2013 - 09:33 AM.

#4 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

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Posted 10 October 2013 - 05:46 PM

Is that pretty standard for crayfish photography? I was wanting to follow something similar to what Pflieger did for Crayfishes of Missouri because the specimens still had really nice color. However, I'm not sure what methods he used for knocking them out (or if they were dead) as it doesn't say in the book and I haven't tried contacting him.

Thanks for the tips!

#5 Guest_centrarchid_*

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Posted 10 October 2013 - 08:49 PM

We managed to make a pictures suitable for publication and they were at least comparable to Pflieger's photographs. At some point I spoke with him which was part of our starting efforts. Color is not impacted by chilling and if freezing occurs with animal submerged you should get good images. I am not a good photographer myself but biggest challenge I will warn you about is depth of field and shadows cast by legs. Lighting was critical and kept waking critters up.