Manchester, 6/9

Screening day, working solo.

First, I imaged all screened larvae from 6/5, and collected larvae on 6/7 & 6/8 (I needed the well plates).

Then I tackled the larval buckets. My process is as follows:

  • Pour the “front” bucket, where live larvae have collected, through a 450 onto a 224um into a filled sink. The 450 cleans out debris, and 224 catches any eyed larvae nearing metamorphosis (hopefully ready to set). Collect 224um larvae in tripour.
  • Drain sink onto a 100um, and pour into a 180um with the sink plugged and full of water. Replace 100um screen underneath.
  • Collect all larvae that hold on a 180um screen in tripour.
  • Drain tank, collect all remaning larvae on the 100um into tripour.
  • Pour the “back” bucket onto a 100um screen. This should only have morts, as the larvae have had 2 days to flow out of this bucket. Collect morts in tripour.
  • Sample all tripours for couts: triplicate samples pulled while plunging.
  • Count larvae in each well.
  • Move all 224um larvae into setting tank
  • Clean buckets, replace in a 2-bucket, separate flow/bamjo configuration. Return larvae, keeping the 100um and 180um size classes separate.
  • Repeat.

This process, for 15 groups, took ~8.5hrs. **Note: I will never be able to split the HL & K groups into 2 size classes (not enough banjos). Instead, I am stocking all live larvae together, but still setting up the 2-bucket culling system 2 days prior to screening.

Successful day, no snafoos.

Written on June 9, 2017