fertilization rates in zebrafish

[Gerrit Begemann]

Dear all,

I was wondering if any of you know which parameters influence the 
fertilization rate of zebrafish eggs. We have recently encountered 
reduced numbers, where in some instances less than 5 per cent off 
all eggs were fertilized (previous rates were above 95 per cent). 
Could this be due to inbreeding effects, as it does not affect all of 
our strains, or does water quality play a major role (no obvious 
problems there)?  

Thanks in advance for your suggestions,
Gerrit

Dr. Gerrit Begemann
Universitaet Konstanz
Dept. of Biology
Universitaetsstr. 10
D-78464 Konstanz
Germany