Does anyone want some hagfish in 8 months?

[Lilah]

Hi! Im a high school senior doing an experiment with the atlantic hagfish (Myxini glutinosa) and I am not allowed to release them when I am done with my project, the other option is to euthanize them, which isn't something I would like to do. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in having them as pets? There would be two of them, also could totally change by the time the year ends, but I want to make sure that I have a place for them to go after my experiment is completed. Let me know if anyones interested(preferably the New England area) or knows a place that accepts hagfish donations. I know this is a weird post, but thought it was worth a shot.

Best fishes,
Lilah

 

[CoralB]

Curiosity!!! , What kind of experiment are you performing on them ?

 

[Lilah]

Curiosity!!! , What kind of experiment are you performing on them ?

Im collecting their slime and trying to form it into a powder to create shark spray, similar to the tests the US Navy is doing with it as ballistics protection/alternative to kevlar, but I don't have that type of funding. I am also doing egg and sperm collections in a similar fashion to salmon hatcheries to try and create viable eggs to see if there may be the possibility of breeding them in captivity until a synthetic slime can be created. Im super excited about it! Just want to make sure I give them a good home after!

 

[CoralB]

Im collecting their slime and trying to form it into a powder to create shark spray, similar to the tests the US Navy is doing with it as ballistics protection/alternative to kevlar, but I don't have that type of funding. I am also doing egg and sperm collections in a similar fashion to salmon hatcheries to try and create viable eggs to see if there may be the possibility of breeding them in captivity until a synthetic slime can be created. Im super excited about it! Just want to make sure I give them a good home after!

Thanks for the info !!

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

These things? Straight out of aliens creepy lol

 

[DiamondReef128]

Super cool experiment and awesome of you to responsibly handle them/care for them. But with that, I’m out.

 

[Peace River]

What conditions are you keeping the fish in (temp, etc.)?

 

[Lilah]

What conditions are you keeping the fish in (temp, etc.)?

They live at an average water temperature of 59º so Im trying to find the right chiller now, They will be kept in a 100 gal tank with two external filtration systems.

 

[Peace River]

Thanks for the feedback. I knew it was a cold water fish, but I didn’t know if you had found a way to keep it at warmer temperatures.

 

[exnisstech]

Can't help with homing the fish but I will say I'm jealous. We never did anything like this when I was in high school

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I am not allowed to release them when I am done with my project,

Why not?

 

[Lilah]

Why not?

I will be ordering them from a place in Maine, I cant release them in Massachusetts due to potential stock contamination. That and as a general rule of thumb, if a researcher has not caught the fish, they cannot release the fish.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

Curious how this slime would work for a diver. The hag fish get bitten by sharks but it’s loose organs , flabby skin and lack of bones protects it from being a one bite fatality, it’s nasty slime makes the shark uninterested in a second bite. It’s a very interesting subject.
its a very old species which seems might have been around when dinosaurs roamed

 

[jabberwock]

following

 

[skye]

Hi Lilah! Are your hagfish still available by chance? I might be interested in adopting them. Let me know