Day 2 Pics.
Really Great! I hope you got your rotifer culture going. I used a 5 gallon tank for the first larvae rearing tank. I used to drain and refill the rearing tank with the parents tank water as i was collecting the larvae. that way less shock. I only filled it half way to start. keeps the roti density up for the larvae.
Hey, Ken. Yeah, I got my roti cuture going. Me, Jared and Chris ordered some L-type about a month ago.
I had planned on using 1/2 parent water and 1/2 fresh rodi/water when I do the water changes on the larvae tank. Think it’s worth it to use 100% from the broodstock tank?
I thought it helped. when the eggs first hatch, you are catching them within an hour of hatching. i dont think they can handle much shock. even the slightest change in PH, salinity, temp. using a small larval rearing tank, its easy to just drain it down, and half fill with their tank water. then as you catch them in a bowl you bring some more to fill it to your level. then its no change. It seemed to work for me, and only took a few extra minutes to drain and refill half of the 5 gallon tank, just before collecting larvae after dark. like i said, the first night i only filled the 5 half way when all the fry where in there. kept them close in a high density rotifer soup.
Ken, need advice!
So it’s day 5. Between new parents and probalby a little too much current in my tank, the eggs have thinned out significantly. The remaining eggs look like they’ve developed head and eyes. The bottom half of the yolk sack looks more of a brown than an orange now. Does this look normal?
Yes, probably normal. the Father spends all his time cleaning and caring for the eggs. any that get fugus or die he eats or at least picks them out of the patch. you dont want a current blowing them like crazy. just a gentle sway. the Parents will take care of the rest. they clean them and fan them all day long. yup eyes are good. when they get all silvery, they are rady to hatch. about 10-11 days. when you get close, turn off the pumps for an hour after lights out, and see if they are hatching. once you know the days to hatch for your tank and fish, it should be the same always. its a little temp. dependant. warmer/faster, maybe a day. be sure the tank room is dark, and have a little LED light shining on the far end of the tank. the larvae will swim to it. then catch them with a bowl. These are the things i learned from Chris and Barb. and they seemed to work just fine.
Day 7
that is awesome. :
:
Hopefully some will make it through and Dad won’t eat it all up.
Day 8
The larvae are looking good.
Day 9
They hatched on the 10th day. >LOL<
Only 10 eggs made it to hatch night and I managed to snag 7 of the larvae. Not terrible for my first attempt and I know the parents will get better and better.
Next I need to work on harvesting the rotifers properly. Having a little trouble using a coffee filter.
Will keep updating on the progress of the larvae.
Sounds way way early but if you decide to sell any of these i would def like a set when they are ready.
I believe that they offspring will be ready for a community tank around 4-6 months. They could probably go to a smaller qt tank even before then.
But in all likelyhood I won’t get a lavae through meta for another 3 batches. So realisitcally we’re looking at them being ready this summer!
I’ll make sure that they are available to everyone locally first and I guess I should start keeping track of preorders. Local people will of course have the luxury of selecting their fish in person. ::
Personally I find the coffee filter to be a pain in the butt. I find it is just much easier to take a cup of recently fed rotifiers out of the bucket, water and all, and add it to the tank. Then just replace the cup of water in the roti bucket.
This also aides in water changes so your ammonia doesn’t get too high and you ensure you’re not wasting rotis left in the coffee filter.
I think I’m going to try that. The coffee filter method just isn’t working for me.
congrats on your first batch. hopefully you are able to keep em around for a while. when these do become available have you thoght about what your gonna set the price at?
[quote=“Kdino, post:118, topic:573”]
congrats on your first batch. hopefully you are able to keep em around for a while. when these do become available have you thoght about what your gonna set the price at?[/quote]
Liveaquaria is currently selling a pair of snowflake occy’s for $369.99 ($185 each).
My broodstock came from Doni’s Reef and cost me $75 for the B’s and $125 for the A’s. Her price has actually gone UP since I last looked. She’s selling A’s for $175 now.
I’ll sell for less. But I’m not going to count my clownfish before they hatch, so to speak. I think this first batch isn’t going to make it. Lesson 1, invest in a rotifer seive. Heh
I put a small 4 cup coffee filter in a plastic strainer like these. got them at the dollar store.
then set the strainer/filter in a large funnel in a 3 liter bottle, and started a syphon from the bucket into the filter with a length of air tubing. the water goes through the filter and strainer into the bottle and then i just rinsed the filter out in the larvae tank to feed them.
throw the old water out and replace with new SW and feed algae again. I kept the bucket with an air stone on the dryer, and wouldput the bottle/filter on the floor to syphon. I found it worked best if i put the air stone on a 15 inch length of rigid 1/8 inch air tube, and same with the syphon tube. the rigid piece will sit in the bucket and not float out or fall out.