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Cultivated Reef

Sexy Breeding -- Live nudes!


Whys

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Oh, I get it!! You're saying all research science is prurient voyeurism, because scientists totally get-off on making observations! :rofl:

 

;)

 

Ahoy mates!

Here be our vessel. Mind your manners bilge rats, she's one of the crew. You may address her as...

 

...The Scalawag

 

the_scalawag.jpg

 

Ye who seek sunken treasure, first be need'n a mermaid. And Pirate Pete been tell'n tales of a mermaid lagoon. Seen it with his own eye, he did, and he swear this be the map.

 

Just for luck, Pete be come'n along!

 

pete_map.gif

 

Aarrrrr.... ain't that right Pete?

 

pete_captured.jpg

 

I've made a fine bed in the Captain's quarters, perfect for a few captured beauties.

 

captain_quarters_1.jpg

 

captain_quarters_2.jpg

 

Now mind yer business and keep yer blimey hands off the casks in the the cargo hold!

 

cargo_hold.jpg

 

If the winds be fair, we could reach the lagoon by Wednessday. :)

 

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Well it's been quite the journey from there...

 

plastics_make_it_possible.jpg

 

...to here...

 

broadside.jpg

 

...but yes, you really can build a kreisel with just a 10 gallon tank, 8 dollar pump, and 6 gallon jug. The rock soup is optional, but I find it delicious. :]

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LOL WTH. LOL.

 

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:lol:

 

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FANTASTIC

 

Shiver me timbers... Pete be a scoundrel, but a liar he ain't. There be mermaids, just as he swore, half woman and half fish! But the tale be a wee-bit embellished from there... --Look fer yer self; there be one on the shore.

 

spy-glass.jpg

 

There's no catch'n a mermaid without taken a swim, but make no mistake, these be shark infested waters. So Pete suggested we first lure the sharks far from the lagoon. "Chum the outer waters with some bloodied meat", he said.

 

Savvy! Captured a mermaid pair, we did. Wouldn't let them both free until one brought up the treasure box from the bottom of the sea. And bring it up she did.

 

the_jewels_001.jpg

 

the_jewels_002.jpg

 

*EMPTY*... Rapscallions! Not a single piece of eight! Just 5 dancing shrimp that have made this box their home...

 

home_sexy_home.jpg

 

...but hold! There be an inscription carved into the bottom. "These are but the jewels. The true treasure is deeper."

 

 

 

 

Yarrr.... there still be treasure and this be a clue. Thanks for give'n a hand, Pete!

 

pete_amputated.jpg

 

Our see voyage is only beginning.

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omgomgomg:blink::wub::huh:

 

 

This breeder is my first nano. I've noticed I really have to watch salinity, but am managing to keep the specific gravity between .025 and .0255. I do a daily 2 quart water change on my display tank, then use the left over water to perform a 2 quart water change on the breeder. This makes for a breeder system turn over rate of about 2x per month.

 

June 9th, I added 5 sexy-shrimp to the breeder along with a frag of frogspawn. There are 2 males and 3 females. The much larger male is named Joules, and the smaller male is Plucky. The triplets are Destiny, Star, and Mystery, but I can't tell them apart.

 

Life is pretty good for Joules. He's twice the size of the only other male, and has three eager females to keep company. Only three days after acclimation, I caught Joules mating. The act itself was incredibly brief, so I only managed to catch the after glow on camera, but characteristic of the species, the male jealously guards the female immediately after mating.

 

 

So Joules, how do you explain your luck with the females?

 

{Joules} Heeyyy.... what can I tell ya? The ladies just know I'm bigger. Badabing!

 

Yep, Joules is the master of his domain. Oh, but there is that pesky little Plucky. Who does that smart mouth think he is? Mystery says Star was making eyes at Plucky, but Star denies it. Anyway, the whole thing was captured on the lastest episode of...

 

real_world.jpg

 

{the following video contains language that may be deemed unsuitable for small (or even obese) children.}

 

According to the information given by pj86, I should have newly hatched larva on both the 24th and the 30th. That will provide some personal satisfaction, but unfortunately, not much else. My kreisel isn't anywhere close to cycled, with my ammonia spike only just beginning. Sad to say, these 2 batches are ultimately doomed. But I will at least get some experience with catching and transferring as well as get my first real look at how the larva naturally move in the kreisel. {shrug} Better than nothing I suppose.

 

Another disappointment is that I needed to remove the frogspawn. In such a small space, the 5 sexy-shrimp were literally trampling it to death. I thought a couple days of introduction would result in a touchy-feely understanding, but instead the polyps just looked more and more sad and the large male got pretty aggressive about reaching down into the retracted mass. The frogspawn is now recovering nicely in my display tank, but it does leave the breeder looking rather bare and less comfortable for the shrimp. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

Umm_fish?, tho I will eventually try what ever pod culture you think best, to start I'm going to use baby brine shrimp. I don't want to have to worry about a culture crash just yet.

 

pj86, you still following? I could use whatever advice you have regarding decapsulation and what not. It'll give me something to practice while I wait for the kreisel to cycle.

 

I'd love it if I didn't have to wait, but something tells me I'll find a way to have fun in the mean time. We'll be there before we know it. :)

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Another great post, but you really need to post a little later in the day. I'm getting tired of cleaning my computer screen of coffee when I end up laughing uncontrollably. :D

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pj86, you still following? I could use whatever advice you have regarding decapsulation and what not. It'll give me something to practice while I wait for the kreisel to cycle.

 

Holy crap, you really did go all out. Put wings on that kreisel and it will fly.

 

Decapsulating brine shrimp is very simple. Bubbles, container with a tapper bottom (2 liter bottle) and a light. The annoying part is that you have to put a new batch every 12-24 hours, so running 2 at different intervals is necessary to maintain a constant supply.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yarrr.... Pete decided it was time he be get'n back, so we shared a cask of my finnest rum before he disembarked. A kind soul he is. Even left me a message let'n me know, there's no hard feel'ns and we still be friends!

 

Video:

 

ill_be_back.jpg

 

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There must be updates!

 

I agree! :)

 

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Mystery says Star was making eyes at Plucky, but Star denies it.

 

She's just stringing Plucky along cuz it turns her on when Joules gets jealous.

 

You know it! :P

 

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Another great post, but you really need to post a little later in the day. I'm getting tired of cleaning my computer screen of coffee when I end up laughing uncontrollably. :D

 

Good morning. :)

 

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Holy crap, you really did go all out. Put wings on that kreisel and it will fly.

 

Frankly, I'm as surprised as you are.

 

flying_kreisel.jpg

 

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dude, I am more confused and excited on whats going on. Good luck, keep up the hilarious posts!

 

-D

 

It's a carnival ride, with prizes. ;)

 

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Umm_fish?, tho I will eventually try what ever pod culture you think best, to start I'm going to use baby brine shrimp. I don't want to have to worry about a culture crash just yet.

 

You gotta do what you gotta do.

 

but it does leave the breeder looking rather bare and less comfortable for the shrimp. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

They don't really need a host. You could try a plastic coral if you want.

yuck.jpg

 

All I could find is a hot pink plastic plant for a beta bowl. I'd take a photo, but I don't actually approve. They don't seem to want it for a host either.

 

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So in preparation for breeding BVN, I've setup a culture dish for their food source. Everything I've read suggests BVN are voracious and providing sufficient flatworms for food can be a challenge. Here's a great document that includes the photosynthetic and dietary details of Red Planaria: Convolutriloba retrogemma.

 

convolutriloba_retrogemma_culture_dish.jpg

 

This 35g dish was found at Home Depot and is intended as a decorative pond. Their website only says that it's safe for fish and plants, but I did a little research and determined for a fact that it is made of high-density polyethylene. Same stuff as the jug I used to make the kreisel.

 

The light fixture came from a local hydroponics shop. It's a 400w sodium with external Galaxy digital ballast and 4"-duct fan.

 

The shallow sandbed is a conglomeration of stuff I had left over. 1 part sugar-fine quartz, 1 part OceanDirect Original Grade, and a couple hand fulls of pebbles and shells spread on top. I'll add a few pieces of liverock rubble from my refugium to get things started.

 

The heater is a 150w titanium Finnex digital. I've never seen these on Marine Depot, so want to point out what a great product they are, and a great brand too. It's titanium, digital, remote sensor, built-in preset high/low temp alarm, preset overheat auto kill, and compact. I only wish the temp alarm and auto kill were adjustable, but the price is right. I also spoke to the company once and was pleased with their customer service.

 

For flow, I'm using an old Koralia 1.

 

I figure I'll throw in a couple air stones and call it done. No skimmer. Tho I may find it necessary to occasionally skim off the surface scum manually, we'll see.

 

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Up next,

!

 

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Decapsulating brine shrimp is very simple. Bubbles, container with a tapper bottom (2 liter bottle) and a light. The annoying part is that you have to put a new batch every 12-24 hours, so running 2 at different intervals is necessary to maintain a constant supply.
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  • 2 weeks later...

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Excellent

 

Thanks, but I won't kid you, the evap on that thing is terrible. I have an auto top-off kit on the way and will hook it directly to my RO/DI. Should be pretty care free after that. :)

 

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When hatching brine shrimp, nearly any tapered-bottom container plus air-pump will do.

 

San Francisco Bay Brine Shrimp Hatchery:

 

sfb_hatchery.jpg

 

This kit includes everything you need, except the air-pump and all important 2-liter bottle. Yep, it's a weighted base with a bit of airline tubing and a packet of eggs, nothing more. At a mere $7, it's still over priced.

 

An easy alternative is to simply use the bottom half of the 2-liter bottle for the base instead. This method has been used and demonstrated countless times.

 

single_2-liter_hatchery.jpg

 

But that's not to say it can't be improved upon. Marc at ventralfins.com points out that a twin 2-liter design provides significantly greater volume.

 

diy_bbs_04.jpg

 

However, he also explains, "This is NOT a perfect design... There is always room for improvement. If people don't tinker and experiment, then we will never have anything new..."

 

I couldn't agree more, Marc! And not to be out done, here is my own triple 2-liter design. :)

 

....................

 

Whys Triple 2-Liter Plankton Reactor Tutorial

(ie: Brine Shrimp Hatchery)

 

You will need three 2-liter soda bottles and one cap. Two of the bottles can be of any brand, but at least one needs to be Coca Cola. You will also need a gang-valve, 1 foot of rigid airline tubing, an inch or two of vinyl airline tubing, and a small glass or similar sized container.

 

triple_2-liter_plankton_reactor_000.jpg

 

Also, if you're having trouble removing the last bits of label from the 2-liter bottles, you can use a solvent such as Goof Off for a clear and clean finish. Note: do not allow solvent to get inside the bottle or around any openings and wash the bottle thoroughly after application.

 

goof_off.jpg

 

 

Step 2:

Slice one foot off of one bottle with a knife or razor blade.

 

triple_2-liter_plankton_reactor_001.jpg

 

 

Step 3:

Use the tip of the blade to carve a small dimple into the bottom center of the same bottle, then drill the dimple with a 1/4 inch drill bit.

 

triple_2-liter_plankton_reactor_002.jpg

 

 

Step 4:

Attach about a 1 inch section of vinyl airline tubing to a gang-valve, opposite the knob, and insert the tubing into the drilled hole on the bottle.

 

triple_2-liter_plankton_reactor_003.jpg

 

 

Step 5:

From inside the bottle, insert an 11 & 1/4 inch section of rigid airline tubing into the gang valve, locking the valve in place. A pair of needle nose pliers will help.

 

triple_2-liter_plankton_reactor_004.jpg

 

I also like to add about a 1 inch section of rigid airline tubing to the other end of the gang-valve for an easier air-pump disconnect.

 

 

Step 6:

Next, cut the bottom 6 inches off the matching bottle and add ballast. This provides a weighted stand for the inverted bottle.

 

triple_2-liter_plankton_reactor_005.jpg

 

I like to use decorative glass beads for the ballast.

 

 

Step 1:

Finally, pour a desired amount of rum into the glass...

 

triple_2-liter_plankton_reactor_006.jpg

 

...then add Coca Cola. :D

 

 

Example:

Jade & Amber.

 

jade_and_amber.jpg

 

 

This concludes my triple 2-liter plankton reactor tutorial. Cheers!

 

triple_2-liter_plankton_reactor_007.jpg

 

Video:

 

....................

 

Sorry to say, no news for the breeder. I see a dark blob tucked under the base of the tail of at least one female, but I have absolutely no experience with this, so won't know what I have until I have it. {crossing fingers}

 

Wish us luck! :)

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I haven't read through this whole thread, but are you still trying to build a kreisel? It looked like you had some questions on the first page.

 

Inverted 5 gallon filtered water bottles make good brine shrimp hatchers and rotifer cultures.

 

If you're feeling spendy, these are nice too:

BS6_HS1_TL22.jpg

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I haven't read through this whole thread,

 

You should. It has its moments. :)

 

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but are you still trying to build a kreisel? It looked like you had some questions on the first page.

 

Inverted 5 gallon filtered water bottles make good brine shrimp hatchers and rotifer cultures.

 

If you're feeling spendy, these are nice too:

BS6_HS1_TL22.jpg

 

The kreisel is done. There's a video of it in action in an earlier post. Or you can find it on YouTube from any of my other videos.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't entirely decided what I want to use for phyto cultures yet. I'll probably just use Jade and Amber to start, but I might eventually want something larger and easier to clean.

 

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i literally laughed my ass off at the title of this discussion http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/style_emot...fault/laugh.gif

 

:D

 

 

Umm_fish?, how do I collect and transfer the larvae from the breeder to the kreisel without introducing breeder-tank water to the kreisel? I intend to use a wide mouth "straw" which I've stuffed with micron sock on one end. When I hold my thumb over the top, lower the straw into the water, then release my thumb, there is a gentle suction as the water finds a level inside the straw. This seems fairly ideal for collecting the larvae, but a small amount of water from the breeder will be transferred to the kreisel with each larvae. Is there a better way?

 

 

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I recently received some good advice from jayelblock for identifying a pregnant Sexy Shrimp.

 

The eggs are tucked up under the tail and mostly concealed by the lateral tail flaps. The flaps from both sides normally meet in a 'V' shape, but as the egg mass enlarges the flaps are pushed outward and separate. This makes the female appear larger when viewed from the side and boxier when viewed from behind.

 

*CONFIRMED*, I have one pregnant female!

{happy dance}

 

preggers.jpg

 

As luck would have it, she put her tail end right up against the front glass, so I got out my 30x Micronta hand-held microscope and managed to get a good focus. Obviously, I can't take photos with my Micronta, so I've provided an artistic rendering of what I saw.

 

I'm totally stoked. :)

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  • 1 month later...

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omgomgomg

 

I love this thread

 

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I don't believe it's possible to avoid using _any_ broodstock water with live larvae. Two options: 1. Minimize broodstock water as much as possible. 2. Move the female to the kreisel before the larvae hatch (in some sort of box the larvae can escape from or something) and let her hatch there.

 

Good luck and congratulations!

 

:(

 

Either something happened or I was just seeing what I wanted to see, because nothing came of it. To make matters worse, Joules has gone missing -- not even a trace.

 

So it's just Plucky and the triplets now. It's possible that the fighting over the females was a detriment. So who knows, a blessing in disguise? Thing is, I'm not certain Plucky is actually mature enough. {shrug}

 

Anyway, wanted to give the quick update: still waiting.

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  • 1 month later...

No change, but thanks for asking. :)

 

I'm giving Plucky his chance with the 3 females. If there's no change soon, I'll get a few more shrimp and put any extra males in the display tank.

 

I know how you feel. I'm eager to get things moving along myself. As it is tho, I nearly lost the refugium on my kreisel. I never got around to drilling an anti-siphon hole on the HOB unit and was doing a water change. The HOB ran dry and the heater ran hot. I was lucky in that I only lost the magnetic clips and the heater itself. One side of the HOB is now slightly distorted from the heat, but no cracks or leaks, so it's all good.

 

Went ahead and drilled that anti-siphon hole. ;)

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Still here. I answered Pj in one of his threads.

 

It seems pretty clear I'm gonna need to try a few changes. Maybe add some more liverock to the breeder and pick up a few more shrimp. Maybe try rotating a few of them between the breeder and the display tank to see whether it's either an environmental issue in the breeder or a pairing issue for the shrimp. Don't know if I'll do any of it before the holidays tho, sorry.

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