Pickle's N-R Breeders Lounge

[baileybum1234]

Well I have been away with work today and left them looking fine and dandy, come back this evening and alot of them are flicking abound on the bottom, laying on their side, swimming upside down and others lk normalish. Bearing in mind im not fully sure what normal behavious is, the ones on the bottom could just be resting for all I know??

 

I am dripping a litre of perent tank water in slowly and will look at syphning out the crud tomorrow.

 

What could possibly go wrong in the first day.

 

The light is very dim this time. I have directed it away from the tank and im relying on the ligh bouncing off the wall by the side of the tank.

 

I am also giving them a break over nigth for the first time hping a little rest might help matters.

 

Jarrett

[Pickle010]

Well I have been away with work today and left them looking fine and dandy, come back this evening and alot of them are flicking abound on the bottom, laying on their side, swimming upside down and others lk normalish. Bearing in mind im not fully sure what normal behavious is, the ones on the bottom could just be resting for all I know??

 

I am dripping a litre of perent tank water in slowly and will look at syphning out the crud tomorrow.

 

What could possibly go wrong in the first day.

 

The light is very dim this time. I have directed it away from the tank and im relying on the ligh bouncing off the wall by the side of the tank.

 

I am also giving them a break over nigth for the first time hping a little rest might help matters.

 

Jarrett

 

 

The one thing that always strikes me as odd when hearing about what fry are doing on the bottom of the tank is that for the first week or so - I can't see the bottom of my tank.

 

I set the light right across the top of the tank and tint the tank dark enough that if the fry want to get away from the light they can go deaper - but always have lilght (24/7) to hunt for food.

 

And - why drip in parent tank water? If you are dripping in water - drip in new fesh mixed salt water and give them the cleanest you possibly can.

 

I'm afriad that cutting the light off at night will do more damage then good. They need to eat and they need the light to find food.

[Pickle010]

Fish room updates?!

 

 

It's going great so far - the system is cycled and I put 4 juvi's in as testers then a week later I added 50 young fry and at the end of this week I'll have an entire hatch to add. In 3 more weeks I'll have 2 more hatches to add to it.

 

I figure the time in between and water volume of the system will be enough to allow the system to handle the numbers.

 

I'm getting the right side of the room plumbed this week. At least the 6 20g longs so I can have an intermediate step between the larvae tank and the tubs.

[baileybum1234]

ok all re-sorted.

 

Tell you what hats off for all you guys that have raised clowns.

 

Thanks agian! Hoping t slide a piece of tile into the next. You might get rid of me for a month of two if the perents get the hump! :0)

[hooligan_78]

It's going great so far - the system is cycled and I put 4 juvi's in as testers then a week later I added 50 young fry and at the end of this week I'll have an entire hatch to add. In 3 more weeks I'll have 2 more hatches to add to it.

 

I figure the time in between and water volume of the system will be enough to allow the system to handle the numbers.

 

I'm getting the right side of the room plumbed this week. At least the 6 20g longs so I can have an intermediate step between the larvae tank and the tubs.

 

Word...you know I gotta say: Pics or it didn't happen!

[Pickle010]

ok all re-sorted.

 

Tell you what hats off for all you guys that have raised clowns.

 

Thanks agian! Hoping t slide a piece of tile into the next. You might get rid of me for a month of two if the perents get the hump! :0)

 

 

The first time I covered the parents spot with a tile she actually absorbed her eggs and didn't spawn again for a few weeks. Apparently it was very distsressing to her.

 

Word...you know I gotta say: Pics or it didn't happen!

 

 

I don't know how good top down pics in a 100g tub will come out. I can give it a shot though.

[baileybum1234]

Well went down to look at the fry expecting the useual and I was shocked to see some still living and quite happily swimming about munching rottifers. There still all here this evening too. This evening I syphoned the dead fry so the bottom is clean, tinted the water, added a decent portion of rottifers and did another one litre water change with mother tank water. It worked yesterday and not in a position to freshly mix salt water for them just yet. With the rottifers I mix a load of salt water in one go enough for a couple of weeks and it seams to work. I guess doing that for the fry would possibly lead to problems.

 

Im just so thrilled to watch them swim about some are really fat. So silver tummys is good. I plan to go the brine shrimp route because I dont have any fry food larger then rottifers. I read in the clownfish guide it was afer 10 days I think for maroons?

 

On another note I looked at my male bangi this evening and hes got babi tails sticking out his mouth. Means there due in the next 48 hours. I used to raise them but hes a B**ger to catch in the reef tank.

[Pickle010]

It sounds like you are steaming down the right road...

 

I've never fed brine so I'm not sure of the timing - however I would suggest that you overlap foods at each stage. So start feeding the brine as soon as you think the fry are large enough to accept them but keep feeding rots for few days after as well. Same with your next transition - when you go to dry feeds start a few days earlier while still feeding the bbs and over lap the two feeds.

 

I don't know what you are planning on feeding for dry - if you have otohime or access to it, it is the very best.

 

My first couple of hatches I did not have it so I used a mortar and pestle to crush a mix of pellets, flake and dry cyclopeeze to a fine powder. They did not hit meta as fast as do on Oto but I was able to pull many of them through.

[baileybum1234]

http://www.zmsystems.co.uk/index.php?app=g...w&ref=zm000

 

This is the stuff I have. I doublt its Oto just hope its as good.

 

Jarrett

[Pickle010]

It appears to be small enough that you could start adding a tiny pinch of it soon.

 

I typically start feeding my dry right around day 4 - I don't know if the higher flow gives the food movement and attracts the fry to strike it - but for the first couple of days I don't get much action on it - but typically by day 7 day are hitting it pretty hard and by day 9 - 10 I have them off the rots and on the dry completely.

[baileybum1234]

It appears to be small enough that you could start adding a tiny pinch of it soon.

 

I typically start feeding my dry right around day 4 - I don't know if the higher flow gives the food movement and attracts the fry to strike it - but for the first couple of days I don't get much action on it - but typically by day 7 day are hitting it pretty hard and by day 9 - 10 I have them off the rots and on the dry completely.

 

Does your oto just come in the one size?

 

Cheers!

 

J

[Pickle010]

It comes in several sizes and I get it here:

 

http://www.reed-mariculture.com/product_ot...rine_diets.html

 

I start my fry on A then move up to B1 before going to crush flake / pellet.

[baileybum1234]

ZM stuff seams to have a smaller particle size.

 

Well there still going about 40 of them. Best to date! Still eating swimming about.

 

Do you think I should start dropping the SG?

 

I have a load of 0.17 mixed for the rottifers would this be too low if I changed a litre a day?

Edited August 19, 2012 by baileybum1234

[Pickle010]

What is the SG of the tank right now? I typically mix my water change water to a couple of points below what the SG was when I hatched to offset for evaporation.

[baileybum1234]

What is the SG of the tank right now? I typically mix my water change water to a couple of points below what the SG was when I hatched to offset for evaporation.

 

 

My tank is sg 0.23 and I planned to dose .18 I read that I was supposed to reduce the sg for a better fry survival rate or dont I need to bother?

J

[Pickle010]

My tank is sg 0.23 and I planned to dose .18 I read that I was supposed to reduce the sg for a better fry survival rate or dont I need to bother?

J

 

I start my fry out at around .021 and usually just keep it there throughout. It gives me a little cushion if the sg rises and I can always bring it down slowly by doing water changes and dripping in water mixed at .019

[hooligan_78]

I start my fry out at around .021 and usually just keep it there throughout. It gives me a little cushion if the sg rises and I can always bring it down slowly by doing water changes and dripping in water mixed at .019

 

This is what I'm doing as well. I've been kicking the idea of glass tops around to help with evap, but not sure I want to go that route.

[Pickle010]

Come on Jarrett - need updates on how your hatch is going!

[baileybum1234]

Come on Jarrett - need updates on how your hatch is going!

 

Sorry guys very rude of me lol

 

Tell you what its going really well by my standards. Yesterday I syphoned the bottom and just been trying not to touch or fiddle to be honest.

 

That is until today I think I can count about 40 fry some looking fat and a few not so fat and hopefuly catching up. Today I added my seachem water checking badge. I have not added it till now because it makes me worry and sure enough it detected amonia. I used a credit card and scraped all the crud off the bottom and one side. Also doing a 15% water chage. I still dont have an effective way of mixing new salt water around working a full week so im doing half perent tank and half new salt mix I use for rottifers. I have to make this up at the weekend it works out around SG .021 so just right. I know perent tank water is good and full of life and until I get a system and the confidence to just add new salt water it will have to do.

 

Im definately noticing some changes in the fry, their colour is going black and their swimming differently. I hope the changes I have done this evening will not effect them.

 

They seam to be taking interest in the powdered food to.

 

Really pleased this is the furthest I have got so far anf planning on adding some newly hatched brine on day 8. That will be Thursday.

 

Really appreciate the help I was at a loss and now really loving watching them through the different stages. I have a little confidence now just hoping they will continue to develop and grow.

 

I have also had a hatch of Bangi just 3 yesterday and the male has a few more to release. I didnt catch the male like I used too just added my larval snagger in the hope some will be caught. I have been feeding them rottifers and they love them. I used to raise them on just bbs and could only ever raise around 30 at eatch batch maybe with the addition of rottifers I could get a higher survival rate.

 

Jarrett

Edited August 21, 2012 by baileybum1234

[hooligan_78]

Nice! Funny how once you get over the "hump" how easy it seems.

[Pickle010]

That's great to hear - Sounds like meta is your next big step.

 

Keep up on your water changes don't be scared to use new water at this point - just be sure to mix it to or just below your current salinity.

 

From this point it shouldn't be much different then caring for your bangaii - keep up on feed (they'll need the energy for meta) and watch the ammonia.

 

40 this time... 140 the next?

Edited August 21, 2012 by Pickle010

[baileybum1234]

That's great to hear - Sounds like meta is your next big step.

 

Keep up on your water changes don't be scared to use new water at this point - just be sure to mix it to or just below your current salinity.

 

From this point it shouldn't be much different then caring for your bangaii - keep up on feed (they'll need the energy for meta) and watch the ammonia.

 

40 this time... 140 the next?

 

 

140???? GULP! I would need to get my shed insulated/converted.

[Pickle010]

140???? GULP! I would need to get my shed insulated/converted.

 

LOL... you better get a start on it!

[baileybum1234]

LOL... you better get a start on it!

 

 

Fancy shipping a couple of ur snows half way across the world? For my shed. joke

[Pickle010]

I wouldn't be surprised if some are already there. I know some have made their way overseas. But I'm not the one shipping them.