Pickle's N-R Breeders Lounge

[Pickle010]

Quick update - got another pair of spawning B&W's about 3 weeks ago and yesterday they spawned for the first time for me. Now let's see how far they let the eggs go.

[hooligan_78]

Nice man! I can't wait for my system to run a week or so to get everyone moved in and start breeding them all in earnest. Weird question, but think I need to run another electrical line to my fish room; anyone done this? If so, what did it set you back?

[Pickle010]

Nice man! I can't wait for my system to run a week or so to get everyone moved in and start breeding them all in earnest. Weird question, but think I need to run another electrical line to my fish room; anyone done this? If so, what did it set you back?

 

 

I ran 3 to to the new fish room I built but I did it all myself so it wasn't that bad. I suppose cost would be determined by how much wire they have to run. The breakers and outlets are cheap - it's the wire that will get you and never mind the labor.

[hooligan_78]

That's pretty much what I figured. I have an outlet in the basement living room who's line is actually accessible from the fish room. The outlet is actually just around the door, so I have some thing plugged in there and it's on a different circuit. I'm thinking I might be able to patch an outlet into that line that would be inside the fish room. Since nothing is plugged into that circuit shouldn't be much of a problem.

[Pickle010]

That's the way I would go... If you can access the wire on the opposite side of the wall I'd add an outlet in the room. The one thing I refuse to do is run any extension cords in my room and make sure whenever using power strips that I'm using decent ones.

[baileybum1234]

So when can you introduce an anemone to the fry tank or is it just not such a good idea?

[Pickle010]

So when can you introduce an anemone to the fry tank or is it just not such a good idea?

 

 

I've put them straight in with nems at 3 weeks when I move them grow out.

 

 

However it will cause some to get territorial and could cause some issues.

[iprayforwaves]

Pickle, my snows spawned again. This time, they laid maybe 40 eggs but it looks like they immediately ate all but four eggs. I can see faint white marks on the pot where the others where presumably attached before being eaten.

 

Any experience with this sort of small clutch size and eating off eggs? This is only thier second spawn.

[hooligan_78]

Pickle, my snows spawned again. This time, they laid maybe 40 eggs but it looks like they immediately ate all but four eggs. I can see faint white marks on the pot where the others where presumably attached before being eaten.

 

Any experience with this sort of small clutch size and eating off eggs? This is only thier second spawn.

 

 

I'm no expert by any means, but how often are you feeding them, and with what?

[Pickle010]

I don't think it's uncommon for the nests to start smaller and grow over time. Just like frequency of spawn will increase over time. It is especially not uncommon for the pair to eat their first few nests. More often then not they will especially if they are inexperienced.

 

As for nest size - diet / frequency of feedings may be a major factor.

[iprayforwaves]

I feed Formula One and Omega one 2-3 times a day. Sometimes they get mysis or cyclopeeze. I'm out of cyclopeeze right now

[hooligan_78]

I feed my broodstock a minimum of 3 times daily and as much as 5 times depending on the day. On work days, the first thing I do is feed them. Get ready, then feed them again before I leave. I feed them again once I get home then usually about an hour or 2 later. On weekends it's every couple of hours if I'm home. Low egg count sounds like not enough food. Eating eggs can be male inexperience, or again, low nutrition. You might even try a programmable auto feeder. I did that until I could get one pair spawning regularly.

[iprayforwaves]

Thats good advice, and I would like to feed them more.

 

However, I have the lighting on the breeding system set to 12pm - 1:30 am. I leave to go to work at 9am. If I am to feed them before I leave for work, I need to adjust the lighting forward so the lights come on from 8am - 9pm, for example. Otherwise I think the food would just be wasted as all the pairs hang out in their pots at night.

 

Will adjusting the lighting times throw off the breeding cycle, and should I do this slowly over a period of time or all at once?

[Pickle010]

I run my lights closer to 16 hours - so I can feed before work and still have plenty of opportunity after. My wife also feeds durring the day when I'm not around.

[hooligan_78]

I run my lights closer to 16 hours - so I can feed before work and still have plenty of opportunity after. My wife also feeds durring the day when I'm not around.

 

 

I run 14 hours for sure. I've been thinking about increasing an hour just to give myself more feeding time after I get home.

[iprayforwaves]

so If i change the timer to go from 9am - 1:30am, vs 12pm - 1:30am should it be ok?

 

...then the day will just be starting sooner but lasting longer for the clowns. I just dont want to throw them off their rythym.

[Pickle010]

If you are concerned about trowing them off maybe you can start increasing the photo period over time... maybe add 30 minutes every couple of days. In natur days do get longer. Just in my tanks they got longer ... and stayed that way.

[iprayforwaves]

Perfect, well I'll do that and I just picked up a fresh pack of mysis and cyclopeeze. We'll see how the next spawn goes for the snows. They ate the 4 eggs that were left last night.

[Pickle010]

Clowns Endangered

[gar732]

Hey guys, I'm in the process of setting up a brood stock system that will consist of a 20L divided into 2 sections, a 50B divided into 3 sections and a 40B for a sump and fuge. It's basically half of pickle's brood stock system. My question is for the tank dividers, should I make them solid and drill each section so that the water only mixes at the sump or should I make the dividers slotted at the top and bottom and put the drain at one end and the return at the other?

[Pickle010]

It's completely your call... I knew from my previous system which was slotted in the dividers and had flow at one end and a drain at the other that I'd want flow to each compartment. It might of worked better for me if it was set up like a race track with the slots at opposite ends at each compartment. The way I set up mine now with each compartment having it's own return and overflow I can drain a compartment without effecting the rest of the tank and clean it out if need be.

 

It's really a matter of preference - I just didn't like slotted set up so I tried it the other way.... either way you still have to take care of it daily to keep it clean.

[Pickle010]

So here is a new one for me...

 

I went to hatch the first nest of my B&W's last night (I only had the pair a month) and the fry got stuck in the eggs. I could see eggs shooting around the tank with tails sticking out of them but the fry never made it out.

 

I'm hoping it's the old diet affecting the fry / eggs and the new diet I have them on makes the next hatch go better.

 

We'll see.

[oceancube]

So here is a new one for me...

 

I went to hatch the first nest of my B&W's last night (I only had the pair a month) and the fry got stuck in the eggs. I could see eggs shooting around the tank with tails sticking out of them but the fry never made it out.

 

I'm hoping it's the old diet affecting the fry / eggs and the new diet I have them on makes the next hatch go better.

 

We'll see.

wow thats sounds like to much mysis and or squid in diet... the eggs were actually floating with fry trying to get out,,,, wow never heard of that, hopefully you can get it fixed asap!!!

[Pickle010]

wow thats sounds like to much mysis and or squid in diet... the eggs were actually floating with fry trying to get out,,,, wow never heard of that, hopefully you can get it fixed asap!!!

 

 

That's what I figure as well - I've got them on the same diet as my other brood stock so I'm hoping the next hatch goes better. Had I not seen the ones shooting around the tank with the eggs still on them I would of never known what was up.

[hooligan_78]

That sucks to hear. Hopefully that will be corrected by the next spawn.

 

I got my glass tops in and my top off switch. I still need some chaeto and to do a water test on Friday. If all is well, I'll move my first fish to the breeder tanks.