Pickle's N-R Breeders Lounge

[Pickle010]

Looks like you are making significant advances with the recent hatch.

 

The water looks much greener, you must have the rotifer thing down now. The hatch looks denser as well, is it just because they are swimming towards the light, or that they are move active ?

 

Great job.

 

 

I did tint the water more and the rotifers are going strong right now. In a single drop on a microscope slide I can count 2 or 3 adults and multiple babies.

 

The hatch is denser - I know I pulled significantly more then my prior hatches. I think my first pull was about 10 but my second pull had more then 25. I must of pulled close to 200 in all.

 

That was the most dense area of the tank in the pictures - they are attracted to the light. At birth their eye sight is limited and the light does help them hunt for food. I can't say if they are more active and I'm still in a critical phase. They do not need to eat for the first 24 hours as they are born with a supply that will last at least that long. They do exihibit eating behaviour though... they will pause and lunge forward. That is a sign that they are hunting and eating. Both last night and this morning they picked up activity when I introduced some otohime A to the tank as well.

 

 

 

Just read this whole thread - quite an adventure! Can't wait to see the little guys mature.

 

 

Thanks! Welcome along! I'll try to keep up with the updates. At this point I think there are plenty of people that will make sure I stay up the progress.

 

Will you be selling your babies online?

 

I would ship if someone really wanted a pair but it may not be worth it for the regular ocellaris as they are relatively inexpensive to buy locally for most people. Shipping alone would cost more then a couple of pairs from your LFS. Most of these will go to LFS's in the Central Valley and the So CA area.

 

Once I'm producing Snowflakes I'll start selling those online.

[Weetabix7]

I'm really enjoying following along with this.

If you do get some to maturity I think I'd want to buy one just so I could say I had a Pickle Clown!

[Pickle010]

I'm really enjoying following along with this.

If you do get some to maturity I think I'd want to buy one just so I could say I had a Pickle Clown!

 

 

[Weetabix7]

 

[Weetabix7]

Ok so Pickle, refresh my memory here, are both these batches of Clowns you're working on now Percs or what?

I have decided if I get a Pickle Clown I shall name it Larry.

[Pickle010]

Ok so Pickle, refresh my memory here, are both these batches of Clowns you're working on now Percs or what?

I have decided if I get a Pickle Clown I shall name it Larry.

 

 

These are Ocellaris clowns... I have Snow's that haven't started to lay yet, a pair of GSM's that I am getting on track now and true percs that I'll be pairing with a picasso.

 

So if you don't get a regular "Larry" - Hopefully I can get you a fancy Larry before the year is out.

[Weetabix7]

Well I'm certainly interested, count me in somewhere along the line.

Right now I have a Lg. B&W Ocellaris that I think recently had a sex change to female and a Medium Small Orange Skunk.

I'd prolly have to get rid of the Lg. B&W Ocellaris before I could put one of your babies in or it would get bullied to death, but I'm willing and I think it would be worth it.

This is a sidenote, but my Orange Skunk recently started hosting the Red Goniopora that has lived both in C7 and BibleSue's tanks, it's pretty awesome to see.

[Pickle010]

Well I'm certainly interested, count me in somewhere along the line.

Right now I have a Lg. B&W Ocellaris that I think recently had a sex change to female and a Medium Small Orange Skunk.

I'd prolly have to get rid of the Lg. B&W Ocellaris before I could put one of your babies in or it would get bullied to death, but I'm willing and I think it would be worth it.

This is a sidenote, but my Orange Skunk recently started hosting the Red Goniopora that has lived both in C7 and BibleSue's tanks, it's pretty awesome to see.

 

 

That is awesome!

 

I'll send you a message when I have something ready for you!

[rrcg50]

I'm really enjoying following along with this.

If you do get some to maturity I think I'd want to buy one just so I could say I had a Pickle Clown!

now that is some funny stuff, ora has platiniums, sea quest has wyoming white and nano reef has pickle clowns

Edited June 8, 2010 by rrcg50

[cheryl jordan]

And my all time favorite the Slow Dyslexic Jacobnano.

[Pickle010]

now that is some funny stuff, ora has platiniums, sea quest has wyoming white and nano reef has pickle clowns

 

LOL - well those should fit in pretty well around here - representing the underdog!

 

And my all time favorite the Slow Dyslexic Jacobnano.

 

 

We refer to them as the "Challenged Jacobnano's"

[Pickle010]

Tonight I am a broken and frustrated man. Lost them again.

 

I'm not giving up though... In for the long haul.

 

Going to clean out the hatch tank completely maybe even buy a different tank.

 

I don't know. I'll post again once I make some progress.

[Pickle010]

Just finished testing my water. Amonia - 0.50 everything else was on the money. Now to find the source... water changes and feeding cut back for the breeding pair. Water quality should be much easier to maintain once they are in the larger system. For now - I need to be more careful. I assumed the larger water changes before hatch would of taken care of it.

 

Wrong answer.

[cheryl jordan]

I am so sorry, but I am confident you will get to the bottom of it.

 

Question: Did you prepare the fry tank with water from the breeding tank ? You may have mentioned that sorry if I missed it.

 

Again sorry.

[Pickle010]

Thanks Cheryl.

 

 

Yes.. that's the issue. See my clowns lay on a rock instead of in a pot. They are ignoring the pot all together right now. So on hatch night the fry are scooped with the water from the breeding tank and transferred with the same water to the larvae tank. That helps me ensure the temp and salinity match what they are already acustomed to. The problem is if the hatch water is off I transfer that problem with them. The count down has started and I have 9 days to get the water perfect in with the pair.

 

It's a little more challenging right now as the pair is in a 20h with a HOB fuge. I feed 4 times a day so the amount of water I was changing wasn't sufficient to keep up. The plan is to cut back the feeding as there shouldn't be a need to continue to feed them as much and to increase the water changes in that tank until I find the Right balance.

 

Once the pairs are in the 200g system water quality should not be an issue or at least not as difficult to keep perfect.

 

If they would lay in the pot I could preset new water matched to the tank water in the larvae pot and just transfer the eggs to the new tank. I would still bring some water over but not all of it.

 

I'm wondering if I could start a couple of gallons of water in the larvae tank matched to the pairs tank and not bring as much of that water over. I guess I'll wait for some of the experts to chime in on that one.

 

Oh... but I was motivated again tonight when I looked in on the 1 month olds and found 3 of them with 2nd stripes.

Edited June 9, 2010 by Pickle010

[rrcg50]

I lost several hatches in a row. I finally figured out it was my phyto that went bad. Make sure also to bleach the baby tank and all air tubing. Let stand for a few days outdoors to brun off the bleach after you empty it out. Not a strong mixtue but just enough to clean everything. I also started to put my sponge filter in on day 1 not running air thru it just letting it sit in the tank. Air gets put thru it on day 4 or 5.

Don't get frustrated. i know when It happened to me I was like what the F. Trace your steps backwards. I would also go to once a day feedings on the parent tank. You might be on a crash course if you keep that up for them.

Oh and what are u keeping you roti water at(salinity and temp). Might be rupturing the sacs on the rotifers when you transafer them. Just ideas to find the cause.

[Weetabix7]

So sorry Pickle.

Hang in there, we're rooting for you and the next batch of Pickle Clowns.

[Pickle010]

Thanks rrcg - I'm confident that it is not my phyto as the batch of nano I used last night was just defrosted the day before. I've split my culture into 8 small bottles and keep the portion I'm not using frozen.

 

My rots are within a degree or two of the hatch tank.

 

I have not cleaned out the hatch tank with bleach - that's what I seriously think I need to do in addition to cutting back the feedings on the parents. I can deffinately see at this point that I'm just risking fouling the water and even worse the health of my pair.

 

 

So sorry Pickle.

Hang in there, we're rooting for you and the next batch of Pickle Clowns.

 

Thanks Weet I appreciate it.

[jiggyj0sh]

Hey you keep saying one forward, two back.. looks to me like your due to move forward. Keep your head up! and good luck with the next hatch bro!

[rrcg50]

Thanks rrcg - I'm confident that it is not my phyto as the batch of nano I used last night was just defrosted the day before. I've split my culture into 8 small bottles and keep the portion I'm not using frozen.

 

My rots are within a degree or two of the hatch tank.

 

I have not cleaned out the hatch tank with bleach - that's what I seriously think I need to do in addition to cutting back the feedings on the parents. I can deffinately see at this point that I'm just risking fouling the water and even worse the health of my pair.

What's the salinity?

You might instead of adding the phyto directly to the tank strain that water off too. The make phyto screens. Might be getting fertilizer contamination that way. Good luck.

[Pickle010]

My tanks are are at 1.020 and my rots are just around 1.019/8

 

I do strain the rots through a coffee filter - I know I need to buy a strainer - I'd like to get a 200 micron and a 53 micron. So I can prefilter it before straining the rots themselves.

 

So when the rots are added to the larvae tank I am not bringing over any of the rotifer water - I tint the larvae tank with fresh nano.

[nick1912]

Every batch is lasting longer and longer. Breeding is a pita! I'm glad you are not giving up. Crossing my fingers for the next batch!

[drakkor]

Great read, thank you for sharing!

[rrcg50]

i have the small and medium strainers. definately recommend them, makes coculturing a million times easier

also go get a amonia badge, they will tell you when things are amis with the water. you can also use 3-5 drops of prime to reduce the amonia in the rearing tanks.

 

sorry to sound like a know it all. i just been there and wanted to just pull my hair out with frustration. keep plugging along and write down what you are doing, yo will figure out what you are doing wrong

[Pickle010]

i have the small and medium strainers. definately recommend them, makes coculturing a million times easier

also go get a amonia badge, they will tell you when things are amis with the water. you can also use 3-5 drops of prime to reduce the amonia in the rearing tanks.

 

sorry to sound like a know it all. i just been there and wanted to just pull my hair out with frustration. keep plugging along and write down what you are doing, yo will figure out what you are doing wrong

 

 

Man if I hadn't said it before, thank you - please keep the questsions coming and the advise flowing. If I didn't want someone else's perspective or input I certainly wouldn't post my successes and failures here for the world to see.

 

I do have prime - no amonia badge though I'll pick one up for the next clutch. I've already cut back the feeding and am going to do daily water changes to get that amonia back in check.

 

 

 

Great read, thank you for sharing!

 

 

Every batch is lasting longer and longer. Breeding is a pita! I'm glad you are not giving up. Crossing my fingers for the next batch!

 

 

Frustrating when you get some of your first clutch through meta and then your 2nd and 3rd clutch don't make it 24 hours. Hopefully by being as open as I am about it - it will be easier for someone else to come along and skip some of these mistakes.

 

 

 

It's been 4 months since I started this madness and have a handful of fish to show for it.

 

This has to turn!