Rotifers

[nodoubt471]

as some of you may (or may not) know, im getting into breeding clowns. i was going to try my hand at culturing rotifers before my clowns start spawning so i can be sure of the exact method to use.

any suggestions here? any process i should avoid or tips you guys have? i am using a couple 1/2 gallon "critter keepers" (little plastic tanks) with an airstone, all attached to a gang with a low bleed so as not to have water that is too wild for the poor critters. lighting is rather ambient, i have them under one of those striplight fixtures that they sell at home depot with just some regular sunlight flourescents in it. think thats ok?

parameters in the tanks are close to that of the tank the fry will be kept in (which is currently running, cycled yet uninhabited) with a pH of 8.0 temp of 78 F and SG of 1.017. do those parameters sound good?

now a question on greenwater. this might be stupid but instead of spending all that money to buy the stuff, can i just put water out in the sun and wait for it to turn green? this has been an expensive venture already, im trying to save some $$.

after the larvae is in the tank i plan on increasing my rotifer population to encompass a 10 g tank so i will have enough for those hungry buggers.

thanks for any input, im tryign to avoid a rotifer "crash", which i have read about and are apparently common!!

 

[nodoubt471]

has anybody done this here???

 

[Guest]

Miss post.

 

[yaksplat]

PM bang guy He's got a nice setup in his basement for doing exactly this.

Jim

 

[Bang Guy]

Hi Kate,

Thank you for the PM. I'll respond here if you don't mind in case others are interested.

Your Rotifer water parameters are ideal IMO.

The perfect container IMO for Rotifer cultures are the 7 gallon salt buckets. Maintaining two cultures is best in case of a crash. I recently crashed a 30 gallon culture of Rotifers and I was very very thankful that I had 5 gallons of Rotifers to restart.

Setting tank water out in the sun works better than anything I've seen. It's seasonal though because of Winter.

There are two techniques. Batching and constant densities. I use constant densities because it seems to crash less.

Batching is basically ramping up to Rotifer density to extreme levels before feeding to the Clown larvae. The advantage is less food is used and it's easier to feed.

Constant Density means using more space and keeping densities low. The Rotifers have to be strained from the water before feeding.

With either method you need to constantly harvest Rotifers even if you're not going to use them.

I highly recommend Joyce Wilkerson's book Clownfishes[/i].

Here's a picture of my current batch to get you motivated...

 

[nodoubt471]

thanks so much bang guy! so i guess i need bigger containers

those babies are beautiful. now i hear it takes about 6 months for them to get to saleable size, what do you do with them then? i know my lfs will take some for me and a couple friends i have around here are going to take some, and of course ill keep a few. how many do you usually end up with, on average?

have you tried breeding other types of clowns, or are ocellaris the best to start with? if i have sucess with these guys i was considering trying another species. but we will cross that road when we come to it i suppose.

ill pick up joyce wilkerson's book tomorrow morning, i already called the lfs to see if they carry it

thanks again!

 

[mhaynes01]

definently get that book i have it, and wow its teh best for breeding or just basic knowledge of clown fish

 

[Bang Guy]

I've been getting better. My current batch has about 400 fry. Usually it's 60 - 100.

Your 10 gallon is perfect for growing them (the Clownfish fry) out until they're about 3 months. Then you need bigger tanks.

I think Ocellaris are good to start. They sell well & grow out pretty fast.

I sell to local hobbiests and stores.

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

WOW!!!! That looks fun bang! How did you do it and what are some supplies you need? And is it expensive???

 

[nodoubt471]

well so far it doesnt seem that expensive, relativly speaking... its just kind of a lot of stuff. my basement has turned into a fish haven... but i suppose that was bound to happen. but im sure when it comes to feeding 60-100 growing clowns it will be pricey, and geting large enough tanks to grow them out in... oh well it will be worth it!!!

 

[Clownfish767]

I am also starting to breed clowns! i know this thread is really old but if anyone sees this and would like to give a little more info and pics on there rotifer cultures id appreciate it! thanks