Newbie Aquarist
Reefing is my middle name
Someone likes sun corals. Nice variety you have there.
250 gallon solar reef
- Thread starter hobogato
- Start date
hobogato
New member
thanks. yeah, they do well in this tank bc i feed so heavily and they really look cool at sunrise/sunset time when just the red and blue strips of leds are on
thank you
hobogato
New member
This is my nightly routine for feeding my tank live, two day old, enriched brine shrimp.
I have two hatcheries that are running at all times. At feeding time, I take the hatchery on the front of the shelf (closest in the pic).
These hatcheries are in the pantry and take up about 9” of a standard 16” wire shelf. They are run with a small air pump and lit with a small led lamp that is on 24 hours a day.
To make the cyst casings settle to the top and separate from the brine shrimp, I use a small led flashlight.
Also, notice that the air tube is run through a slit in the plastic at the top of the inverted bottle. This keeps me from dropping the end of the tube and letting the brine shrimp run out when I don’t want them to. I am using the bases that can be bought at any retailer because I have had them for a long time. If I were to do this again, I would just make the bases out of acrylic , or just make a hatchery out of two 2 liter bottles like this
I have two hatcheries that are running at all times. At feeding time, I take the hatchery on the front of the shelf (closest in the pic).
These hatcheries are in the pantry and take up about 9” of a standard 16” wire shelf. They are run with a small air pump and lit with a small led lamp that is on 24 hours a day.
To make the cyst casings settle to the top and separate from the brine shrimp, I use a small led flashlight.
Also, notice that the air tube is run through a slit in the plastic at the top of the inverted bottle. This keeps me from dropping the end of the tube and letting the brine shrimp run out when I don’t want them to. I am using the bases that can be bought at any retailer because I have had them for a long time. If I were to do this again, I would just make the bases out of acrylic , or just make a hatchery out of two 2 liter bottles like this
hobogato
New member
To drain the live brine, I just pull the tube out of the top of the inverted bottle and put it in a cup. You will notice the empty cysts congregating at the top of the liquid and getting stuck to the bottle
Also, keep the tube in a loop so that the empty cysts that do drain out get trapped in the loop of the tubing and do not go into the cup.
After feeding the brine shrimp to the tank, just rinse the hatchery and put a cup full of tank water back in.
Then put in a scoop of brine shrimp cysts
Also, keep the tube in a loop so that the empty cysts that do drain out get trapped in the loop of the tubing and do not go into the cup.
After feeding the brine shrimp to the tank, just rinse the hatchery and put a cup full of tank water back in.
Then put in a scoop of brine shrimp cysts
hobogato
New member
Then, I place the newly prepared hatchery on the back of the shelf
And put the existing hatchery in the front. That way, I never forget which hatchery is the one that has the older hatched brine shrimp. I also add the phyto enrichment to the existing hatchery at this time, so the ones I feed to the tank the next day have been eating phyto for 24 hours.
Notice how dark green the hatchery is now
Here is how I keep the phyto for enrichment in the freezer, because it lasts longer if it is frozen
Periodically, I will thaw a container and transfer it to an old tabasco bottle in the fridge which makes dosing the hatcheries very easy and less messy. Here is how I transfer the phyto to the tabasco bottle.
Yes, that is an old dimatap medicine dispenser. I enrich with simple nanochloropsis paste or rotigrow.
And put the existing hatchery in the front. That way, I never forget which hatchery is the one that has the older hatched brine shrimp. I also add the phyto enrichment to the existing hatchery at this time, so the ones I feed to the tank the next day have been eating phyto for 24 hours.
Notice how dark green the hatchery is now
Here is how I keep the phyto for enrichment in the freezer, because it lasts longer if it is frozen
Periodically, I will thaw a container and transfer it to an old tabasco bottle in the fridge which makes dosing the hatcheries very easy and less messy. Here is how I transfer the phyto to the tabasco bottle.
Yes, that is an old dimatap medicine dispenser. I enrich with simple nanochloropsis paste or rotigrow.
