JHardman
Premium Member
First let me start off by saying that this is not intended for the first time breeder, or even the hobbyist breeder, but instead is aimed at the small/mid sized home breeder or the breeder of the rare and difficult where maximizing life and quality are paramount.
The concept
For the average home breeder the stock and trade rearing tank is something alone the lines of what Joyce Wilkerson lays out in her book.
While this is a viable solution, it has a lot of issues, that can result in either a lot of work for the breeder or lots a failures because of inherent "problems".
The problems with a self contained rearing tanks...
1) There is no active filtration of nitrogen cycle pollutants. Ammonia and nitrate can lead to larval losses and malformations and misbarring.
2) Flow is difficult to control, especially in regards to keeping the nest moving prior to hatching. Flow issues also results in larval damage and clustering of live foods.
So these two problems contribute to a fair amount of the failures in the home breeding setup.
Another way
No modern salt water tank would be caught without a sump and significant filtration. So why on earth are we trying to rear clownfish in a closed single tank solution without filtration? Because we are a cheap lot for the most part I guess...
So here is a quick summary of the system...
1) Large sump with filtration. One could use LR or bio balls. Just keep in mind that LR can have lots of nasty little hitch hikers that could cause larva problems, i.e. meals on fins.
2) A overhead header tank with good live critters, like pods, shrimps, etc.
3) The rearing tanks that are gravity fed from the header tank and draining into the sump before being returned to the header tank.
This addresses our problems with a single tank system.
1) We no longer are faced with fighting pollutants from the nitrogen cycle. We can with proper filtration and water changes maintain 0ppm on all of these, which is MUCH more ideal than the ever varying levels and frequent water changes required in a single tank system.
2) With a gravity feed of water, we can very precisely control the amount and direction of the flow in the tank. Directed water flow is by far superior to air bubbles beating eggs. It is also MUCH easier to get adjusted right.
But we do introduce some new problems...
New problems to deal with
Let me start by saying that IMO/IME these are easier to overcome than the problems we are addressing...
1) We need to retain the live foods in the rearing tank without them getting washing out of the rearing chambers. We can do this by making a large surface area "drain cover" out of 53µ screen and that we can adjust the surface area, thereby adjusting the drain rate.
2) We need to move more water than the rearing tank chambers can handle with a screened drain. So we have to have a overflow system in the header tank to drain to the sump as well. This is not too hard to pull off, but can be a little tricky to get adjusted right.
3) We need to keep algae in the rearing tanks to insure the rots and other live foods remain gut packed. We address with a metered pump that will release small amounts of live or paste algaes at set intervals.
Tips and Tricks
1) I used 3/4" blukheads with a threaded inside. 3/4" threaded nippled to a 3/4" x 1 1/2" coupling. Then a piece of 1 1/2" with two wide slots cut into it on the table saw, to a 1 1/2" cap. Over the slots I hot glued the 53µ screen. I was able to adjust the surface area exposed to the water by using different height nipples.
2) You will need to change out the screens once or twice a day for cleaning. Make several for each rearing chamber.
3) I had custom made rearing tanks and header tank made. Each was 6' long and width and depth matched a standard 55g tank. I divided the rearing tank into six chambers and the header tank into 3 chambers.
4) In the header tank I kept shrimps and pods. I used LED moonlights to attract the shrimp larva to the overflow from which I fed the rearing tanks.
5) I used black acrylic on the sides, back, bottom and dividers with clear fronts on the rearing tanks.
6) Lock line and the various attachments are very handy in getting the flow right from the header tanks.
7) No skimmer, as it will remove your algae.
Last notes
1) I am no longer actively breeding, and no longer have the majority of my equipment, e.g. the system above is gone, so no pictures.
2) I am a busy person, if I don't respond to your question or comment in this thread, hang in there I will get to it sometime or another.
3) Do not PM me with questions, they will be deleted without response. If I am going to "talk" about something on RC, it is going to be for everyone to see.
The concept
For the average home breeder the stock and trade rearing tank is something alone the lines of what Joyce Wilkerson lays out in her book.
While this is a viable solution, it has a lot of issues, that can result in either a lot of work for the breeder or lots a failures because of inherent "problems".
The problems with a self contained rearing tanks...
1) There is no active filtration of nitrogen cycle pollutants. Ammonia and nitrate can lead to larval losses and malformations and misbarring.
2) Flow is difficult to control, especially in regards to keeping the nest moving prior to hatching. Flow issues also results in larval damage and clustering of live foods.
So these two problems contribute to a fair amount of the failures in the home breeding setup.
Another way
No modern salt water tank would be caught without a sump and significant filtration. So why on earth are we trying to rear clownfish in a closed single tank solution without filtration? Because we are a cheap lot for the most part I guess...
So here is a quick summary of the system...
1) Large sump with filtration. One could use LR or bio balls. Just keep in mind that LR can have lots of nasty little hitch hikers that could cause larva problems, i.e. meals on fins.
2) A overhead header tank with good live critters, like pods, shrimps, etc.
3) The rearing tanks that are gravity fed from the header tank and draining into the sump before being returned to the header tank.
This addresses our problems with a single tank system.
1) We no longer are faced with fighting pollutants from the nitrogen cycle. We can with proper filtration and water changes maintain 0ppm on all of these, which is MUCH more ideal than the ever varying levels and frequent water changes required in a single tank system.
2) With a gravity feed of water, we can very precisely control the amount and direction of the flow in the tank. Directed water flow is by far superior to air bubbles beating eggs. It is also MUCH easier to get adjusted right.
But we do introduce some new problems...
New problems to deal with
Let me start by saying that IMO/IME these are easier to overcome than the problems we are addressing...
1) We need to retain the live foods in the rearing tank without them getting washing out of the rearing chambers. We can do this by making a large surface area "drain cover" out of 53µ screen and that we can adjust the surface area, thereby adjusting the drain rate.
2) We need to move more water than the rearing tank chambers can handle with a screened drain. So we have to have a overflow system in the header tank to drain to the sump as well. This is not too hard to pull off, but can be a little tricky to get adjusted right.
3) We need to keep algae in the rearing tanks to insure the rots and other live foods remain gut packed. We address with a metered pump that will release small amounts of live or paste algaes at set intervals.
Tips and Tricks
1) I used 3/4" blukheads with a threaded inside. 3/4" threaded nippled to a 3/4" x 1 1/2" coupling. Then a piece of 1 1/2" with two wide slots cut into it on the table saw, to a 1 1/2" cap. Over the slots I hot glued the 53µ screen. I was able to adjust the surface area exposed to the water by using different height nipples.
2) You will need to change out the screens once or twice a day for cleaning. Make several for each rearing chamber.
3) I had custom made rearing tanks and header tank made. Each was 6' long and width and depth matched a standard 55g tank. I divided the rearing tank into six chambers and the header tank into 3 chambers.
4) In the header tank I kept shrimps and pods. I used LED moonlights to attract the shrimp larva to the overflow from which I fed the rearing tanks.
5) I used black acrylic on the sides, back, bottom and dividers with clear fronts on the rearing tanks.
6) Lock line and the various attachments are very handy in getting the flow right from the header tanks.
7) No skimmer, as it will remove your algae.
Last notes
1) I am no longer actively breeding, and no longer have the majority of my equipment, e.g. the system above is gone, so no pictures.
2) I am a busy person, if I don't respond to your question or comment in this thread, hang in there I will get to it sometime or another.
3) Do not PM me with questions, they will be deleted without response. If I am going to "talk" about something on RC, it is going to be for everyone to see.
