Auto brine hatchery and feeder

[el aguila]

One other quick question as I'm trying to figure out how to best build this for my setup - I'm assuming that the delivery tube from the funnel to the nylon covered container needs to be a smaller diameter 3/8 - 1/2" to make it so that the brine shrimp eggs get carried on down to hatch in the nylon covered container.

 

[Paul B]

3/8" is what I use but any size will work

 

[Dylan3]

Hi Paul,

Would the clam on a half shell from Hikari be good to feed instead of buying whole clams at the store.

 

[Paul B]

I guess so, if it's clams it should be fine. But whole clams are a whole lot cheaper.

 

[el aguila]

Hey Paul, I'm getting ready to add something similar to my tank, and have a few questions:

Since yours has been in operation a little while is there anything that you would do different?

Does it make any difference on the quality of b.s. eggs concerning the frequency of cleaning the pantyhose covered plastic vessel? How often do you have to clean it out? Also about how many eggs are you going through in a month?

I'm planning on putting a 10G tank above my DT with cheato as an above tank fuge to for copepods. Above the standpipe drain I'll mount a funnel and auto feeder for the bs eggs. Everything else will pretty much be the same as yours.

 

[Paul B]

The large one that I use for vacations gets removed when I come back from vacation as it is filled with egg shells. The nylon netting is no problem for a week. The small one I use every day where I hatch the shrimp and pour the hatched shrimp into the feeder I only clean about once a month mostly because the netting grows algae and the holes get smaller. I don't clean the mesh as it is a nylon stocking which I buy for 99 cents and they last over a year. (No I don't wear them) I go through one of those tiny little vials of eggs a month. If you make the auto hatchery and feeder it is important that you have a very small amount of water going into the funnel to push the eggs down. It also slightly keeps changing the water in the container. I use an airline tubing for that water as to much water flow would push the eggs out of the mesh and you really want them to sink to the bottom.

 

[laga77]

Paul, after reading your posts about worms and fish nutrition, I started a couple of cultures of whiteworms and now feed them to all my fish and corals. The results have been amazing. My question is, have you found any differences in the nutritional value between the black worms and white worms. I am thinking of starting a blackworm culture but I am very limited on space and it would be a real pain.

 

[Paul B]

I usually feed blackworms only because I can easily get them and it is a lot more trouble removing the white worms from the soil. I doubt there is any difference but I am not a scientist so I am not sure.

 

[EnderG60]

So I decided to build one of these and its been working great. Madarins are all over it and Im now looking at getting some pipes.

But, the stocking seems to clog up after about 3-4 days and starts to blow up like a balloon till an edge pops off.

Should I stretch the stocking tighter onto the box(holes larger) or try a different screen?

 

[Paul B]

When you put shrimp into it you are also introducing air. Put a small hole just at the bend in the rigid tubing on top of it so the air escapes as you fill it. To remove air already in it I use one of these but you can take a piece of rigid tubing and just suck the air out. Try not to eat any of the shrimp as the mandarins want them :hmm3:

 

[EnderG60]

its not air thats getting introduced, the netting seems to be getting clogged with detritus which blocks the water flow (from the water pumped into the funnel) which makes it balloon up.

It just seems to be an issue with the stocking (netting) clogging up.

 

[Paul B]

Oh your talking about the auto feeder/hatchery. That one is used for vacation only for that reason. I thought you were talking about the normal feeder. The hatchery one needs a little water flow but it should be a tiny flow a little more than a drip to keep the water in the thing fresh but not enough that it pushes the shrimp out.
Here is a video of the hatchery/feeder for vacations

 

[EnderG60]

Ah got ya. What screen do you use on the regular feeder?

 

[Paul B]

A stocking

 

[EnderG60]

Small update Ive been using the auto feeder non stop for almost 2 months now and its working great.

I change the stocking out every 7-10 days when I scrape the glass. I'm still looking for a more permanent solution for the screen, but overall Im please. Its been working very well under continuous operation.

 

[dre7606]

EnderG60 would you mind posting a video of your setup? I would to see where the brine enter. Also how strong is the your flow of water going down your tube?

Thanks

 

[Paul B]

Of course it's woking great, I don't design things that don't work.:dance:

 

[Fishinwall]

What do you use to connect the funnel to the small airline tube? I can't seem to find a funnel that would fit.

 

[domination2580]

I'm looking for something that will help me fed my mandarins better and this seems like the perfect solution. Only problem is I need the parts and instructions on how this works and how's it is all hooked up...please PLEASE send me ask the info and everything I need to know to set this up. I really appreciate it!

 

[Paul B]

You can use a small plastic bottle for the funnel, cut the bottom off and drill a hole in the top for the tube. I sometimes use those little plastic green things florists have to heep a flower fresh. It's just a small funnel shaped thing, I drill through the bottom for the food to go through. This is a different feeder but same tube.