Freshwater breeding question

[ichthyogeek]

I know that this is a saltwater forum, but my question kinda has to do with saltwater. I know that Nannochloropsis and Isochrysis are high in DHA and EPA respectively, and Tetraselmis is a good food for copepods due to a high lipid level (I don't know what exactly it's rich in). I know that the typical pattern for breeding "regular" fish like clowns is rotifers->artemia. Said rotifers are usually gut loaded with Iso and Nanno prior to feeding. So... can Nanno and Iso be converted to freshwater? I'm thinking about working with Danio tinwini and Microdevario kubotai in the future, and am thinking of potential first foods; I somehow don't think that microworms and IBBS is going to work for fish that are mature at less than an inch. I also don't really want to just rely on the aufwuch slime on driftwood and leaves for food, and rotifers seem like a good first food as well.

Also, would I be able to feed cryopaste of saltwater Nanno and Iso to freshwater rotifers? I just found some on brineshrimpdirect, and it seems a whole lot easier to just feed that to the rotifer cultures than to culture live freshwater Iso and Nanno.

Thanks!

 

[gogo7]

nanno and apparently iso can tolerate freshwater. try a bit with the usual fert rate. nanno i know for sure. and back again. the plankton culture manual also states that iso will as well. but i haven't tried it. tetra will .
if cryopaste is not alive, be careful as you would with dead foods. bakers yeast works good in a pinch, but lacks nutritve value. yeast is good for increasing populations fast. also i find euplotes inhabits yeast fed cultures, which would be good if you're gonna breed those little fishes.
you've got my interests piqued ichy. i've thought about the same, but with very small setups. like two gallons.
keep us up to date. i'm interested.

 

[ichthyogeek]

gogo, how did you find out that Iso can tolerate freshwater? I'm looking through the Plankton Culture Manual, and it says that Iso is a marine microalgae...I'm using the 5th edition of the Plankton Culture Manual if that helps any. The only algae I found confirmed for sure was the nanno. If you culture freshwater, what are the GH, kH, and pH levels of the inital culture water pre-fertilization? What do you use as fertilizer?

I've found a freshwater rotifer source! Brine Shrimp Direct sells Brachionus calyciflorus, which according to the site, are about a third the size of NHBBS.

 

[Spinelessspade]

Freshwater breeding question

When I was breeding freshwater fish I used infusoria that I cultured in a small containing with a slice of potatoe in it, it was more than small enough for dwarf cichlid larva, but I was also doing a very relaxed breeding of them in main display

 

[gogo7]

gogo, how did you find out that Iso can tolerate freshwater? I'm looking through the Plankton Culture Manual, and it says that Iso is a marine microalgae...I'm using the 5th edition of the Plankton Culture Manual if that helps any. The only algae I found confirmed for sure was the nanno. If you culture freshwater, what are the GH, kH, and pH levels of the inital culture water pre-fertilization? What do you use as fertilizer?

I've found a freshwater rotifer source! Brine Shrimp Direct sells Brachionus calyciflorus, which according to the site, are about a third the size of NHBBS.

you're right ichy. sorry i apologize. i think i misread the nanno underneath. thanks. i've gotta get some iso again.
i currently use the the micro algae fert from florida aqua farms. i find it's the best. both of my local lfs carry it on the shelf. if you're interested, i'm still using bottle one. i fertilize everything at one drop for every hundred mils. i have used others though. using other ferts seems to cause brown outs and 'white' outs. i don't use miracle grow. freshwater plant ferts work, but you need to use the higher iron ones ime.
for water i generally use ro or distilled. dehumidifier water also works great. it's the water i use the most for sw phyto. tapwater works in a pinch. i avoid using it for most things though. it's too hard here in my kneck of the woods. i also don't own a test kit.
back in the day, when i only needed a few mils a day, i used to nuke old tw and adjust sg with tapwater. i'd feed straight to the phyto in the cut. but that method is dubious for the reason that it has to be cooled and used right away, otherwise it'll go through a bacterial bloom. then it's useless.
i had fw nanno in a bucket outside for a summer. i really wish i had a microscope that worked back then. it was teeming with life. i think i used some of that for top off in my display. i used to use fw nanno to top off my dv for a while. even had it plumbed into my daily awc.
i'm thinking of experimenting with fw on all my phytos and posting results.
as far as freshwater goes, you've got me thinking of bumble bee gobies. i'd like to try them.
i've got some local fw bodies near by and have been thinking of a collecting trip to see what's there in the way of planktons.
if i do, i'll post some pics for you. the smallest stuff is the most interesting.