Larvae and Growout layouts

[jake levi]

I'm doing a room in progress, have the phyto and a feed section done, 10 ten gallons, and about half the breeder tanks cycling, will be adding a few more. Probably 10-12 all told, 29s, 55s and a couple 20Hs.

Now I am planning, laying out the larva and growout areas, have 4 20 gals up but 3 not cycled yet, now about to do the larvae tanks, I am planning 3 tens, on two rows, 3 above the other, each tank black painted on 3 sides and the bottom with one end blacked except a 4X5" window. A small sponge filter in each tank, BB,

next to the rack is a work bench,scope space etc, storage underneath, air pump on top for the six tanks, an air stone and the sponge filters off it.

Will have one 55 if needed for additional growout.

Comments, suggestions ? Kathy how is your expansion coming ?

 

[mwp]

Jake, I'm curious, by cycling I"m assume you mean having water circulate through them...not cylcing individual tanks with individual filters are you?

Matt

 

[jake levi]

Hi Matt

taking them through the nitrogen cycle is what I meant. They will be independent though.

Most of the work this next week is on the rack to hold the tens and the work table, followed by another rack to hold four 29s.

I'm being slowed down by outside stuff needing to be done. Its 42 outside right now with a stiff wind so I'm finding things to do indoors today. Cannas to dig, tulips to plant , clogged up eaves troughs to empty, winter is coming. etc etc.

I'd thought 2-3 tens for larvae would be enough, but after all the reading of your work I figured it'd be wisdom to double it . We'll see. The larvae tanks will have just small sponge filters and an airstone.

 

[Fishboy42]

Agreed Jake, more larval tanks! If you end up needing to keep larvae in there for longer due to lack of growout space, a sponge or HOB filter and water changes would let you do that. I guess it depends upon how many fish you'd like to raise too though...

I'd suggest putting the growout on some kind of connected system to simplify your maintenance.

Matt

 

[Kathy55g]

My best success with the larval rearing came when I had a system connected to a bioball filter. When the larvae approached metamorphosis, I just turned it on in a trickle, and voila, instant continuous water change! No ammonia issues! No larval deaths! Life was sweet!

I am still finishing the grow out. Haven't begun the new larval system. So busy, selling fish and siphoning poop!

 

[MimicTang]

instead of painting black try using this:

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/21819/cid/3918

its black and insulates too.

 

[mwp]

So Jake, what individual filtration are you taking through the nitrogen cycle? Sponge filters? I've been running my lone larval tank without ANY filtration other than water changes...my tries with sponge filters seemed to produce excess nitrite etc..

I'm just a bigger fan of larger systems, especially when doing a fish breeding setup like this. There's all sorts of benefits and if you need to take a tank "offline" it's a cinch. You get more flexiblity in that type of setup.

Granted, when I ran the Cichlid Hatchery, each tank was on it's own system, filtered only with air-blower driven sponge filters. Larger broodstock tanks had supplemental power filtration if/when they were heavily stocked - we could move it around on an as needed basis.

I guess I'd say perhaps invest the effort now in a system consisting of a few central filtration setups because it's easy to put it in and then not really use it, but really difficult to NOT have it and then figure out life would be easier WITH it

Matt

 

[jake levi]

The initial larvae tanks are ten gallons, with sponge filters and airstones, there'll be a couple 29s and at least one 55 for older fry, I am looking at having a sump for them with chaeto, I also like the water change idea, but talking to Joe L sometime ago I am fairly sure it will need UV to fry the water. For sometime they will be independent, I'll have to do water changes manually. To do a water changing I'd have to drop a couple of tanks and put a sump under them. It might be. Coming up with a flow that is adjustable from trickle to stronger could be challenging on this smaller scale.

The major drawback with the sponge filters is that they dont accomodate bacteria blooms, on their own you will get spikes. They are about a week behind in filtering capability.

The tanks I am cycling now are broodstock tanks, a combo of live rock and hang on back filters and airstones. The bigger growout tanks with the sump(s) will use overflow siphons, the 29s would share a sump and the 55 with its own. Probably be 20Ls for the sumps or rubbermaids. Chaeto on a reverse 12/12.

 

[Kathy55g]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8330961#post8330961 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MimicTang
instead of painting black try using this:

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/21819/cid/3918

its black and insulates too.

good idea, but kinda pricey!

 

[Atticus]

Since you are expanding pm me if you are looking for a couple more spawning pairs. I have a spawning pair of black O's and an interesting spawning pair of Orange O's left.

 

[jake levi]

What makes the orange O's interesting ?

now I'm curious.

where do you live ?