Larvae tank cleaning question

[Tahoe Reefer]

During the first week what type of bottom cleaning should be done? I develop a green film from RG complete, roti food. I dont add very much but it does build up. After they are big enough to easily see and avoid I scrape and siphon the bottom of the tank to keep it clean. My concern is siphoning up a tiny fragile creature I couldnt see. Should I just leave the bottom alone, aside from spot cleaning, during the first week? Tests show under .25 mg/L of ammonia normally during first week.

 

[shifty51008]

I still scrape and sypon out the bottom, i use a rigid airline connected to flexable airline so i dont syphon out to fast. I collect the dirty water in a clear 1 gal container so that when im done i can check to see if i grabbed any fry, if i did i just put them back in the tank. Works well so far.

 

[Tahoe Reefer]

Thnx for the reply Shifty, I will give it a shot.
Ive been using this homemade tool to siphon and scrape at the same time, after first 7-10 days. It has 3/8 rigid line on it, pretty low flow,

 

[shifty51008]

Cool little tool, looks like it would work great.

 

[gar732]

I took a toothbrush head and drilled a hole through the center. I then put a rigid air tube in the hole and use that to scrub and syphon at the same time. It also helps from sucking up unsuspecting fry. I also syphon into a clean container just in case I snaged some fry.

 

[D-Nak]

During the first week what type of bottom cleaning should be done? I develop a green film from RG complete, roti food. I dont add very much but it does build up. After they are big enough to easily see and avoid I scrape and siphon the bottom of the tank to keep it clean. My concern is siphoning up a tiny fragile creature I couldnt see. Should I just leave the bottom alone, aside from spot cleaning, during the first week? Tests show under .25 mg/L of ammonia normally during first week.

If you're getting a green film from RGComplete, I think you're using too much. I just use enough to lightly tint the tank. If you're adding it a few days after the larvae are born then some of it should get eaten by the rotifers -- so there shouldn't be enough to leave a film.

I also leave my larval tanks alone for the first couple of weeks. I learned the hard way that kicking up too much muck can kill the babies.

 

[Tahoe Reefer]

Thanks for the responses, they made it to meta!

Gar732, I like the toothbrush idea alot. Made one myself, works great!

D-Nak, I was probably using too much. I gave it up entirely. I began siphoning the tank down as low as possible and returned the water through a collection sleeve to filter out most of the old and hungry rotifers. I did this before each feeding until they moved on to dry food and BBS.

 

[president89]

RGComplete is NOT meant for greenwater. It is meant to feed the rotifers in their containers only. I would advise you to switch over to Rotigrow Omega for both your greenwater and rotifer feed. It's not meant to be rotifer feed but it works. You might want to buy some chloramx for Ammonia control. The rg complete is known to leave a film in fry tanks.

 

[shifty51008]

RGComplete is NOT meant for greenwater. It is meant to feed the rotifers in their containers only. I would advise you to switch over to Rotigrow Omega for both your greenwater and rotifer feed. It's not meant to be rotifer feed but it works. You might want to buy some chloramx for Ammonia control. The rg complete is known to leave a film in fry tanks.

I have always used rg complete to tint my fry tanks and it has worked great, doesnt leave a film on the tank, and with the added ammonia detox it works well all around

 

[D-Nak]

RGComplete is NOT meant for greenwater. It is meant to feed the rotifers in their containers only. I would advise you to switch over to Rotigrow Omega for both your greenwater and rotifer feed. It's not meant to be rotifer feed but it works. You might want to buy some chloramx for Ammonia control. The rg complete is known to leave a film in fry tanks.

Are you referring to Rotigrow Plus (with Omega enrichment) or RotiGreen Omega? Either way, both can be used for rotifer feeds. But at $70+ a bag for either one, most hobbyists will find it too expensive when all they're trying to do is raise a few fry.

My understanding is that RGComplete is simply a hobbyist version of Rotigrow Plus, with Cloram-X and a buffer already added. Per volume it's expensive, but since it's sold in smaller quantities, it makes for better buy for those people just starting out -- they'd much rather invest in a small $12 bottle than a $70 bag. of Rotigrow.

I have always used rg complete to tint my fry tanks and it has worked great, doesnt leave a film on the tank, and with the added ammonia detox it works well all around

+1. I use this to tint my fry tanks without any issues. I do see how it tends to float on the surface, but the agitation from the airstone quickly breaks it down.