My Black Ocellaris pair are spawning!!!

[crazzy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13766730#post13766730 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rkelman
Well I got one of my tanks set up. I had 2 running but I broke one... I had it all setup and running and decided to put my skimmer in.. Well my skimmer was too tall to fit so I decided to cut a hole in the lower shelf to lower the sump. With all the plumbing it was hard to get the sump out and I didn't notice I was pulling on the return of one of one of the tanks and snap. I was already low on tanks. Now I'm screwed. Where I live 10g tanks are like $50 - $60 Toronto is 2 hours away and I'm not driving all the way there for a tank so I'll have to get by for now. I need to free up a tank for tomorrow night so I'll have to put some more together that probably shouldn't be. My alternative is to try and raise this batch in a salt bucket. Has anyone else done this? Here's some pics.

Standpipe

Tank

Ghetto Sump

Tank cracked by the stupid

:blown: For the Crack


:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: For the Thread!

Could you plese post part numbers or sku and where you got your standpipe pieces?

 

[sandyc]

Did you try using the salt bucket? The only hazard I can think of is the heater coming in contact with the plastic. Otherwise, it should work. What do fry need - water, rotifers, dim light, 80 degrees and oxygen. You can do that with a bucket - surface area will be smaller than a ten gallon so an airstone (gentle) is needed.

$50 for a 10 gallon is crazy. I paid $11 for my last 10 gallon at Walmart.

 

[rkelman]

I did try. They all died the next day. (all but 2) I don't think it was the salt buckets fault. Some of the eggs were eaten before I pulled the tile. I think it was just a bad clutch.

 

[FB]

Hopefully I will have more luck this weekend than you and dazed did.

FB

 

[rkelman]

Well I still have 1 alive from my bucket batch. I figured 1 of about 400 I can't just dump him down the sink.. Its given me another Rot culture too so its not a total waste of resources. (almost) They spawned again and this one is the biggest yet so we are moving in the right direction. I found cheap 10g tanks locally on the weekend. $13.50 I think it was at Pet Smart. With the size of my surviving batches 10g may be the way to go anyways.. I think I'm going to tear apart the broken tank and use it to make lids for the other tanks.

 

[lego]

Great Thread! Can you post an update to your feeding routine (what food, what days, how often) now that you use the Otohime?

Also can you perhaps include substitutions you've made in a pinch that worked (but that you normally wouldn't do).

Did you do your first batch without Otohime?

For crushed flake food, what did you use to crush it (just fingers or did you grind it up somehow)?

 

[rkelman]

Thanks lego. I feed 4 times a day using just Otohime now.

If I run out I'll use flakes or pellets broken up to the appropriate size for the fry I'm feeding.

I did my first batch without Otohime yes. I used BBS and crushed flakes.

I bought a Mortar and Pestle to crush the flakes.

 

[Premnas]

Great thread. Congratulations.

 

[lego]

So could your recap your feeding start (hatch) to finish (juvi)
Also what sizes of Otohime do you use?

 

[rkelman]

Thanks Premnas. Sorry for being so long getting back to you lego I've been really busy. From hatch until about 1 1/2 weeks they are on Rotifers. Then I start adding A. I continue with both until I get tired of straining Rots Then I've been feeding B1 for about a month. Then I have been going to C2 but I crush it with my fingers. I'm feeding 4 times a day. In the future I'll probably just buy C1 and or C2 and crush it to size. I'm thinking of making my own gelatin food for them. We'll see.

I bought a couple more 15's and drilled them so I now have 3 on the sump. (because of the one I broke) I also bought a new 250w heater as the 200 I had is going to have trouble keeping up in my freezing cold basement.

I got the drain pipe installed for the 3 tanks and like the return I just capped the end so when I install more tanks i'll just cut off the pipe and add my next T. The drain is 2". I have a short piece of pipe coming out of the bulkhead and it extends down into the 2" T. Then I have a drop from the 2" pipe down to the sump.

My stupid clowns ate 2/3rd of the eggs again. They are doing it on the last day before I pull the tile it seems. I wonder if they are anticipating me.. I may pull it a day early next time. We'll see. I took some pics. In one of the tanks they were doing the fish ball thing so I had to get the camera. Its funny 2 of them I would have sworn were dead but they are fine now. Its very stressing on them to switch tanks. I also put all the clowns out of the 29g into one of the new 15's.

Oh ya bucket fish is still kickin it too.. Tough little bugger. He stuck to the sides alot but he must be eating. He's got a headband now. My wife was laughing at my lack of business sense because I am keeping a heater / airstone going as well as all the feeding / cleaning that goes with another tank. Any 1 fish that survives out of a couple hundred deserves a chance I say.



Mmmm Fishball...

This is the big boy tank

Here's the 3 tanks on the "system"

The sump is still Ghetto but it works for now.

 

[agsansoo]

Wow ... They look great ! How old are the big boys now ? I like the getto sump, it very functional. Is that the drain pipe in the center of the bio-balls ?

 

[rkelman]

Thanks agsansoo. They are probably 6 months old. They are a mix of different batches so some are 6 months some are younger. I'm having great luck as far as aggression goes. They are pretty placid as long as I keep densities high. Yes that's the drain pipe in the center. I have a large bucket of bioballs I haven't used yet. As well I have the 29g tank That I was using for the older guys. I'm thinking of a dsb... The problem is I'm positive the tank is tempered so I'd need a HOB overflow. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet.

 

[rkelman]

Updates... Well nothing really new I guess. My Phyto crashed so I bought some ReefCrew Phyto to restart it but it didn't work. So I had 1 2l bottle of my old stuff that looked horrible left so I figured what the heck and put some fertilizer in it. It started coming back and is doing well now. The ReefCrew stuff kept me going though the last hatch so I think I'm ready for the latest one. I'll have to be a little stingy but I'm good at that

Bucket fish is doing well. I think he's a full bar. I am going to relocate him tonight to the tank with the last hatch so I can free up the equipment. As you can see from the pictures his bucket has become a nice Rotifer culture I don't normally move them this early but he's tough I'm drip acclimating him now.

My latest clutch of eggs will be pulled tomorrow night. 1 day early in case they are hatching over 2 days as I've suspected. The last hatch actually worked out ok. I had alot less eggs to work with but most of them have survived and some are on stripe #2 now. I think I have about 100 from that hatch so I'm ok with that.

I also included a shot of one from the last hatch and the older guys tank. They think I'm going to feed them so they are going nuts. (clowns always think you are going to feed them)

 

[dazed]

:lol: (clowns always think you are going to feed them):lol:
They sure do, mine seem to get mad if i stop to look into the tanks without dropping in food at the same time.

 

[FB]

WOW they look great.

FB

 

[rkelman]

Mine always think its feeding time too. Little pigs. Thanks FB. My last hatch is doing quite well. They are all through meta. They have been on Oto A since about 5 days because my Rotifers crashed. I got a partial culture from a fellow reefer to get me through the first few days.

I tried to get my cultures up and going again but they just aren't reproducing. I used some of his culture which is prolific but mine just won't take. I'm even heating the cultures now but still nothing. I must have some kind of bacteria or something that is killing them. I'll have to try and get ahold of another culture and start with a sterile pail / airstone. The lack of Rots has forced me to skip my last hatch that hatched Christmas eve. I hope I can get my cultures reproducing by the time the next one comes around.

I finally stopped growing phyto and bought a bag of Instant Algae Rotifer Diet. I wish I'd done it sooner. It makes life much easier. Although with my current Rot situation I don't need it much.

 

[gotfrogs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14021908#post14021908 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rkelman

I finally stopped growing phyto and bought a bag of Instant Algae Rotifer Diet. I wish I'd done it sooner. It makes life much easier. Although with my current Rot situation I don't need it much.

What brand is the Instant Algae Rotifer Diet and where did you buy it from? Thanks, I love your thread!

 

[BIGSKY]

you can buy nanno 3600 nannochioropsis alagae for rotifers that works great and it has enough nutritional value for ocellaris so you don't have to enrich the rotifers anymore. you buy that from reef nutrition.
great thread just read through it congratulations on your success

 

[rkelman]

"What brand is the Instant Algae Rotifer Diet and where did you buy it from? Thanks, I love your thread!"

Its from Reeds. I bought it from http://www.reefaquatica.com here in Canada. You can get it direct from Reeds Mariculture (sp?) in the US. Thanks I'm glad you like the thread

"you can buy nanno 3600 nannochioropsis alagae for rotifers that works great and it has enough nutritional value for ocellaris so you don't have to enrich the rotifers anymore. you buy that from reef nutrition.
great thread just read through it congratulations on your success

Yes that's another product they sell. I don't have to enrich the Rots with the Rotifer Diet I'm currently using. Its nano and tet basically. Thanks for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I bought some glass to make proper glass tops for my growout tanks. I'm sick of loosing fish to the open top / poorly covered tanks. I bought enough to do 7 tanks but I'll only need 5 I think. Which is good because I've already broken one drilling it. I'll post some pics when I get the 4th growout tank online.

 

[msman825]

I use the 3600 nanno algae and love it. no more growing phyto for me. the clowns are looking great rkelman