need clown larvae help

[michael grady]

Newbie here..

I'm able to collect larvae from my Clarkiies using the Vossen larvae snager. Using parents water, I placed them in a 5 gallon tank that is immersed in a ten gallon tank that has a heater in it and keeps the temp to 83 degrees. I have an airstone in the 5 gallon tank set on very low stream.

This time around, all my larvae were dead within 48 hours. The only thing I can speculate on was that I was unable to give them rotis for 24 hours as my culture had crashed and I was waiting for new rotis to arrive. Also, the new roti may not have been nutritious as I fed them directly to the larvae from the shipping bags.

I am using Reed's roti setup and rotigrow complete. I should ahve an ample supply for the next hatch.

I'm now waiting for the next batch of eggs but wanted to know if you guys might have some other thoughts.

Frustrated
Thanks!

Michael

 

[shifty51008]

could be not enough air (o2).

you didn't add the water from the shipping bags of the rots did you? if you did it could have been ammonia, temp, or sg shock killed the rots.

 

[michael grady]

i had the airstone on just a trickle. Maybe I should turn it up?

I tested the water for ammonia and it was 0.25. So, I don't think it was ammonia. No, I filtered the rotis from the shipping bags before adding them to the larvae.

I have a new batch of eggs that was laid today, so I'd love to figure this out.

Thanks!

Michael

 

[shifty51008]

.25 ammonia can be a killer in larva

whats the salinity in the fry tank?

and yes turn up the airstone, fry can handle quite a bit of air.

 

[michael grady]

Thanks Shifty!

I appreciate your help. The fry salinity is the same as the parents water - about 1.020

I scoop parents water out of the parent tank to place the fry in - thinking it will be less shock to the fry. Should I use freshly made water in the fry tank?

Also, do you think the first 24 hours with out rotifers could have been the issue.

I got the .25 amonia reading from am API kit. Not what I like to use in my display tank, but I thougth it woyl dbe a good quick check for the rotis and fry tank. I think - but not home right now- .25 is the lowest it reads.

Michael

 

[shifty51008]

the 24 hours without food shouldn't be a problem as they will feed off their yolk sack.

the rotifers are shipped cold so it could have been a temp shock when you added them straight to the fry tank. hopefully you have more rotifers started so you can get the population up for the next batch.

your ammonia is prob. 0 if it came from the partents tank, I would suggest getting a seachem ammonia badge to place into the fry tank, it is a quick easy badge to read ammonia.

I am gonna guess that it was because you didn't have enough O2 still.

 

[_shorty_]

^ +1 on this. My first batch failed because low o2. I wouldn't/didn't change anything other than adding more air bubbles the second time around and things are going much better.

 

[billsreef]

24 hours without food, followed by a meal of empty rots is more than sufficient on it's own for those results (remember the rots are really nothing more than the method to get the fry to eat the nutritious phyto). Clown larvae hatch with very little reserves left and need to begin eating shortly after hatching.

As for the ammonia, the API test kit typically reads .25ppm over. So that reading was really 0. I've done the comparison with research grade lab analysis methods

 

[ernieq]

my vote is with low o2 as well. Also they do need to feed within 24 hours, unless you put them totally dark so they settle to the bottom and not spend energy moving looking for food, but this is at most a 24 hour strategy. For reference I use one of the smaller air pumps you can buy and let it run without restriction. Remember the fry in the wild probably go through stronger water currents than any airstone can provide.

 

[adamgoldberg]

As for the ammonia, the API test kit typically reads .25ppm over. So that reading was really 0. I've done the comparison with research grade lab analysis methods

I've always suspected thus. Thanks for the verification.