Our first attempt at raising Perculas

[edandsandy]

Day 6, or is it 7?????
Anyway, the larvae seem to be doing just fine, other than we had 3 dead larvae this morning. I cleaned the bottom of the tank, removed 1g of water and replaced 1g of water with the dosing pump... It takes appx 2-1/2 hours using the dosing pump... I added 2ml of RG Complete and will introduce just a bit of BBS this afternoon.

I hope the link works for the video...

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/...7-A639-0C519049BCF7-4854-0000041F7C8A124E.mp4

 

[silver17jo]

wow nice job

 

[ernieq]

Careful when determining dead larvae during meta. Some larvae tend to just lie on the floor while in meta. I usually see 3 or 4 daily during meta do this. I typically leave them alone and if they are in the same exact spot in the evening, then they are removed after giving it a lookover on the turkey baster used to remove them to make sure they are really gone. You are going to be amazed on how fast they grow after Meta. It is incredible and one of the coolest things you've ever seen when you see your tiny mini-clowns swiming around!!!

Congratulations on your efforts.

 

[edandsandy]

Careful when determining dead larvae during meta. Some larvae tend to just lie on the floor while in meta. I usually see 3 or 4 daily during meta do this. I typically leave them alone and if they are in the same exact spot in the evening, then they are removed after giving it a lookover on the turkey baster used to remove them to make sure they are really gone. You are going to be amazed on how fast they grow after Meta. It is incredible and one of the coolest things you've ever seen when you see your tiny mini-clowns swiming around!!!

Congratulations on your efforts.

Thank you so much! I can just stare at them forever... Ed says, when he can't find me in the house, he know to head for the fish room...

You are correct in saying how fast they are growing...I look at the pictures and it appears they double in size everyday.....

I noticed fins today for the first time... not sure if I caught them in the light just right????

I have tried to count them over and over again.. So I took a picture today, printed it, and boy was I ever surprised!!!!!

156 babies

I truly had no idea we had that many.... :fish2::fish2::fish2:

I'm starting to wean them off rotifers and on to BBS.... I'm just going to let them eat the rotifers left over in the tank... I'm still tinting the water with
RG Complete. I'm not sure if they ate the BBS or not....

I seen a few of the larger one actually swimming today... It is so funny to watch them "swim" not the jerky motion... So maybe they were swimming after the new food.....

I have my sponge filter "seasoning" now, so I guess I'll add it to the tank around day 10, and remove the black out panels Ed made for me.

I haven't "cleaned" the walls yet, just the bottom of the tank... I have noticed a sticky film on it...

Anyone here clean the sides of the tank?


Picture from today

 

[ernieq]

I actually didn't clean (as in wiped clean) the tank on Batch 3 until 21 DPH. I usually just removed most of the debris with a turkey baster. I wish I could set the tanks on top of a table so I could use a siphon but my wife would kill me if I put these over any table. So on the floor, I can only use a turkey baster.

 

[edandsandy]

I understand completely! Ed said no more tanks "in" the house, that's why I built you a fish room!!!!

 

[ernieq]

You are LUCKY!!! Wish I had room for a fish room. Oh the things I could do with it! I am just ecstatic that I am able to re-deploy one of my old 55G systems for grow out. She has taken a liking to the baby clowns, how could you not?

 

[edandsandy]

You are LUCKY!!! Wish I had room for a fish room. Oh the things I could do with it! I am just ecstatic that I am able to re-deploy one of my old 55G systems for grow out. She has taken a liking to the baby clowns, how could you not?

:lol: I know right.. Ed "peeks" in on the all the babies too.... I have 60 Bangaii babies too....with more on the way.

Sounds like you got a green light on the 55g, now act fast before she changes her mind.....Good luck and I look forward to your updates....:wavehand:

 

[ernieq]

I'd like to try my hand at some Bangaiis as well, I've read they are easier than clowns, do you have the pair by themselves? Ideally I would setup like a 20G tank for them, but that is going to be a hard sell after getting authorization for my 55G re-deployment.

 

[edandsandy]

Bangaii babies are MUCH easier than clowns, IMO, they are ready to eat BBS within hours of birth. I just place them in floating nurseries, and every week I seperate them into smaller groups, then we place them in a 10g tank that has 3 dividers...
We have all 3 mated pairs in seperate tanks.
We have a pair of clowns and bangaii ln our large reef tank, a pair of clowns and bangaii's in our 65g seahorse tank and a pair of clown and bangaii in our 40g breeder.

 

[edandsandy]

8 dph, today I noticed all the larvae swimming or cruising through the water, swishing their caudal fins back and forth and paddling with their pectoral fins. I noticed the pigmentation developing, fin rays, and it apperrs the air bladder is developing. I also noticed the white translucent upper portion of the head band developing! My babies are growing so fast!

They seem to be chasing the BBS now, and they are sort of pecking at the Octomine A as well... I added just a little bit of rotifers, there are just a few that are not developing as fast as the others.

 

[saltyjo]

I swear I rush home at lunch just to see if you posted an update. I am so exicited for you. 150 some babies is so awesome. If yours are perculas like mine I would really like to see the rate that yours develop. It seems that around 8 or 9 days I remember seeing the head stripe start to form, however 4 months later my little Solo still doesnt have the second stripe.
I would love to see more pictures!
Thank you
~Jo

 

[ernieq]

I would probably think that Solo is a misbar. I know perculas don't develop as fast as ocellaris, but my little ocellaris clowns are less than 30dph and they all have a mid stripe. Does Solo have a tail stripe?

 

[edandsandy]

I swear I rush home at lunch just to see if you posted an update. I am so exicited for you. 150 some babies is so awesome. If yours are perculas like mine I would really like to see the rate that yours develop. It seems that around 8 or 9 days I remember seeing the head stripe start to form, however 4 months later my little Solo still doesnt have the second stripe.
I would love to see more pictures!
Thank you
~Jo

Thank yo so much for your kind words

So far the pictures and videos I've taken have been with my iPhone, as soon as I remove the black out panels, I will try and take some better pictures with my real camera..... Do you think Solo might be a misbar?

 

[edandsandy]

I would probably think that Solo is a misbar. I know perculas don't develop as fast as ocellaris, but my little ocellaris clowns are less than 30dph and they all have a mid stripe. Does Solo have a tail stripe?

The words taken from my head.......:beer:

 

[saltyjo]

A misbar? I thought of that, however in a batch as large as yours you might see a misbar or two right? But with only one survivor arent my odds of having a misbar really low? I see no white tail stripe on mine at all just a head stripe. So I am watching your posts and looking forward to developments in their colors.

 

[Raeloni]

Tagging Along, I can't wait to see pics as they grow. I always find it fascinating how the bars start forming. :inlove:

 

[Sport507]

:dance:..................:beer:

 

[edandsandy]

A misbar? I thought of that, however in a batch as large as yours you might see a misbar or two right? But with only one survivor arent my odds of having a misbar really low? I see no white tail stripe on mine at all just a head stripe. So I am watching your posts and looking forward to developments in their colors.

Saltyjo,
to be totally honest with you, this is my first batch, and my larvae are 8 dph.......
From what I have read A. Ocellaris should have 2 bars between days 12-18 and have all 3 bars between days 14-30. Also delayed metamorphosis is a serous problem oftern resulting in weak and defective individuals with semi-opaque pigmentation. Ideally you want the larvae to transform as soon as possible and develop solid opaque pigment.
A true larva into a post-larvae (early juvenile). At metamorphosis larvae are about 3/8". Stresses post larva do not fully develop complete solid coloration. Most often the white verticle bars do not fully pigmented. It is durng poor metamorphosis that "mis-baring" occurs and is not a genetic trait as some speculate

Mine are defiantly going through metamorphosis now.
Some have changed even from this morning from a dark brown/black to a red/orange color. Even Ed noticed the difference from this morning to this evening.....

How old is Solo?

 

[edandsandy]

Day 11 dph, I have noticed several more larvae have their first head stripe, some of the larvae are "slowly" coming into meta.... We lost 3 tiny larvae yesterday so we are down to 153. I cleaned the bottom of the tank, removed 1g of water and replacing 1g of water using a dosing pump. I fed the larvae Octomine A this morning, they seem to be somewhat interested. Also feed BBS, and added a few rotifers for the smaller larvae.
I think I will remove 2 of the 4 black out sides today.

A short video from this morning. They are swimming so fast now, my iPhone is having a hard time focusing in!

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/...5-B7C5-E2F59DC8EC63-6799-000006CA66DA66F3.mp4