Rotifers

[britzles]

Has anyone had success breeding and maintaining rotifers? Any advise or tricks???

 

[landlord]

It's a no brainer. What kind of problems are you having??

My Method

2 gallon bucket 3/4's full of 1.023 sg NaCl
airstone set on "Loooooow"
I put about 6 drops of Rotifer Diet twice a day.

Harvest 2 cups through sieve daily.

 

[britzles]

What would be the best way to bottle and sell them?? Would they need to be refrigerated???

 

[landlord]

That I do not know. I simply use them for food.

Good Luck

 

[Zooid]

If you bottle them, put some good food in there with them. RotiGrow Plus is a good food from Reed Mariculture. If you refrigerate them, they will last longer but after a couple weeks they will be pretty much gone.

 

[GreshamH]

It's a no brainer. What kind of problems are you having??

My Method

2 gallon bucket 3/4's full of 1.023 sg NaCl
airstone set on "Loooooow"
I put about 6 drops of Rotifer Diet twice a day.

Harvest 2 cups through sieve daily.

You don't use any cloramX to nuetralize the ammonia? It really helps when using any paste.

 

[landlord]

You don't use any cloramX to nuetralize the ammonia? It really helps when using any paste.

I never have used it. Typically after I run the rotifers through the sieve, I just toss the old water and replace with new. It burns a lot of saltwater but, "knock on wood", I've never had a crash using this method. Thus saving me from calling you

BTW - Gresham - Please thank your CS rep lady for fantastic service, she is always super nice and helpful.

 

[GreshamH]

We have three different ladies that answer the phone and one is our COO I'll let them all know

 

[landlord]

For some reason the name Mary comes to mind.

Thanks

 

[GreshamH]

Oops make that 4... Kathy is most likely the one. Then Christyn, Lyn and Janet. No mary's here

 

[landlord]

Kathy's the one!

 

[billsreef]

Kathy's always the one I seem to end up talking too, she's always great

 

[GreshamH]

I will let her know, she'll appreciate the feedback

 

[Sig45]

Rotifers are relatively easy to keep. Just need regular feedings and bimonthly water changes. Cultures become dense quickly and water can foul.
Good food source if appropriately fed with either phyto or dry mix.

 

[britzles]

what do you mean when you say ''airstone set on "Loooooow"''? I don't have any experience with these. Do they hook up to an air pump and then I set the air pump on low??

 

[billsreef]

For aeration I just use a piece of rigid airline in the culture, no stone. Set the air flow for a very slow rate of bubbling. Just enough to circulate the culture gently.

 

[billsreef]

For aeration I just use a piece of rigid airline in the culture, no stone. Set the air flow for a very slow rate of bubbling. Just enough to circulate the culture gently.

 

[Sig45]

you do not want 'microbubbles' since they will create foam and capture rotifers out of suspension. Just a rigid tubing and one bubble per second will do.

 

[landlord]

what do you mean when you say ''airstone set on "Loooooow"''? I don't have any experience with these. Do they hook up to an air pump and then I set the air pump on low??

Basically what everyone else is saying. Just enough bubbles to circulate the water. Microbubbles do cause foam but my airstones seem to be crappy anyways and just put out big bubbles

Kurt

 

[minesinger]

What about the temperature? My culture is in my basement and it stays about 64 degrees. Is this too cool? I started the culture about 10 days ago and it seems like they are not reproducing like they should.