YWG - Day 6 and still kicking
- Thread starter NicoleC
- Start date
NicoleC
New member
I'm using the Reed Rotifer Diet -- the home stuff that's a liquid. It was all that was available locally. Playing with this batch was kind of a last minute decision.
I'm feeding the rotifers a mix of this and a yeast-based diet -- the mix seems to be working very well. But the home Rotifer Diet is way too expensive to use regularly.
I just started a live phyto culture yesterday that I want to use for the larval tank, but I guess starting from the FAF discs takes quite a bit longer than from a live culture, so it may be a while yet before it's of any use at all.
I'm glad that your food situation is filling in.
If I read correctly, you think that they are probably only eating the L-strain, correct? Did you also say that this batch was bigger than your last batch (in physical size, not numbers). I'm glad they are eating the L-strain for you. I know you've had some "issues" that have made the rot cultures prolematic. Keep up the good work and best of luck to you as well. Oh yeah, thanks for sharing.
If I read correctly, you think that they are probably only eating the L-strain, correct? Did you also say that this batch was bigger than your last batch (in physical size, not numbers). I'm glad they are eating the L-strain for you. I know you've had some "issues" that have made the rot cultures prolematic. Keep up the good work and best of luck to you as well. Oh yeah, thanks for sharing.
NicoleC
New member
Yes, it appears they are eating only L-strain. You can't see -- they are too small -- but the L is dissappearing and that's all the food they have in there, except for the inevitable siliate contamination.
This batch does not appear physically larger than my last batch, but mine do seem to be bigger than the larvae Amy is getting, which may explain why she had no success with L-strain. Her pair is older than mine, so if that is true it would either be variation among broodstock, the cohabitation with shrimp (seems unlikely) or some care parameter (food, temperature, etc.) .
It's too soon to say for sure based on one batch, but survival rates in those first few critical days appear to be much better using S-strain, but I am not terribly disappointed with the numbers I have.
This batch does not appear physically larger than my last batch, but mine do seem to be bigger than the larvae Amy is getting, which may explain why she had no success with L-strain. Her pair is older than mine, so if that is true it would either be variation among broodstock, the cohabitation with shrimp (seems unlikely) or some care parameter (food, temperature, etc.) .
It's too soon to say for sure based on one batch, but survival rates in those first few critical days appear to be much better using S-strain, but I am not terribly disappointed with the numbers I have.
LotR Clown
Active member
Nicole,
How much and what kind of yeast are you adding? I'm having a bad time trying to keep my culture alive with IA. I bet I'm using too much and it's fouling the water too quickly. I know the densities are not going to be as high with yeast, but at least they will hopefully stay alive longer.
Thanks,
Kevin
How much and what kind of yeast are you adding? I'm having a bad time trying to keep my culture alive with IA. I bet I'm using too much and it's fouling the water too quickly. I know the densities are not going to be as high with yeast, but at least they will hopefully stay alive longer.
Thanks,
Kevin
NicoleC
New member
I'm using Culture HUFA from Salt Water Creek. You use just a tiny, tiny bit. The dose instructions per liter are in hundredths of a gram!.
If you can't keep rots alive with IA, you are probably right -- you are either feeding too much or not cleaning your cultures enough. Try dumping off the top half in a bucket and dumping out the other half and rinsing out any grunge, then adding the top half back to the original cycled bucket. Do this daily. It keeps the cultures nice and clean and is easier than siphoning, IMO -- but I use 3g buckets. In maintenance mode with low densities I was doing this every other day. I also use Clor-Am-X. (When feeding, I am using the clean top half for feeding, then dumping out all but the last grunge in the bottom into the clean bucket; cleaning every few days.)
It sounds wierd, but I have more rotifers and more success this way than trying to save them. Randy recently posted a thing about harvesting helping keep the cultures young, which makes sense in a twisted way and must be why this routine is working for me.
If you can't keep rots alive with IA, you are probably right -- you are either feeding too much or not cleaning your cultures enough. Try dumping off the top half in a bucket and dumping out the other half and rinsing out any grunge, then adding the top half back to the original cycled bucket. Do this daily. It keeps the cultures nice and clean and is easier than siphoning, IMO -- but I use 3g buckets. In maintenance mode with low densities I was doing this every other day. I also use Clor-Am-X. (When feeding, I am using the clean top half for feeding, then dumping out all but the last grunge in the bottom into the clean bucket; cleaning every few days.)
It sounds wierd, but I have more rotifers and more success this way than trying to save them. Randy recently posted a thing about harvesting helping keep the cultures young, which makes sense in a twisted way and must be why this routine is working for me.
jnowell
New member
Kevin, I have had the same results as Nicole, keep 'em clean, and harvest 50% daily. Even with 50% harvesting, my culture density increased rapidly. The females live for almost 2 weeks, but only reproduce for a few days, and it's early in their life span. If you don't harvest, you end up with old rotifers that eat all the food, but don't reproduce (from Randy Reed).
I have been using (secretly stealing) Nicole's bucket method in addition to a 10 gallon continous culture. The buckets are cleaner with less work, and provide back-up in case I destroy a culture. Another week of this, and I bet all of my cultures will be in buckets.
Nicole, not to jinx you or anything, but isn't this the dreaded 9th day? I hope all is well with them.
Jason
I have been using (secretly stealing) Nicole's bucket method in addition to a 10 gallon continous culture. The buckets are cleaner with less work, and provide back-up in case I destroy a culture. Another week of this, and I bet all of my cultures will be in buckets.
Nicole, not to jinx you or anything, but isn't this the dreaded 9th day? I hope all is well with them.
Jason
mako56
Premium Member
Very cool Nicole and these are yellow watchman gobies right? I am asking another dumb question. I had these jars of rots going and I think when I harvested I wasn't thinking and took them all. Oh well thatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s done I ordered some more but I kept the jars going now the water is turning green and when I look through it with my 20X microscope I see all these tiny green colored things swimming around could that be the green water algae?
NicoleC
New member
At 20x it's not phyto your seeing. You may have a mix of phyto (green water), and the swimming things are some sort of ciliate that has been eating the phyto.
Any chance you can get a pic? Preferably with a meter to gauge size? If you are culturing some sort of ciliate and can keep it going, it could work as first food for some of the tiny, tiny fry out there.
(Yes, yellow watchman gobies. Except my pair is now gray :rolleye1
Any chance you can get a pic? Preferably with a meter to gauge size? If you are culturing some sort of ciliate and can keep it going, it could work as first food for some of the tiny, tiny fry out there.
(Yes, yellow watchman gobies. Except my pair is now gray :rolleye1
mako56
Premium Member
Sorry to fill your post with pics but here is what the jugs look like. I never started a green water thing this just happened I am not sure what it is.
I ordered a new microscope and should get it soon 40x - 1000X but I don't know if the pics will turn out any better here is one that I just shrunk a little under the 20X. You can't see much just how many there are I don't believe they are rots and there are to many to even think of counting in a drop.
And here is a pic at the normal pixel.
I ordered a new microscope and should get it soon 40x - 1000X but I don't know if the pics will turn out any better here is one that I just shrunk a little under the 20X. You can't see much just how many there are I don't believe they are rots and there are to many to even think of counting in a drop.
And here is a pic at the normal pixel.
NicoleC
New member
Gimme a break, it's west coast time here! Lights just came on, and I don't have as many babies as I did. 
It's not nearly as bad as last time, though. I still have 50-ish left; given I started out with fewer that's a pretty good improvement. This must be a dangerous development time for them.
There are several dead bodies on the bottom, and I saw a very weak, thin larvae that looked half dead trying to swim. Half of the surviving babies looked like they had a huge growth spurt over night; the other half look the same size. So maybe not all of them went through whatever happened last night, and will do so today/tonight. Hopefully not; I don't want to see those numbers dwindle more, especially with the dangers of metamorphosis stil coming up.
I'm going to be late for work as it is, but I wil try to get pictures tonight to see if ther eare any noticable differences that may explain this.
It's not nearly as bad as last time, though. I still have 50-ish left; given I started out with fewer that's a pretty good improvement. This must be a dangerous development time for them.There are several dead bodies on the bottom, and I saw a very weak, thin larvae that looked half dead trying to swim. Half of the surviving babies looked like they had a huge growth spurt over night; the other half look the same size. So maybe not all of them went through whatever happened last night, and will do so today/tonight. Hopefully not; I don't want to see those numbers dwindle more, especially with the dangers of metamorphosis stil coming up.
I'm going to be late for work as it is, but I wil try to get pictures tonight to see if ther eare any noticable differences that may explain this.
NicoleC
New member
It may not be as bad as I thought. By the time I left the house it looked like I had more gobies, so maybe they were hiding behind the heater or something where I couldn't see them. They are at an age where they want to rest for the night in a sheltered location (against the wall,s behind the heater, etc.)
