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Bbshrimps

Alright -

I quickly setup a BBS Hatchery last night. 2 liter bottle, cut in half - air line in the cap - bubble rate so everything spins in there. Added about a 1 Tbls salt, little epsom salt, and a small amount of BBS Eggs -

24 hours later - I turned off the air and let it settle. I could see shrimps! I was excited. So as I have read, I covered the bottle, and put a flashlight aimed tward the cap. I waited about 10 mins and as per the web, Should have been able to use a baster and suck up the shrimps from teh bottom of the bottle. Because the eggs should have floated to the top.

Well haha - I sucked up lots of eggs that were on the bottom and I would guess some shrimp... I then put the baster contents through a Penn Plax (NEW) BBS Net... and everything slid right through it....... Im not impressed with the net. When I swished the net (looks empty) into a container of fresh water, no live shrimp were found. When I put the contents that went through the net into a container, I could see LOTS of eggs that were sinking and some shrimp.

So what am I doing wrong? Do I need to wait longer? Are the sinking eggs eggs that will hatch soon? I added a light above the hatchery tonight. This is the one thing I didnt have before. It had light for probably 12 of the 24 hours yesterday. Does that make that much of a difference?

And what about that BBS Net? Is it a defect, or are they all just a joke?

Thanks!!


Dustin
 
A long time ago there was a product out on the matket by an outfit called Longlife. They had a circular maze shrimp hatchery w/lid. In the center was a hole, where you put a light bulb. The idea is that when the shrimp hatch, they migrate through the maze to the center, being attracted by the light. This way, you only get the shrimp - no eggs. Light is the key to getting the shrimp to congregate.
 
Hi Dustin,

Ok, use 2 quarts of dechlorinated water, 2 tbsps of non-iodized salt (I use pickling salt as it dissolves fast and runs easily through a funnel into my glass milk jar hatchers.) 1/4 tsp od Epson salt and up to 3 tsps of eggs (amount depends on number of fish to feed). I hatch at 80F. Eggs start hatching within 24 hours with the better grades of eggs hatching fastest. The shells float but unhatched eggs sink. After you turn off the air and place a light at the bottom so the very red mass of shrimp will collect there give it 10-15 minutes. To siphon get a pice of 3/16ths rigid (hard) plastic tubing (same size as airline tubing) and cut a 15 inch piece. Then add a long piece of flexible airline tubing to it and you have a bbs siphon hose! Place the rigid end in the middle of the red mass of shrimps and suck. Put the flexible end in the brine shrimp net that is laid over a bowl or something below the height of the hatching container. Get a good net from brineshrimpdirect.com or Tetra. If not, use a good quality hankerchef or even a good coffee filter -- but a god bbs net is easiest. Aquaculture businesses also sell good nets and great cone bs hatchers. You can siphon shrimp during the 24-48 hour period before their first molt. This is when they are best. After 48 hours they start polluting the container and die. Have at least 2 containers running so you always have bbs. Always thoroughly clean the container before setting it up totally fresh after each 48 hours -- don't reuse water ever! That's it. If the pop bottles don;t work, use gallon pickle jars, half gallon glass milk or water bottles or some half gallon at least glass container than allows you to easily bubble the eggs and cover so you don't get salt spray. I use the plastic caps Whole Foods used to give for their glass milk jars and poke 2 holes in the caps -- one for the airline and one so all that air can escape. That's it. You'll get the hang of it.

Bobby
 
Thanks for the info Bobby - Im starting a new setup tonight using your info
smile.gif
I had a hatch from yesterdays, however I was unable to really seperate the shrimp from the random eggs the way I would have liked. I did get them seperated, just not 100%

Now Im reading "Cyst shells are indigestible and can lodge in the gut of predators causing fatal obstructions, the shells have been speculated to be a source of heavy bacterial contamination" --- Does that mean that the eggs that are not hatched or that have hatched and were floating could kill the fish, if eaten? And if thats the case - wow does this seem to be alot of work..

What do you use for a light source? Arent the unhatched eggs on the bottom with the shrimp if the light source is at the bottom of the container?

Thanks!
smile_m_32.gif


Dustin
 
Hi Dustin,

Never lost a fish to bs eggs or shells and one never gets just bs when siphoning. The bs settle on top of any unhatched eggs which is why it is better to buy the grade A eggs -- fewer unhatched. Just do your best as a relatively few eggs are no biggee. I use a single bulb incandescent shop work light as a light source but I used to use a flashlight and cover the jar with a towel. Either way works and shop light is cheaper.

Bobby
 
I use the Sanfrancisco Bay Brand hatchery attachment for the soda bottle and the black box with the hole and collecting vial above.

You can buy them online at fish stores. Cheap like 10 buks or so.

I bought a ounce of eggs on eBay.
 
Hmm - ive seen those bbs hatchery kits in stores. Is the base black so they swim up for easier collecting?

I tried again, using your method, Bobby. Seems to have a better rate of hatch this time. I ordered 2 Nets from brineshrimpdirect.com like you suggested. The net is just to collect and rinse the shrimp, not to remove eggs, right? The Penn Plax must be a defect, because everything flys right through it. Ive been using a coffee filter.

Thanks!

Dustin
 
Yes, the net is just to collect the shrimp from siphoning

Bobby
 
  • #10
thanks for all the help guys!

Bobby - Used your formula, had great results in about 36 hours. The only thing I had different was the temp was about 72. So im going to add a heater and should have better results.

Thanks Again

Dustin
 
  • #11
Hi Maylandi,

The warmer temp will just make them hatch faster -- say 24 hours. How will you use a heater? You might try a 100 watt incandescent light bulb in a fixture about 6-10 inches from the hatching bottle (remember mine are thick milk jar glass and not meltable plastic!!!!!) to raise the temp. or place the bottles themselves in a half filled 10 gallon tank with a small wattage submergible heater in the tank itself and heat the tank water so that it then warms the hatching bottles' water. Glad it's working. Shrimp is easy once you have a teacher. I had a great teacher.

Bobby
 
  • #12
Hmm im using a big pickel jar, so I just suction cupped a submersible heater inside and let it go - its at 80 degrees no problems
smile.gif
I was afraid it would melt the jar, but its been working all afternoon with no problems ;)

Thanks!
 
  • #13
Here is a pic of the setup :

bbshatchery.jpg
 
  • #14
Hi M,

That looks good. As long as the heater works in the jar you are good to go.

Bobby
 
  • #15
That reminds me, I should hatch some to feed to my new born Labidochromis fry. What do you think?

I always just powder up some Aquadine and feed that to them. But maybe I'll try some BB shrimp.
 
  • #16
Leslie: That would work very well. Btw, what is Aquadine? Never heard if it. I know Hikari offers Hikari first bites which is a very fine powder(may even be too fine for them) which is supposedly good for fry though I haven't tried feeding it to fry. I bet surface feeders like lampeyes would eat it up though.
 
  • #17
Aquadine is a fish food that they sell seperatly so you can mix your own combination.
It is also a crunchy flake. It floats then sinks. But if you powder it up, it floats more.

For my African Cichlids, I mix Spirilina and Hi-Pro mix.
http://www.aquadine.com/

You can order directly from them, or find a petshop that carries it.
 
  • #18
Hi,

Yes, hatch the bs. It will make the fry grow faster and larger and help with deepening their color. Another trick for great color is to feed smashed frozen adult brine shrimp when they can swallow it in 2-3 weeks. If you can look in the book Enjoying Cichlids by Ad Konings. It's a mix of frozen shrimp, peas, spirulina powder, vitamins and unfloavored Knox gelatin as a binder (adding flake food helps bind it too). You make your own frozen food with this and it is great for deepening orange and yellow color in fish.

Bobby
 
  • #20
Here's a picture of my hatching setup:
Hatching%20Brine%20Shrimp.JPG

I shut off the air, put a flashlight on the bottom and have them swim all down to the bottom, then siphon them out into the black box. I then get water from the fry tank and fill up the collection cup full and place it on top of the black box again put a flashlight to it and let the babies swim up. This way I don't get many unhatched eggs or shells.
I am only feeding eighteen babies, so this is more than adaquate amount.  I used the San Fran eggs pre-mix, but have one ounce of www.aquacave.com eggs I got on eBay to use in the future.  My room also stays around 75-79 because of all the computers, fishtanks, and the terrarium.  Even with my AC on.
 
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