building a BBS hatchery

[Edgezilla]

Trying to see how people hatch their bbs in large quantity and how they have the hatchery setup.

I tried the 2L bottle setup and they get rather messy to use after a while.

I also tried using a small plastic fish tank, but that doesn't circulate the water well enough.

[Melody]

I haven't tried this one but its the most well thought out, unique DIY hatchery (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_brine_hatchery.php) that I've ever encountered online. I don't even know why I bookmarked it because there is no way I could make it, being mechanically challenged...lol...but it may be of some use to you.

[Edgezilla]

Very thought out indeed. I am looking for something on a larger scale hatchery. Cube hatchery tends to have a lot of dead spot if it is too large. :\. I wonder how Mykiss hatch his bbs in large quantity or some hardcore breeder.

[Melody]

How about a large fish bowl or similar shaped vase? You don't want to hatch out too much at a time unless you can freeze it immediately for optimum nutrition. I'm not sure which method Mr. Mykiss uses, but I do know that he's very patient with my questions and I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you PM'ed him. He doesn't have too much time to spend with us so he may not see the question.

This (http://cgi.ebay.com/Hatchn-Feed-Live-Brine-Shrimp-Hatcher-Feeder-Kit_W0QQitemZ300071557141QQihZ020QQcategoryZ20759Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting) is what I'd like to set up one of these days. Automation is the ticket for this chick. :yes:

I know I saw a set up for a larger breeding operation that involved hatching in stages, but I haven't found it again yet.

[CACAdmin]

That little automated feeder would be interesting to try. Has anyone tried it or anything like it?

[Edgezilla]

ahh yea. that thing. I was wondering how well that works in fresh water setup. JLaquatics has just the hatchery for $19.99.

I am looking at large scale because I got the corydoras back in the spawning mode from huge frequent feeding. 200 to 300+ eggs in 3 days (fertilized or not).

bbs seems to give me the fastest growth speed when I feed the corydoras 5-6 times a day. If only I can find a cheap source of food with bbs quality of growth for their 1/2 to 1 year mark, I can get the corydoras to 2".

[Melody]

Says its for freshwater, but I'm guessing that we share the same concerns about it being as fool-proof with freshwater. I know that I've had Cory's eat aquarium salt and go belly-up, so I'd be worried about any salt consumption.

When I need to feed a lot of Brine Shrimp I find it better to go with frozen, be it what I've frozen, a company has frozen or what Mr. Mykiss has frozen for me. Its just more feasible for a busy lifestyle.

But I'm a lazy breeder really - some find all of that to be a fun part of the challenging experience. I have enough challenges in my life so I dial 1-800-OMY-KISS. Not to be confused with 1-900-OMY-KISS - toooootally different menu there. :laugh:

[Edgezilla]

Speaking of frozen bbs, how do people prepare bbs for freezing?

Do they just syphon out all the bbs.
rinse it under tap water
dump them in a ziplock
add water and freeze?

[Melody]

You got it, only I didn't add water - there was enough amongst the shrimp after rinsing. I only did it long enough to realize that it was worth it to just get it from Patrick.:rolleyes:

You can save frozen food trays to use too, otherwise just freeze them flat in a Ziplock. Be sure to use Ziplock or a bag of equal quality so it seals properly and stays that way. You can use dollar store pill reminder boxes or small cocktail icecube trays too.

Snap a small piece off, thaw it in a container and feed.

Sea Monkicles:laugh:

[Soggybottom]

Next time you are in finomenal, ask 'em to open the door to their white cupboard thingy, they have an extra large cone type hatcher in there. Its an upside-down pyramid shape, made of plexiglass with a lightbulb mounted next to it and everything, pretty swank...

[Melody]

You may even be able to buy it from them, since they're closing.

[Soggybottom]

:offtopic:

They are closing for good? I read that they were closing but I thought the poster meant that they were closed for the day, :rolleyes:. Does anyone know why? I thought they were doing so well, they were sometimes run off their feet with all the customers when I went in there...

Sorry 'bout the OT post Edge...

[Melody]

They are closing for good? I read that they were closing but I thought the poster meant that they were closed for the day, :rolleyes:. Does anyone know why? I thought they were doing so well, they were sometimes run off their feet with all the customers when I went in there...


Yup, I believe the official reason had something to do with getting a life.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.:D

[mykiss]

Sorry Soggy but today was the official door closing day.

As for a large setup, the best way is the large cone method. It can hatch a tonne of eggs at once and there are no dead spots.

The other method, and what we use in our lab at UBC, is the multiple jar set up. The multiple jar setup takes less space but it's very similar to the 2L pop bottle method.

When I'm in full throttle, I use 2 pop bottles at a time but I recently built a 4-cone system and not having to use pop bottles.

I guess it will depend on the amount of space you've got. Eric, if you want you can PM me and we can arrange something. We can have that built in no time ;-)

[Edgezilla]

bah that Giant cone from fin ormenal would have been perfect.

I wonder if there is any way to stil get that thing off them.