Some weeks ago I started playing with the idea of breeding and raising my own Artemia. The only fish store I have around me that carries them from time to time is 30km away and they rarely have Artemia of a quality I want to throw in my coral soup. But how would I breed them? I tried with one of those hobby bowls some time ago but that was a trainwreck. So I got me some of those breeding cylinders and an air pump. Problem now ... I need some 25-28C for breeding and a steady light source. At some point I came up with the following idea and it works like a charm.
I still have some larger and smaller insulated transport boxes in my basement. For a heat source I went the way I use to freshen up my sourdough...use the oven light as the heat source to get comfy 30C. I couldn't use the oven light because otherwise somebody would kill me and the lamp itself gets way to hot for my taste. So for a lamp I use an e14 fluorescent bulb mounted at the top. It heats up but stays way too cold to cause any trouble next to flamable material. For temp control I use a standard meat thermometer which I stick through the side. I then ordered the Algova starter set and voila. It is a lovely 26-28C in there. Hatch rate is awesome. Almost no dead eggs. Today I transferred the Naupliae over to the my second cylinder with higher salt concentration, got rid of most of the unhatched eggs and added the first food ration for the critters. I will inform you how it goes.
Even though this contraption also has the advantage of shielding most of the noise from the air pump it will move to the basement on success (it just looks too ugly for my taste and still a bit too loud for staying in the room longer...and since this room is my office ... well yeah) and then it is fresh Artemia for my fish once a week (maybe I extend later on)
Any further tips and tricks are welcome
I still have some larger and smaller insulated transport boxes in my basement. For a heat source I went the way I use to freshen up my sourdough...use the oven light as the heat source to get comfy 30C. I couldn't use the oven light because otherwise somebody would kill me and the lamp itself gets way to hot for my taste. So for a lamp I use an e14 fluorescent bulb mounted at the top. It heats up but stays way too cold to cause any trouble next to flamable material. For temp control I use a standard meat thermometer which I stick through the side. I then ordered the Algova starter set and voila. It is a lovely 26-28C in there. Hatch rate is awesome. Almost no dead eggs. Today I transferred the Naupliae over to the my second cylinder with higher salt concentration, got rid of most of the unhatched eggs and added the first food ration for the critters. I will inform you how it goes.
Even though this contraption also has the advantage of shielding most of the noise from the air pump it will move to the basement on success (it just looks too ugly for my taste and still a bit too loud for staying in the room longer...and since this room is my office ... well yeah) and then it is fresh Artemia for my fish once a week (maybe I extend later on)
Any further tips and tricks are welcome
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