So I’ve been lurking here for nearly a year, often gleaning terrific information from the wise, seasoned veterans and occasionally something brilliant from a noob that they’ve self-taught. Today, I am officially joining the discussions because I feel like I finally have a little something to contribute that might help others.
First for a quick background, I’m a noob, I began this hobby 9 months ago. My tank is a Red Sea 425XL with a 24 gallon sump plumbed to an RODI system for ATO. The system is monitored and dosed by Apex Trident. It is full of SPS, LPS, soft coral and yes a few fish - mandarin, red scooter, tail spot blenny, watchman goby (with his 2 pistol shrimp), coral beauty, blue damsel, and 2 storm clowns. Also have scarlet skunk, peppermint, fire & sexy shrimp along with a pretty extensive clean up crew. Anyway, the tank is 9 months old and all fish and most coral have been in for months. The tank is incredibly peaceful and healthy.
As far as the one little bit of information I wish I had known earlier, it is as follows: When I began with the tank I was desperate to establish a pod population in order to create an ecosystem that could readily support healthy life in my tank as quickly as possible. And ultimately this would allow me to add my dream fish, a mandarin. So I added every conceivable pod I could get my hands on for the first 3 months. Then I read that several of the members here add live hatched baby brine shrimp (BBS) to help feed their mandarins. So I began studying copepods, amphipods, and brine shrimp like crazy! Literally everything from scientific studies (NIH, etc) to postings by other reefers. Then I began to culture apex pods, tigger pods, rotifers, and BBS so that I could easily add to my tank to feed fish and/or keep populations stable. I also began dosing the tank with phyto to keep the pod population up. It has been quite a journey.
In any case I was able to add my mandarin much quicker than people recommended because I was prepared to do the work needed to keep her alive, even if it meant dosing pods & BBS daily. It worked! She is a nice plump (maybe a little too plump) healthy specimen and I have such a massive pod population that I have taken a break from culturing them. However, I still culture BBS about every 1.5-2 weeks so that everyone gets daily nutritious live food (Mandarin along with everyone else, including coral).
As to the one thing I wish I’d known earlier, and to which I came across such bad information is the hatching and feeding of live BBS. I read that they are devoid of nutrients unless gut loaded, I read to add spirulina as soon as they hatch, etc. From what I have researched, this information is in accurate.
First, BBS are highly nutritious if used as food in the 1st 6 hours post hatch (see studies below) due to the yolks attached to their bodies. Since BBS hatch in my setup between 18-20 hours then I know exactly when to harvest them for highest nutritional value. I use an incredibly easy hatching system by Ziss. I run two batches at a time (I have 2 Ziss) and then I harvest and rinse them in fresh saltwater, place them in a wide flat Tupperware (so there is enough surface exposed to air) container with about an inch of freshly made seawater and then I add them to the refrigerator for future feedings. Mine live for up to 2 weeks like this - with the yolks remaining intact for the entire time due to slowing down of their metabolism from refrigeration (I know this because I set up a lab with microscopes in my basement). So then I have fresh BBS on hand whenever I need as long as I open their container daily to let fresh air in.
As far as gut-loading, freshly hatched BBS cannot be gut-loaded because they do not yet have mouths (see research below). So I add 1 drop of Selcon to those that I pull out to feed the tank. The Selcon sticks to them and adds extra nutrients.
And when I add to the tank, I turn off the pumps for a few minutes, squirt them all over the tank and everyone feasts!
Anyway, sorry for the long post but I wish I had read something similar when I started
Below are the resources that helped me, I hope it helps someone else
First for a quick background, I’m a noob, I began this hobby 9 months ago. My tank is a Red Sea 425XL with a 24 gallon sump plumbed to an RODI system for ATO. The system is monitored and dosed by Apex Trident. It is full of SPS, LPS, soft coral and yes a few fish - mandarin, red scooter, tail spot blenny, watchman goby (with his 2 pistol shrimp), coral beauty, blue damsel, and 2 storm clowns. Also have scarlet skunk, peppermint, fire & sexy shrimp along with a pretty extensive clean up crew. Anyway, the tank is 9 months old and all fish and most coral have been in for months. The tank is incredibly peaceful and healthy.
As far as the one little bit of information I wish I had known earlier, it is as follows: When I began with the tank I was desperate to establish a pod population in order to create an ecosystem that could readily support healthy life in my tank as quickly as possible. And ultimately this would allow me to add my dream fish, a mandarin. So I added every conceivable pod I could get my hands on for the first 3 months. Then I read that several of the members here add live hatched baby brine shrimp (BBS) to help feed their mandarins. So I began studying copepods, amphipods, and brine shrimp like crazy! Literally everything from scientific studies (NIH, etc) to postings by other reefers. Then I began to culture apex pods, tigger pods, rotifers, and BBS so that I could easily add to my tank to feed fish and/or keep populations stable. I also began dosing the tank with phyto to keep the pod population up. It has been quite a journey.
In any case I was able to add my mandarin much quicker than people recommended because I was prepared to do the work needed to keep her alive, even if it meant dosing pods & BBS daily. It worked! She is a nice plump (maybe a little too plump) healthy specimen and I have such a massive pod population that I have taken a break from culturing them. However, I still culture BBS about every 1.5-2 weeks so that everyone gets daily nutritious live food (Mandarin along with everyone else, including coral).
As to the one thing I wish I’d known earlier, and to which I came across such bad information is the hatching and feeding of live BBS. I read that they are devoid of nutrients unless gut loaded, I read to add spirulina as soon as they hatch, etc. From what I have researched, this information is in accurate.
First, BBS are highly nutritious if used as food in the 1st 6 hours post hatch (see studies below) due to the yolks attached to their bodies. Since BBS hatch in my setup between 18-20 hours then I know exactly when to harvest them for highest nutritional value. I use an incredibly easy hatching system by Ziss. I run two batches at a time (I have 2 Ziss) and then I harvest and rinse them in fresh saltwater, place them in a wide flat Tupperware (so there is enough surface exposed to air) container with about an inch of freshly made seawater and then I add them to the refrigerator for future feedings. Mine live for up to 2 weeks like this - with the yolks remaining intact for the entire time due to slowing down of their metabolism from refrigeration (I know this because I set up a lab with microscopes in my basement). So then I have fresh BBS on hand whenever I need as long as I open their container daily to let fresh air in.
As far as gut-loading, freshly hatched BBS cannot be gut-loaded because they do not yet have mouths (see research below). So I add 1 drop of Selcon to those that I pull out to feed the tank. The Selcon sticks to them and adds extra nutrients.
And when I add to the tank, I turn off the pumps for a few minutes, squirt them all over the tank and everyone feasts!
Anyway, sorry for the long post but I wish I had read something similar when I started
Below are the resources that helped me, I hope it helps someone else
