Feeding baby brine shrimp

[ktaliana]

Hi

My discus fry are on day 4 free swimming and this morning I started my diy bbs hatchery, using about 1 ltr water and 1/2tsp eggs (salt & bicarbonate of soda). There are about 60 fries.

What to do once the bbs hatch?

I have read that it takes from 24hrs onwards for them to hatch, depending on temperature, eggs, etc.. and that bbs give their nutritional value to the fry if fed within 24 hours of hatching.

- To rinse or not to rinse! Should they be rinsed under tap water before feeding to fry?

- How to feed .... How much should I feed? Should they be fed to the fry in one go? And if so, when do you clean the tank off the excess/debris, after feeding? Or should they be fed every 2/3 hours? If so, how and where do you store the bbs? Do you leave them in the hatching water and take from there over the next 24 hrs, until the next batch hatches? If so, do you have to keep them aeriated, but with no light? Or do you keep them in the fridge, just in some of the water?

- I also read that you can freeze bbs. Is this any good for the fry?

- Is there any alternative food to feed the fry? When should I start them on flakes, beef heart or anything else you may suggest?

Many thanks for your help.

[Hollowman]

They will be happy to feed off the parents for a week more at least, but introducing bbs at a week old is fine. I generally have 2 hatchers going 24 hours apart. The bbs should be fed little but often, you will see their bellies turn orange as they fill up. Try not to overfeed, it is a fine line imo, too much and they can die. Bbs loose their goodness soon after they hatch as the napauli consume the egg sack, so this is why you must have a new lot going for each days feeding. I put in half a teaspoon of eggs per litre of water, using 27grams of salt. I take out enough for one feed and strian using a piece of kitchen paper. The napauli stay on the surface, and I wash them off the paper with a little water into a cup. I then feed by sucking some up with a pipette and spray over the parent's backs. Some stick on the mucus where they can be eaten by the fry. The ones that swim free are gobbled up by the free swimming fry between the parents.
You will be able to judge how much you need to hatch as you go.

Water quality is very important at this stage and large water changes are needed to keep everthing in check. Wipe down the glass at each change too to get rid of the slime build up.

I would not bother to try to freeze them, too much hassle, and too difficult. Start to feed some fine granular food after 2 weeks, maybe some finely ground BH at 3 weeks, but keep them on the parents for as long as possible, 4-6 weeks is fine or until the fry are upsetting the parents or damaging their skin.

hth
H :wink:

[ktaliana]

Thank you very much for the useful info. I will try and follow your suggestions to the dot.

I have some more questions, if I may :) I set up the hatchery this morning, so I am assuming tomorrow morning I need to start a second one and hopefully the first batch will be ready. The batch will last 24 hours; how many feeds a day is feeding 'a little but often'? In between feeds, how/where should the hatched bbs be stored?

Usually on weekdays there is no one at home during the day, so I intend to feed them twice in the morning and twice in the evening, with a 8-10hr gap in between. Would that be ok?

Thank you once again :)

[Hollowman]

ktaliana, that is just my way of doing it, others will have their ways, but it works for me. Little and often is 'work permitting' whatever you can do. During your working day the fry will feed from the parents, so dont worry, just top them up when you can. As the fry get bigger and are looking for other foods, you can use an auto feeder if you like.
The newly hatched bbs can be put in fresh water for a few hours, but will die off, so maybe best to harvest when you need to use them.

hth

Steve