Malta Aquarist Society

Hi Frank,

This is my brineshrimp hatchery. I have 2 hatcheries similar to each other. From each jar, I make 2 feedings daily and I feed brineshrimp to all my fish, from newly hatched fry to breeding pairs of angelfish. This is the only live food that I feed my fish.Apart from that, I feed the adult fish mainly on minced beefheart to which I add boiled carrots, peas, spinace, allbran and some minute fish pellets.

 hi Charles

Thanks for the photo. The brine shrimps look like soup. I am hatching mine in a glass bottle. The thing is that with the areation the eggs go to the top of the bottle and many do  not hatch.. I remember once at the club Jason had done something like the jar you have, but unfortunately i broke them. Is there any reason for the shape, i mean the narrow end at the bottom?  I take it so that the eggs will not settle at the bottom. I really need to hatch a lot of brine shrimps now as i have other babies, about which i will write another time.

 Frank

Hi Frank,

For brineshrimp eggs to hatch, they need to be constantly agitated with a strong air current. When the eggs are added to the water, they are very dry and for the first 4 hours, they absorb water and swell-up. This is when they start to sink to the bottom. The shape of the bottle looking like a funnel is to keep the eggs in motion, all the time. If you use the bottle in a normal way, you will have blind spots, where there is no current and many of the eggs get trapped there and will not be agitated, failing to hatch. The eggs start to hatch-out after 24 to 36 hours depending on the quality of eggs you have and the water temp. which should be around 25-27C.

When it is time for feeding, you simply remove the airstone and let the water settle for about 10 minutes. The hatched shrimps will gather in the most lit-up side. Some others will sink to the bottom. I first syphon the ones at the bottom as I believe that these ones are weak and thus feed them before dying. If there are not enough shrimps at the bottom, I also collect some from the floating ones. Only 2 feedings are made from each hatching. So, to have shrimps available daily, you need to have 2 hatcheries, alternating each other. Then the  hatchery is to be  cleaned, disposing of the eggshells and wiped very well. I use the same sea-water for about 1 month. 

 I use sea water as Charles said and found it better then tap water mixed with rock salt. The hatching percentage was greater. But be careful from where you get the sea water as some areas is contaminated with drainage.Try to find open waters as possible if you are going to collect sea water

martin

 HI thanks for the advice.  Charles is there anyway i can make a bottle like yours. I have one very similar which i used to keep wine in, but i am not making wine any more, so it would be great if i could put this bottle to good use. Also are there any nice breeds of australian killifish one can keep.  A friend of mine is coming from australia and maybe i can ask him to bring me some. OF course would gladly give you some as well

 Frank

Hi Frank,

There are several ways to cut a glass bottle but all have the risk of breaking it. My favoured way is to use a fine grinder. First I make two tiers of masking tape  next to each other all around the bottle. This will serve as a guide during grinding and will also keep any glass that might break off. Then, I will start to grind it all around, very gently. Professional glasers, have lubricated grinders and will result in a more good finish. Still, before commencing work, they tell you that the risk of breaking is still there and will not replace the broken item. When doing such work, always wear eye protection

If you want to, come to my garage and I will do it for you.

In Australia, there are no native killifish, so any fish that you friend might bring, will be from other parts of the world. Also there are very strict rules and heave penalties for anyone trying to import fish or eggs to that country. If I were you I would not put pressure on him in asking  to bring you fish.

Charles.

 I think we can use a thick plastic container for the brine shrimps in stead of a glass container. Would the material of the container do any difference in the hatching rate ???

martin

I think that your proposal of using  thick plastic containers, does make sense Martin, especially if these plastic containers are used for food stuff like sweets. One have to check what will happen in the long run as most probably the plastic will get scratched when cleaning the bottle from the empty shells and also from the salt contents in the water.

 But if the containers are available, it is worth giving it a try.

Charles.

At the last meeting in July, I introduced annual killfish, notably Notho. species to a number of the newer members.

For the next meeting, I am hoping to be able to introduce these same new members to the Aphanius species. I am not saying that I will be giving a talk about these fish but I hope to bring some pairs with me and have an unofficial discusssion before the official agenda for the meeting begins.

The Aphanius species come from the European countries washed by the Mediterreanean Sea and the Middle East. So keeping them in our hot summer is very ideal for these fish. In winter, they have to undergo a cooling down period, so there is no need to use a heater, thus making these fish very economical to keep. The  eggs from these species are water incubated for between 8 to 12 days, depending on the species and the water temp. Their eggs are large and the fry, eat newly hatched brineshrimp upon hatching. The fry and the adults can also be fed on powder and flake food. Infact, being typical from the Med. region, they will eat anything.

So next Sunday, I will have a few pairs of Aphanius and some Nothos. I will also have eggs from the same species. Those interested, please send a pm or email as it is not possibble to pack many fish in the morning before I leave for the club.

Following the advert that I made, both in the local forums and abroad, I did had some requests for these eggs from Malta and other European countries even as from from Poland. These eggs were successfully delivered and produced healthy fry.

I am still amazed that I did not had a single request for these eggs from Gozo. Does our cousins love only big fish!! I did see some very nice big ones from the photos that Bertrand posted on the Gozo Show . Well done to all. 

Charles.

Hi Charles

i cannot believe it has almost been a month since i hatched the killifish eggs. At least now they are visible and not like small thread. I was wondering do you still keep feeding them brine shrimps. can you add an airstone to the containters or is there no need.

Frank

Hi Frank,

You must have been starving your fry. By now, they should have reached breeding size and should be spawning. Are they also in the small container? Adding an airstone will provide more oxygen in this hot weather. I feed brineshrimps to all my fish, even angelfish breeding pairs. The shrimps have to be present with the fry all day long. You should also add a couple of small applesnails to eat the uneaten dead brineshrimps. Also you should change the fry`s water very regularly.

Charles.

Cikkus:

 At least now they are visible and not like small thread. I was wondering do you still keep feeding them brine shrimps.

Frank

 This is the problem alot of us fish breeders face when we have fry to feed. You cannot expect to see fry growing rapidly if one feeds in the morning before he goes to work and in the evening after work. When I have fry to feed normally it is my wife who feeds them brine shrimps say every 3 hours. As Charles said, fry needs to eat constantly with water changes sometimes even every day specially in these hot summer months. Good luck Cikkus.

martin

 Hi charles and Maritn

 Charles you are right, i did not feed them a lot i must admit, as the brine shrimps i had must have been very old and had been for years in the fridge. But now i got some new brine shrimp eggs from both of you it is amazing the amount which hatch out. The thing is i have to set up the second bottle so as to have  some every day. At the moment what i am doing is hatching enough for a couple of days. The killi fish all of a sudden have really started to grow.  THe thing is i am at work all day till 4 so cannot feed them every three hours or so. But still i give them a large dose of shrimps hopefully it will serve them all day. And i give them another dose when i get back home.

 I wish i had a good supply before

Charles one other question, When they are young can you keep them with other fish  to grow with . Or do you have to keep them on their own all the time. Space is always a problem

Frank

Hi Frank,

I am very pleased that you are having good results with the new brineshrimp eggs. You are doing good in giving them a good feeding before you go to work. The fry will fill their stomachs and stop feeding for a while. The nauplii will keep alive for about 6 to 8 hours in fresh water, so they will have another feeding  or two whenever the are hungry. Then when you come home from work, they will have a fresh supply.

It would be much better if you make another hatchery. The nauplii start to feed on their yolk-sac which is very rich in vitamins and after a few hours, they start to moult and form their shells. This will consume over 75% of the vitamins stored in the sac. The more newly hatched the shrimps, are the better for the fry.

Your question is very debatable. This depends with which fry you will keep them with.  Killifish fry grow very fast and they might be very competitive for food and probably starve the other fry you have with them. Also fry from other species eat other prepared food  like powder and flake while the killies will refuse it.

If you do not have enough room, limit yourself to what you can breed. It is much better than overcrowding and you will have better results.

Charles. 

 The fewer fry the better Frank. The fittest will survive in the wild. It is always hard to cull some fry but better to have a few strong and healthy fry rather then hundreds of stunned or small fry.

martin