Goldfish Sperm Activation

SXK TVR BBR 20 DPF 4/19/14 Spawn B

Dipterids of the greenhouse 5 species

Today's hatch in the greenhouse. 

?

?

Chironomid (bloodworm) and ?

Moth fly

Oriental trading pompom spawning mop

Single floating spawning mop in a small bowl.

http://www.orientaltrading.com/spirit-pom-poms-a2-13633761.fltr?Ntt=pompom

Chironomid (bloodworm) egg mass

A possible candidate. 

Bluebelly shubunkin x Wakin spawning goldfish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A9-TlZOpHg


Best Fishes
David
www.goldfishgarage.com

Brine shrimp rack

This is an old friend I've pull out of the bone yard to help keep up with the current brine shrimp demand. I'll also keep a few moina cultures going. 

I built this in 2001 at work for an experiment culturing moina. It was designed around  the 1.25 liter crystal geyser brand of soda water bottle. When cut they hold a liter of water.  I typically hatch at 1 liter water, one tablespoon (5ml) and one tablespoon (5ml) salt.  During the cold times of the year, they are run on a 48 hour cycle, with a first small flush of nauplii at 24 hours, given to the smallest of fry, then by 48 hours a large harvest of shrimp is collected.  Today we had a 89 F degree day and the shrimp will likely be on a 24 hour cycle and less density.

It is made with one inch and half inch pvc, friction fit together. 

A separate air manifold is zip tied to the back.

There are 8 positions, giving lots of options.

The cap and neck of the inverted bottle fit nicely into the one inch tee at the bottom.  

Plastic air valves are critical this close to salt.

To fit the available space, it was impossible to lift the cones out of the top, so the front top rail and supports were removed for front loading.

The fit is good enough to not need the side bars.  This rack can be made simply with a row of one inch tees pointing up and one perpendicular at each end to keep the rack upright.

A second harvest at 48 hrs.

I make my own soda water in a 5 gallon cornilius keg so it's novel to buy bottles.

A bottle with exactly 1 liter of water.

As filled with a graduated cylinder. 

Fry tub airline Utube

In the floating fry tubs I like to keep things moving with an airstone. Before the eggs hatch and when the fry are on the bottom, the airstone can move around and damage or kill them. 

This is a simple little trick to keep the airstone off the bottom. 

Simply heat up a length of rigid airline with a lighter and bend it to the needed shape. 

Hugs the wall tightly and keeps the airstone off the floor of the tub.

This orignal piece was simply bent into a u. 

You can make then much more custom to the bowl by shaping to the lip of the bowl. 

To attach slide over the lip.

A little twist.

And you have a snug fit.

That will stay on the bowl.

For fine tuned air, and inline drip irregation valve can make fine adjustments or stop air right at the bowl. 

Drip irregation inline valve.

http://www.dripworks.com/product/14VFV-20

Back in place.

A tight fit.

This will also work in reverse for water using my airstone fry filter trick seen here.   Having the airstone off the bottom will prevent all the water from being removed from the bowl, as the slow flow and capillary action will drain all the water from the fry.

Daphnia pulex

Pompon spawning mops

The pompons are from Oriental Trading. They are lower quality than the green poly shakers but are 1/2 the price. I have them all floating in a tub of fresh water to see how they saturate. So far it might take a while, or a wash with soap to get them fully submerged and more weight maybe needed. The smallest sinking model will work great in a spawning tub, or for a squeeze media.

The kit

Float and weights

Aluminum fishing net float and ceramic insulators for electric fences

Cut off the handle

Snip

Handle removed

Feed the zip tie through the insulator then around the pompon, back through the insulator and zip the tie

The mechanism of the tie keeps it from falling through the insulator

The cut end of the zip tie is very sharp  

Melt it with a lighter to save your buckles and the fish's scales

Melted

Finished single sinking spawning mop

Triple (3 pompons) on a large ceramic insulator

Single floating spawning mop

Double floating spawning mop

Four versions

And a fifth version. 

Floating 4 PomPon spawning mop.