Total Newbie to BBS Hatching..Help

[SeaMunky]

Hey my friends..Well I have spent countless hours reading reading,and more reading..I still havent grasped the idea of this yet..
COuld someone please put this into Newbie form for me..lmao..AS in exact equipment, how to set up., and how long do I keep them when they hatch, ect..omg I have read so much that I dont get the whole feeding process..
I ordered some kind of ready to feed stuff, but someone told me these arent really good for them..
I am expecting my Banger Fry next week, so I need to be ready..
Any help would be great...Sorry for the newbieness..lmaooooooooo

[sandyc]

Hi Seamunky
I took a plastic water bottle and cut the bottom (flat end) off. I used a good bread knife to cut it. I then turned the cut off bottle upside down and set it in a mason jar so that the cap end is down and the cut end up. I put water from the parents tank into the bottle, inserted a ridged airline into the bottle down into the cap and have the air at a steady bubble. You don't want to have the air so high that you "boil' the water. Add the BBS eggs and leave 24 hours. Turn off the air and let the unhatched eggs settle to the bottom. Pour the upper part of the water through the seive to catch the swimming BBS. Feed the babies immediately. It is a homemade set up but it works. The key is to keep the eggs suspended. They won't hatch if they are sitting on the bottom of the container.

Good luck! You're going to be a great Mom.

[SeahorseBT]

Good advice^^

[SeaMunky]

Hey Sandy...thanks so much..I am in a fit because the ready to feed bbs is on back order..
Woodstock had pm'd me awhile back on how to do this, but I somehow erased it, and I didnt want to bother her again with it, she is sooo busy with her littles ones..lol..

[Woodstock]

No bother at all!

I first purchased a fancy brine shrimp hatchery only to have it break (small plastic nipple at the bottom broke off) so I have now devised another way.

Now I have 4

I simply cut the bottom 1" off of a 2 or 3 liter plastic bottle; then (with the top screwed tightly) turn it upside down and place it on a 4" PVC coupling. Next place a rigid airline tube down to the bottom, add saltwater, brine shrimp eggs and a light. Make sure the air is vigorously bubbling.

Temperature plays a key role in hatching time, so keep the temp as close to 80 as you can for fast hatches.

I place my brineshrimp hatcheries directly in my rotifer growout tank that is heated to 80 deg and both stay warm.

Hummm... I should take pictures. They will explain it much easier than my typing

[SeaMunky]

ohh thanks so much Doni...I appreciate the help immensly..
Now when I feed, do I feed all of what I catch?..Do I hatch more everyday, what do I do with the bigger ones?..Do I empy the bottle each day and clean it and start from scratch?..Do I need more than one going at different times?..Sorry for all the Q's, but I in a bit of panic today, as for I have little guys that totally hatched this morning..9 days early..dont know what to do...

[sandyc]

Originally Posted by Woodstock

No bother at all!

I first purchased a fancy brine shrimp hatchery only to have it break (small plastic nipple at the bottom broke off) so I have now devised another way.

Now I have 4

I simply cut the bottom 1" off of a 2 or 3 liter plastic bottle; then (with the top screwed tightly) turn it upside down and place it on a 4" PVC coupling. Next place a rigid airline tube down to the bottom, add saltwater, brine shrimp eggs and a light. Make sure the air is vigorously bubbling.

Temperature plays a key role in hatching time, so keep the temp as close to 80 as you can for fast hatches.

I place my brineshrimp hatcheries directly in my rotifer growout tank that is heated to 80 deg and both stay warm.

Hummm... I should take pictures. They will explain it much easier than my typing

I would love to see some pictures. My setup is simple and it works for now but I will probably need to expand my hatchery soon.Our set ups sound similiar only mine smaller and I use a mason jar to hold the cut bottle. Like I said I would love to see a photo of your set up to help me with expansion.

[SeaMunky]

I second that...maybe I will have time to copy something close to it..lol..

[Woodstock]

Here are some pics I took

Here is the 3" PVC coupling


Two inverted 2 liter bottles sitting on the PVC


Here is one sitting inside one of my rotifer culturing tanks to keep it warm.
Notice the green rigid tubing that briskly aerates the brine shrimp eggs.
Ohhh... I use only decapsulated eggs.

[sandyc]

Doni Marie thanks for sharing. I spotted the mason jar in the 2nd photo. They are handy containers aren't they? LOL Here is a picture of my mini version using a 16 oz water bottle in a mason jar. I will need to upgrade to a setup like you have if my fish keep making babies. (I can't wait) The gallon bottles hold my back up rotifers.


I have to figure out how to make my pictures smaller. Any suggestions?

[SeaMunky]

I like seeing the bigger pics..lol..I know I'm not much help eh..hahahahaha

ok girls, what is the hard plastic line yous are using at the end of the airtubing?

[Woodstock]

Sandy - haha.. yep, mason jars can be used for many things.

SeaMunky - the hard plastic line is called RIGID AIRLINE TUBING. You can purchase it online or get it from your LFS.

[SeaMunky]

ok thanks Doni...I will check it out tonight...