classroom captive breeding program - Page 2

olin · 10/23/2009, 08:49 PM

Hi Eileen, sounds like your setup is off to a great start. There are a LOT of ways to do aquaculture using "found" items. I started my first aquaculture business as a starving undergrad with one tank, and a lot of dumpster diving for discarded plastic containers. Here are a few things that work great and are (nearly) free. 1 or 2 liter soda bottles. Culture plankton in the clear ones, and larvae in the green ones (or wrap black construction paper around the clear ones). This way you can have maybe 4/class with 5-10 larvae/bottle/hatch, so each group will have a batch. For the larvae, cut off the narrow tops so you can access the larvae. Keeping everything at an appropriate temp is a problem, but if you have the 55 set up with a heater, you can make a shelf inside out of eggcrate and zip ties and use the growout tank to temper the larval tubes. Just use a rigid airline with no airstone in the bottles - at 1 bubble/second, you can run a ton of these bottles off a single air pump.

Don't forget the rest of the community for donations - as part of our class, since there were science students who didn't like science, they were on a marketing committee. They went into the community or called around to fish stores and did a market survey. Best of all they got sponsors for both equipment and $, and they even negotiated a few pricier pieces of used equipment from stores (lights, skimmer etc), with the agreement that if our fish spawned, we would pay them for the items in fish, or if not, we would bring the gear back at the end of the year. Since the gear was already used, the fish stores agreed (and at the end of the year, they were all paid in fish)!

hobogato · 11/02/2009, 09:11 AM

we have 6 baby cuttles!!!!! pics coming soon

hobogato · 11/02/2009, 05:55 PM

here are the pics - i snapped them as we moved the babies to their new net breeder

in a glass holding bowl

closer

plastic transfer dish - relatively easy to use and little stress on the babies, although one did ink a bit because i moved a little too fast.

closer

couple of buddies in the new net breeder - notice the net is inside out to keep them from getting tangled in the seam

thru the glass pic

all six after they settled in under the chaeto (i carefully moved it to take the pic from above)

rkelman · 11/02/2009, 07:39 PM

very cool congrats! I look forward to seeing their progress. I'd love to keep some one day.

clowns101 · 11/02/2009, 08:05 PM

Where did you get the eggs?If you dont mind me asking!

hobogato · 11/02/2009, 08:44 PM

one of my lfs owners ordered them from a supplier.

clowns101 · 11/02/2009, 09:48 PM

Were can I get them online?

hobogato · 11/09/2009, 09:06 AM

not sure where to find them online, sorry.

you may check in at tonmo.com, captive raised ones are available there periodically.

well, mixed news this morning. last week, the two smallest hatchling cuttles died and this morning only the largest two of the initial 6 were still alive. at least one of them is eating tho, since i put in several live mysis on friday and none are left now.

also, three of the remaining four eggs hatched this weekend, so hopefully they will all make it.

buttons buster · 11/10/2009, 06:40 PM

glad to see that the tanks are doing well

Marchingbandjs · 11/10/2009, 10:57 PM

Sweet, lucky kids, keep us updated

11/02/2009, 09:11 AM	#27
hobogato Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: SanAntonio, TX Posts: 1,122	we have 6 baby cuttles!!!!! pics coming soon __________________ ace Current Tank Info: 150 gallon biofiltered cuttle lagoon

11/02/2009, 05:55 PM	#28
hobogato Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: SanAntonio, TX Posts: 1,122	here are the pics - i snapped them as we moved the babies to their new net breeder in a glass holding bowl closer plastic transfer dish - relatively easy to use and little stress on the babies, although one did ink a bit because i moved a little too fast. closer couple of buddies in the new net breeder - notice the net is inside out to keep them from getting tangled in the seam thru the glass pic all six after they settled in under the chaeto (i carefully moved it to take the pic from above) __________________ ace Current Tank Info: 150 gallon biofiltered cuttle lagoon

11/02/2009, 08:05 PM	#30
clowns101 Clowns Crazy!!!!!! Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,048	Where did you get the eggs?If you dont mind me asking! __________________ clowns.101@hotmail.com is my email Thanks, Austin/clowns101 Current Tank Info: 3 tanks 30,10,8 and working on a 300 to 400 gallon clownfish breeding system and a anemone propagation system of about 100 gallons!

11/02/2009, 08:44 PM	#31
hobogato Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: SanAntonio, TX Posts: 1,122	one of my lfs owners ordered them from a supplier. __________________ ace Current Tank Info: 150 gallon biofiltered cuttle lagoon

11/02/2009, 09:48 PM	#32
clowns101 Clowns Crazy!!!!!! Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,048	Were can I get them online? __________________ clowns.101@hotmail.com is my email Thanks, Austin/clowns101 Current Tank Info: 3 tanks 30,10,8 and working on a 300 to 400 gallon clownfish breeding system and a anemone propagation system of about 100 gallons!

10/23/2009, 08:49 PM	#26
olin Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 197	Hi Eileen, sounds like your setup is off to a great start. There are a LOT of ways to do aquaculture using "found" items. I started my first aquaculture business as a starving undergrad with one tank, and a lot of dumpster diving for discarded plastic containers. Here are a few things that work great and are (nearly) free. 1 or 2 liter soda bottles. Culture plankton in the clear ones, and larvae in the green ones (or wrap black construction paper around the clear ones). This way you can have maybe 4/class with 5-10 larvae/bottle/hatch, so each group will have a batch. For the larvae, cut off the narrow tops so you can access the larvae. Keeping everything at an appropriate temp is a problem, but if you have the 55 set up with a heater, you can make a shelf inside out of eggcrate and zip ties and use the growout tank to temper the larval tubes. Just use a rigid airline with no airstone in the bottles - at 1 bubble/second, you can run a ton of these bottles off a single air pump. Don't forget the rest of the community for donations - as part of our class, since there were science students who didn't like science, they were on a marketing committee. They went into the community or called around to fish stores and did a market survey. Best of all they got sponsors for both equipment and $, and they even negotiated a few pricier pieces of used equipment from stores (lights, skimmer etc), with the agreement that if our fish spawned, we would pay them for the items in fish, or if not, we would bring the gear back at the end of the year. Since the gear was already used, the fish stores agreed (and at the end of the year, they were all paid in fish)!

11/02/2009, 07:39 PM	#29
rkelman Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Belleville, Ontario Canada Posts: 3,055	very cool congrats! I look forward to seeing their progress. I'd love to keep some one day.

11/09/2009, 09:06 AM	#33
hobogato Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: SanAntonio, TX Posts: 1,122	not sure where to find them online, sorry. you may check in at tonmo.com, captive raised ones are available there periodically. well, mixed news this morning. last week, the two smallest hatchling cuttles died and this morning only the largest two of the initial 6 were still alive. at least one of them is eating tho, since i put in several live mysis on friday and none are left now. also, three of the remaining four eggs hatched this weekend, so hopefully they will all make it. __________________ ace Current Tank Info: 150 gallon biofiltered cuttle lagoon

11/10/2009, 06:40 PM	#34
buttons buster Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sacramento Posts: 1,277	glad to see that the tanks are doing well

11/10/2009, 10:57 PM	#35
Marchingbandjs Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 133	Sweet, lucky kids, keep us updated