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Unread 02/19/2017, 06:50 PM   #26
taricha
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One clue that spawning is about to happen is digging a deep pit outside the tunnels. Presumably that's where the spawning takes place.
This pit (front left) was freshly re-dug today.


Here's a shot of how much sand was dug out today



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Unread 02/19/2017, 08:40 PM   #27
farfromsea
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Wow did not realize they spawn so soon after the first time? What intensity of light do you have for the 14H perjodv


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Unread 02/19/2017, 09:44 PM   #28
taricha
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Wow did not realize they spawn so soon after the first time? What intensity of light do you have for the 14H perjodv
"Spawn Time of Day: Dusk
Dates of Consecutive Spawns: 3/23/16 for the spawn documented here. Approximately every 10-11 days a new spawn is recorded."
from thread on mbi

If last spawn was on Friday (I found male with eggs Sat), then tomorrow evening would be 10 days.

Such a short turnaround. If my pod culture doesn't whip into shape miraculously, I'll likely skip trying to do anything with this next batch and focus on getting my act together on the live food cultures.

Light:
I think my light intensity is like 56 watts of sucky LEDs + direct morning sun.
there's I believe 24 watts of sucky LEDs that are on for the 14hrs.


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Unread 02/20/2017, 08:42 PM   #29
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So at least the phytoplankton part of the live culture is working like it should.
T-Iso (Tisochrysis lutea): left is on 2/15, right is today 2/20.

I know that's still not dense by culture standards, but I split it for redundancy. Inoculated 2 sterilized .5L batches (with f/2 strength) and a test tube to save culture in case of crash.

Phase 1 is looking solid. 3 separate cultures + backup. 2 L total.

Now on to Phase 2: Can I get more than a few sprinklings of these parvocalanus crassirostris pods?


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Unread 02/20/2017, 11:56 PM   #30
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What resource are you using to plan your culture cultivation? Fingers crossed for some parvo


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Unread 02/21/2017, 05:46 AM   #31
taricha
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What resource are you using to plan your culture cultivation? Fingers crossed for some parvo
Here's what I've been reading on parvocalanus - and they are so versatile for raising larval fish, I think it'd be of interest to a lot of people.

#1
http://www.mbisite.org/Forums/tm.aspx?&m=79048&mpage=1
Lots of good info - can skip over the discussions of carbon per volume in cultures. Bottom line: we feed too much. Pics in there of what constitutes appropriate food amount, and its impossible to make myself feed that little T-Iso. :-)

#2
"Development of intensive copepod culture technology for Parvocalanus crassirostris: Optimizing adult density"
Good stuff on optimal culture composition/splitting etc.
Headlines: "Fecundity decreased from 26 eggs per female per day at an adult density of 0.25 per mL to less than 1 egg per female per day when operated at 8 adults mL."
also see the attached pic from study. Suggest to me to split (or remove adults) once ~1 adult/mL is reached, if we're going for max growth.

#3
http://www.mbisite.org/Forums/tm.aspx?&m=82828&mpage=1
more discussion of feeding levels - how much parvo can I support with these bottles of T-Iso?
also discussion of co-cultures and using different filter sieve sizes - when ciliates etc creep up in a parvo bucket.


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Unread 02/21/2017, 06:07 AM   #32
taricha
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Here's the pic of goal food levels according to thread #1 in last post.
Fed with T-Iso on the left, unfed on the right.
It looks like nothing and on top of that, the poster in the thread says that his cultures that get fed least are the ones that do the best.


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Unread 02/21/2017, 07:33 PM   #33
taricha
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10 days after first spawn, male has another mouth full of eggs this morning.
Spawns on evenings of 2/10 & 2/20.


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Unread 02/23/2017, 12:46 AM   #34
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Awesome! I've been too sleep deprived to read those articles properly but hopefully will be able to soon! Thanks for them. Will be following the second batch


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Unread 02/23/2017, 08:19 PM   #35
taricha
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One step forward, two steps back last couple of days.
Parvo pods are progressing I think. Slowly. Three containers with parvo pod populations that I've managed to avoid overfeeding. Probably 3/4 a gallon total, and much less than 1 adult per mL.

Two steps back... male decided he would eat the eggs yesterday. Not sure how. I fed him so much I figured he was too fat to eat the eggs. That pig proved me wrong.

And my T-iso...

It's not gold anymore, it's rapidly turning green, microscope shows it contaminated. I waited too long to split and make backup cultures, so those are contaminated too, though not as thoroughly. Probably will stay mostly live T-iso for one more day. I also have some phycopure copepod blend that's refrigerated. Although not ideal, it'll keep the parvo pods alive until I can reestablish clean T-iso.
Sigh.
Apparently there's a reason people don't breed jawfish all the time.


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Unread 02/25/2017, 01:52 PM   #36
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I'm going to post things related to the culturing of the microfoods in the microfoods thread, and post in here stuff more directly related to the jawfish.

The Chromis in my tank harasses the jawfish (and everyone else in the tank) and most of the activity around the jawfish tunnels involves defending them from the chromis harassment all day long. It's always been this way, but nonetheless I'm thinking it's time for the chromis to go. I'm thinking perhaps the swallowing of the eggs might have had something to do with the constant harassment of the chromis.
So maybe I'm going fishing with a real tiny hook today.


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Unread 02/25/2017, 02:48 PM   #37
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Yes my plan to for my (future currently nonexistent) jawfish is to have them be basically the only fish in the tank. All I have now are mollies


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Unread 02/28/2017, 06:57 PM   #38
taricha
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Yes my plan to for my (future currently nonexistent) jawfish is to have them be basically the only fish in the tank.
That would simplify things definitely.
By my count 2-3 days until next batch of eggs. I feel like removing the chromis is necessary to bring down stress level in the tank. Chromis is too suspicious to be caught by even a tiny hook.
Plan B is to take advice I heard long ago: train fish to eat from a container, so you can catch any fish whenever you need.
It takes time.. Yesterday only one fish went in on purpose, one on accident. Today, two fish in on purpose, two briefly in on accident.
Algae Blenny this evening decided that if there was a food bucket, he would live in it (part time, at least).

Progress.


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Unread 03/01/2017, 01:40 AM   #39
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What is your plan for the chromis? You have another tank?


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Unread 03/01/2017, 04:55 AM   #40
taricha
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What is your plan for the chromis? You have another tank?
Nah, to the LFS.


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Unread 03/04/2017, 07:32 AM   #41
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My fish are confused. They spawned at lights on yesterday. 11 days since last spawn.
Female went into male's tunnel with fat belly, bobbed halfway in/out of entrance a few times. Looked almost as though the male might have been pulling the female back in by the tail. Female came out without eggs in belly and male had them in his mouth.

4 days of feeding in the tube and on day 5, I gave it a shot.

Caught that fast chromis on first try.

In the lead-up to that the two jawfish didn't get that much food because I was only feeding the tube, so the male might have eaten the eggs on day 1.

But now the chromis is gone, there will be a lot less stress and territorial aggressive displays.


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Unread 03/04/2017, 11:11 AM   #42
farfromsea
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Impressive fish catching. Too bad about the eggs but there will be more and you get more time to prep the cultures


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Unread 03/04/2017, 09:00 PM   #43
taricha
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So this morning, I saw this and realized I might have misjudged the male.


Tunnel entrance being totally sealed is one of the behaviors I've only seen them do when guarding eggs.

And this evening he appears...

...With eggs. I guess I just have to get used to the fact that when he sees me, he expects a meal, so he may go 20 minutes without appearing outside the tunnel with the eggs in his mouth.


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Unread 03/07/2017, 08:26 AM   #44
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Such a durpy look on his face! If- or when- you're successful, do you think you'll sell any of them?


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Unread 03/07/2017, 09:18 AM   #45
taricha
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Such a durpy look on his face! If- or when- you're successful, do you think you'll sell any of them?
Yep. If I somehow manage that then I'd like to make some available. And guaranteed if any survive my care then they must be hardy individuals :-)


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Unread 03/07/2017, 02:37 PM   #46
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This is VERY cool! I have always liked yellow headed jawfish. Want to get one in my 300... or a pair. It seems that they will do ok even with other, faster feeders around. Do you target feed the adults? Or will they be able to come out and get mysis (e.g.) when I feed the tank? I've got some wrasses and tangs that are quick to feed. But nothing that is super aggressive.


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Unread 03/07/2017, 06:33 PM   #47
taricha
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This is VERY cool! I have always liked yellow headed jawfish. Want to get one in my 300... or a pair. It seems that they will do ok even with other, faster feeders around. Do you target feed the adults? Or will they be able to come out and get mysis (e.g.) when I feed the tank? I've got some wrasses and tangs that are quick to feed. But nothing that is super aggressive.
I'll talk about what happens in my tank, because other experiences vary. At first, I target fed right to their tunnel entrances. Now, I just feed their side of the tank. If other big fast movers are around, they will not go much further out of their tunnel than a body length. But if food flows within that target area, they'll snap it up. When no one is around they'll go almost a foot away from their tunnel.
They'll also stay up late and hunt in dark after others have gone to bed.
Some foods they had to learn and others they recognized immediately. Mysis and brine shrimp they took almost immediately.
One thing they react to in a totally different way than everything else - they can spot a swimming amphipod no other fish even notices and snag it from half a tank away. It's got to have been a big part of their diet in the wild - they are like anti-aircraft missiles for swimming amphipods.


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Unread 03/08/2017, 07:21 AM   #48
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I'll talk about what happens in my tank, because other experiences vary. At first, I target fed right to their tunnel entrances. Now, I just feed their side of the tank. If other big fast movers are around, they will not go much further out of their tunnel than a body length. But if food flows within that target area, they'll snap it up. When no one is around they'll go almost a foot away from their tunnel.
They'll also stay up late and hunt in dark after others have gone to bed.
Some foods they had to learn and others they recognized immediately. Mysis and brine shrimp they took almost immediately.
One thing they react to in a totally different way than everything else - they can spot a swimming amphipod no other fish even notices and snag it from half a tank away. It's got to have been a big part of their diet in the wild - they are like anti-aircraft missiles for swimming amphipods.
Awesome! I was hoping for some info like this. Good thing I've already got a screen top as I'm gonna have to get one or two. :0)


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Unread 03/09/2017, 06:39 AM   #49
taricha
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Yesterday was day 5 by my count. Expecting hatch Friday (night?)
Got two small tanks set up for the fry with two different methods.
One tank is "easy" and one is "dense."

"Dense" is putting the fry into a parvocalanus culture tank, fed by cultured T-iso and Phycopure copepod blend. Chlor-am-x for ammonia control/water quality between water changes. Parvo pods will be maintained as close to 2-3 adults per mL as possible for max egg/nauplii production.

"Easy" tank is a Tisbe pod culture tank with rotifers added. Ammonia control/water quality by clumps of chaeto. Tank is fed RGcomplete, DTs, and any greenwater culture I have at the time. It's "easy" because of the larger range of food the Tisbe and Rots will accept, and relying on chaeto for water quality. This will not have near the same nutrition density so I'll try fewer fry.

If anyone can ballpark estimate a number of fry per gallon that's reasonable to attempt I'd be interested to hear.


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Unread 03/09/2017, 09:46 AM   #50
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Good luck! Hope it goes well!


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