Boring Rotifer Info

[leena]

Just posting this info for someone. Very boring.

Brachionus plicatilis
start 11/04/05

currently low density
~ 1.015
-room temp. in a large tub varies from 60F at night to high 60's during day
-under window for natural sunlight only
-have air line (no stone) with several bubbles per second
-currently on yeast feed, mix a pinch of yeast with warm water, mix well and drop in. Will sustain low density culture.
-currently not fed every day. more one, two, skip a few...
-water change ~ one a month


higher density (females)
- I've read 1.015 is one of best, going to/below 1.010 has worked best for me
-increased light IMPORTANT!
-leave water clouded with feed (harder to watch water quality with yeast, might consider going to greenwater).
-use heater
-increase air flow
-use water conditioner to keep levels in check. important if using yeast
-try to simulate summer pond conditions
-usually do batches in 2L bottles
-if you decide to do a constant high density culture vs. batch rotifers should be removed daily to help prevent crashes (do water change at the same time) heavy feed will replenish in 24 hours.


If using as a feed keep conditions optimal to produce females. Any stresses will produce males and culture will go sexual.

back up (good to have)
take low density culture and fill 2L soda bottle. Leave uncapped and put in low light place (think back of bookshelf). Don't touch. If something happens to your main culture you can pull the backup out, put it under lights, replace the water that has evaporated and put live algae in for a feed. Presto, replacement rotifers.

Stuff you already knew...
-don't put rotifer water directly into tank you are feeding. You may have better animal husbandry practices than I do, but I wouldn't trust my culture water.
-if culture crashes and you don't have a backup, change most of water, then do frequent water changes (leaving bottom gunk) and keep conditions A+. Chances are if the little buggers were stressed enough to die, they were also stressed enough to leave behind some cysts to restart with.
- perfect high density cultures will produce a lot of rotifers and eventually crash. Keep an abused backup.
- rotifers can eat yeast, dead algae, expired live phyo, mystery phyto, wierd liquid from veggie matter in the fridge, or the good stuff. They can live happy little rotifer lives on any of the above. Before using them as a feed enrich them with a desired algae or selco. Think of the females as the little carriers that you use to get your larval whatever to eat whatever you last fed the rotifers. Males are swimming gonads. Keep cultures happy and female so you can aviod using the males as a feed.
-before feeding drip to get sp.gravity close to what you are using in larval tanks to aviod shock.

This works for me, sure you will get lots of other people telling you better ways to run things soon.

Regards

[leena]

Very very boring

Forgot..

Values for "low" and "high" are just the way I think of them..
Low density for me below ~15/ml
High density sustainable ~30-50/ml
High density best for batches ~50 - 100's

Trying to sustain high density -only been able to do with algae, if going to use right away can get VERY high density using yeast 100's/ml (but will crash soon for me).

higher density feeding

recommended: add approx 1 gram yeast/10 million rotifers 2x day
actual here: tint water just enough that it will clear before next feeding. feed 2x day.

recommended: 15 ml of phyto per 10 million rotifers per day
feed 2x per day
actual here: for high density keep water tinted with food. culture will be fed before crashes, and rotifers that have gone hungry for a few hours can go sexual.

googled these - they are considered the "saltwater L strain rotifer". All are really more brackish. Most of this species should be larger than 200 microns.