Culture Journal, Species: [Brachionus plicatilis]

General
Species: Brachionus plicatilis
Species description: "L" Type Marine
Culture source (link if possible): http://www.reedmariculture.com/rotifer/instant.asp
If algae, CCMP # (ref http://ccmp.bigelow.edu/ ):

Culturing Vessel Details
Salinity: Varies (see additional information below) - Update 1/22/11: Salinity is now kept at 1.015
Temperature: ambient room temperature
Vessel description: 5 gallon carboy and/or 5 gallon bucket - Update 1/22/11 omitted the use of 5 gallon buckets
Lighting description: Room lighting (none specifically set up for the rotifers)
Lighting cycle: No specific cycle
Aeration description: Rigid airline (without airstone) placed in bottom middle of inverted carboy or taped to the side of a 5 gallon bucket set to low flow

Methodologies
Split methodology:
Daily: Remove amount needed for larvae and reef tanks
Once Weekly: Split 50% - restart in clean carboy and/or 5 gallon bucket - Update 1/22/11: 100% water changes once weekly
Twice Weekly: Remove 50% (feed the reef tanks with the extra) and top off with new saltwater

Culture medium description:
RotiGrow Plus fed twice daily (morning & night) to keep a lime green color at all times

Cell count:
(if known)

Reference links:

Additional Information
Notes:


Culture started on 7/4/10:

I keep the salinity in each vessel differently. The reason for this, once my larvae hatch, I slowly decrease their salinity therefor, I want the rotifer salinity to match. As the fry get older, I slowly increase their salinity and so I slowly increase the rotifers salinity. At any given time, my rotifer salinity can range from 1.019 to 1.023. As I understand it, rotifers can handle a .002 change in salinity but I prefer to keep them matched up as close as possible.

 

Update 1/22/11:

Salinity is kept at 1.015 instead of matching larval tanks & added 100% water change once weekly to maintenance schedule.




You will be required to provide photographic evidence and as much detail as possible about your project in this thread.
If your thread does not contain detailed enough photos  and information the MBI Council will not be able to approve your reports.

Culture Establishment Video (hard to see in an orange home depot bucket)

 
Continuation of rotifer culture:

Can you show us some pictures of the whole setup?

Chad Penney - MBI Council
Agis quod Adis

Here it is

Love it ! So draining the cultures from above, you just let it flow through the sieve and have the culture water go down the drain? Looks so much easier and faster

Michelle  
 

Now you just need a little closed loop of WC water running around the ceiling so you can just turn one nozzle to re-fill, too.

--Andy, the bucket man.
"Not to know the mandolin is to argue oneself unknown...." --Clara Lanza, 1886