Culture Journal, Species: Parvocalanus crassirostris

General
Species:  Parvocalanus crassirostris
Species description:  Calanoid copepod with very small nauplii
Culture source (link if possible):  Reed Mariculture
If algae, CCMP # (Optional):  N/A
http://ccmp.bigelow.edu/
Culture Establishment Date:  9/21/2011
Continuation Date: 

Culturing Vessel Details
Salinity:  1.026 (35 PPT)
Temperature:    Low 70s F
pH:  Not measured

Vessel description:  1000 ml Erlenmeyer flasks
Lighting description:  In my phytoplankton culture station
Lighting cycle:  16 H on / 8 H off
Aeration description:  Very gentle air with a rigid ariline.

Methodologies
Split methodology:

Culture medium description: 
Artificial salt water

Cell count:   Unknowown
 (if known)

Reference links:  

Additional Information
(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)
Notes: 



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I've only had these little guys for 5 days now, but they are multiplying like nobody's business!  I'm keeping them fed very lightly, but very consistently, with live Isochrysis and live Thalassiosira combined.  The cultures are getting very dense with all life stages.  I have also noticed many, many small, white, spherical eggs being deposited.  More on these copepods as I work with them, but my initial response is: "WOW!"

I am a very happy camper.  Dense dense dense cultures of Parvo in both 1000 ml flasks I'm running, so I split them into 3 and am feeding more heavily now.

OK, I know I'm sounding redundant and boring, but the density of these copepods is really impressive!  It is interesting watching them, though, compared to other copepod species I've worked with.  They seem to just float motionlessly, for the most part, and then will suddenly take off swimming.  If it turn the air off for a couple of minutes, leave them in the dark, and let the detritus settle out, then observe them with a flashlight behind their container and a magnifying glass, I see a really dense culture.  They are strongly phtottrophic, but not all at once.  Many will just sit motionless for many seconds, and all the while various individuals will take off swimming suddenly towards the light.
 
Measuring them like I do for rotifers, I get something like 20-30 copepods of various sizes per ml.

Any updates? I just got new starters to play with. Have you tried feeding them RGC?

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

Not yet, Tal but I'm planning on doing so with this new set.  My earlier cultures got contaminated by Apocyclops (stupid, stupid, stupid me!).  It took a while, but the Apo did finally win out.
 
Now that I have fresh, clear Parvo cultures, I'll do some RGC and also Shellfish Diet tests with them, as soon as I get my stock cultures re-established.  Should be just a few days before I can start.
 
FWIW, I have had great success raising the Bluestripe pipefish fry with Parvocalanus alone for the first two weeks.  Anecdotally, the survival rates of the pipes seems to be better with Parvo alone than with Apocyclops or even a mixture.  I'm going to try to repeat that success soon.

All I have is RGC so I'm trying it.

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

I've managed to keep them alive on O. marina, but not thrive like you are talking about, Jim. Good for you! Mine seem just as lethargic in the water column, though. I'm trying another bunch with a little different protocol to see if I can do any better.

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

My cultures are also doing very well,dense and lively,supporting partial harvest every other day.Naups like to swim showing their comma like profile,good diagnostic feature
I´m glad I can post here,most copepod threads are closed for me.
BTW Jim,your avatar shows a nauplius molt,not a copepodite´s

 
Hunh?  Are you having trouble posting in other threads on MBI?


 
I stand corrected!  Thanks, Luis!

The threads in "Intro to Culturing Pelagic Copepods" are closed to "non-members" so if you're not in you can't post.

Anderson.

I think we should let Luis in as a guest professor. JMO
I am finally having some success with Isochrysis, so I'll be ordering some P. crassirostris soon.  Does anyone know the origin of the name? Rostris usually means nose, but I doubt these critters have one.

Nice gag,Kathy!
Crassus=fat,thick.
Rostrum=face
 
 

The class size limit was not really meant as a way to limit discussion, just as a protection for me so I didn't spend the entire fall organizing and shipping so many free cultures that I didn't have time to do the things I do to actually make money. I can put you in there if you'd like, Luis.

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

I understand this and in no way was I complaining.Just sometimes I could add my experiences on the subject,if this could help

Done.

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