Culture Journal, Species: Brachionus Placitilis

General
Species: Brachionus Plicatilis 
Species description: Marine Rotifer 
Culture source (link if possible):  Reed Mariculture Inc. 
If algae, CCMP # (Optional): 
http://ccmp.bigelow.edu/
Culture Establishment Date: 9-30-11  5:00 p.m. 
Continuation Date: 

Culturing Vessel Details
Salinity: 1.015 
Temperature: 68 Degrees F 
pH:  7.8

Vessel description: (2) 5 gallon plastic IO buckets 
Lighting description:  Room lighting 80 watts of NO Flourescents 
Lighting cycle: none 
Aeration description:  Luft Pump connected to airline tubing, flexible and ridgid.  Contiuous bubble count, enough to see small ripples at the surface of the water. 

Methodologies
Split methodology: I mixed fresh saltwater and added approx. 1 gallon to each 5 gallon bucket.  Also added 1/2 tsp. powdered CoramX to each bucket.  The unopened bag of rotifers were placed into one of the buckets to allow temperature to equalize.   Divided the 1 million count rotifers in half.  One for each bucket.
 
Culture medium description: Added approx. 2 mls of RotiGrow+ to each bucket.  Enough so I could not see the bottom of the bucket.
 
Cell count:
 (if known)

Reference links:  

Additional Information
Notes:  My order of rotifers arrived at 11:00 a.m. on 9-30-11 and was placed in one of the 5 gallon buckets that contained approx. 1 gallon of saltwater.  The bag of rotifers stayed in this bucket until 5:00 p.m. at which point was then divided.  I do not have air stones on the ends of my ridgid tubing in the buckets.  I did not dilute my GR+.  I justed added enough to tint the water green enough so I could not see the bottom.



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First timer here.  Tals directions will be followed and I hope I can be successful!  Not much to report now but I am excited to get these guys growing.  I will have some larvae to feed in about 5 days.
 

Attached Image(s)

I am up to 4 gallons in each bucket and the rotifers are multiplying nicely.  I am adding about 1 ml GR+ in the morning, mid afternnon and night.  If the water is still medium green then I don't add as much and if it is clearer I add more.  I will try to do a count tomorrow but I wouldn't say then are dense right now.  I replaced the open ended airline with airstones     

looks good. If your buckets are going to be that close set lids on the top to stop cross contamination from the bubbles popping at the surface. My buckets are the same way. I keep everything seperate, just in case if one bucket gets a contaminate I wont spread it to the other bucket and have a double crash. You might need heaters in the buckets if your house temp gets low. I went to Meijers and picked up some 2 to 5 gallon heater pads and they work great.
 
 they only heat the water 4 degrees above room temperature. even through the summer months the buckets stayed at 80 degrees. I've never ramped up my rots. I get a bucket filled with new saltwater and acclimate the rotifers like I do a new fish, they always seemed to turn out just fine, and i'm only getting them used to new water once instead of multiple times. ( just my 2 cents. )   again everything is looking good.  good luck with the fry!

Thanks for the tips FlynnFish!  I have read that room temp is OK for rotifers but is that meaning 70 degrees + ?  What would you recommend for temp?
 
The babies will be hatching tonight but I am unfortuntely at work and won't get home until 7 tomorrow morning.  I did a dry run with my wife, showing her how to harvest the rots and tint the larval tank green with GR+.  I hope everything goes well!