Breeding Journal, Species: Premnas biaculeatus

General
Species:  Premnas biaculeatus -GSM
Social Structure: Pair
Size of Individuals: Male ~1.5" , Femaile ~3"
Age of Individuals:  4 years
Date added to Tank:  9/10/2008

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  180G
Substrate Details:  Fake sand bed using epoxy
Filtration Details:  Live Rock and Protein Skimmer with carbon pellets and activated carbon
Water Changes:  20% quarterly
Water Temperature:  81F at time of first spawn
Lighting:  250W MH, 2x80W T5, 110 Actinic VHO
Lighting Cycle:  14 On, varies which ones
Other Tank Inhabitants:  Full mixed reef with fish, inverts, coral

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  Frozon homemade, F1 pellet, cyclop-eeze
Feeding Schedule:  Twice a day, once frozen, once pellet/cy

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  10/1/2011
Spawn Time of Day:  Unknown
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  10/13/2011, 10/26/2011, 11/24/2011
Courtship Details:  Not observed on initial occasion - did see egg laying and fertilizing on a subsequent spawn.  Female passed over rock 2-3 times back and forth and then male made his passes back and forth, repeated this numerous times. 
Egg Size:  very small
Egg Color:  red, orange, then darker, then silver eyes.
Egg Count: unknown, no means I know to count or estimate other than its hundreds

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  10/8/2011
Hatch Time of Day:  Evening
# Days after Spawn:  7
Larvae Description:  Clear with eyes, very small and hard to see.


Larval Tank Details Note:  larval tank from subsequent 11/24 spawning. 
Temperature:  80 down to 78 over first week
Size of Larval Tank:  25 gallons, but 10 of water
Substrate Details:  Tuff stuff tub, no other substrate
Other Tank Decor:  heater, airbubbler below heater.
Filtration Details:  none
Lighting:  CFL bulbs
Lighting Cycle:  one bulb on, other on 15 minutes later - on for 14 hours
Water Changes:  none

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  rotifers from day 1, BBS from day 6, but mixed with rots.
Feeding Schedule:  constant, using greenwater with live nanno, some nanno paste.

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:  12/10
Days after Hatch:  9
Date of Settlement End:  12/11
Description of Fry:  Still very small and hard to see, but swimming like clowns with wagging tail, less tail curl and dart.  Also have alot more color in body. About 5 left now in first batch.

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature: 
Size of Grow-Out Tank: 
Substrate Details: 
Other Tank Decor: 
Filtration Details: 
Lighting: 
Lighting Cycle: 
Water Changes: 
Size at Transfer: 
Age at Transfer: 

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types: 
Feeding Schedule: 

Additional Information

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



You will be required to provide photographic or video evidence in this thread of each event submitted for the MBI Program.
If your thread does not contain these photos the MBI Committee will not be able to approve your reports. PHOTOS AND VIDEO S MUST BE PLACED IN ADDITIONAL POSTS, NEVER IN THE FIRST POST IN A JOURNAL.

Pic

Attached Image(s)

Question, I currently have both a live nanno culture going, as well as nanno paste.  Is one better than the other fro the larval tank greenwater to feed the Rots?
 
thanks for any advice.  I have the latest batch going in a BRT, about 6 days in so far, and while most have died, there are still 20-50 in there. 

I would think the live nanno would be. The reason being the live will eat up the ammonia and nitrate. That's what the good ole green water technique is all about.

RLTW

180 Gallon Mixed Reef

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

Thanks, appreciate the advice.
 
 

Culture photo:
 

P1010170 by patentfish, on Flickr
 
Not to many of them left this go around.  I think there are about 10 in there.  Wish more had made it this far, but then this is my first attempt to raise anything other than puppies or kids, both of which are much larger and easier to see.
 
I started using the greenwater technique.  At this point I've moved to bbs and otohime.  However, it looks like something other than rotifers also grew in the tank, presumably coming from the parent tank water.  I was thinking those white things there were maybe copepods but I really don't know.  sometimes they look alot like a small tadpole, othertimes they look more like a small grain of rice.  Much smaller than the larvae were, much larger than the rotifers or bbs, and only really visible to the naked eye when I shine a flashlight (or camera flash) in there. 
 
Any suggestions on what they were?

Congratulations, you're on the boards with points!

Yeah, pretty cool.  I should probably submit the hatch report at some point.   I've only got 2 left now though, sad to see them going.  Those 2 are pretty tough it seems, have 2 stripes and all.

I think that once they get stripes, that is considered settlement, so you may have 2 reports to turn in.  And if one of them makes it to 60 days, you get a successful species (you only have to raise one).

They have definitely settled.  Had the stripes for some time, swimming motion changed weeks ago, etc.  I think I still had around 10 of them back at settlement, though I think I lost about 5 of those in the process. The other 3 just seem to have drifted off from time to time.
 
I can't get a decent picture of them to save my life though.  I really need a better camera or lens (or skill).   That pick above has one larvae in it, but you cant see anything of him.  He had alot more color, but still looks freshly hatched in that pic.
 
I know that technically you get a successful species if I get one to 60 days, but I think I'll wait for that report until I get a little more successful than that.

oh no, send that report in. Be proud of what you accomplished. Just do like me and try to do better next time!

RLTW

180 Gallon Mixed Reef

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

I agree!  Get you points for your acomplishment......great work.  Years ago even getting one would have been considered impossible.  Settlement is the time when you are most likely to lose fry.  Some breeders have been getting great success by feeding otohime right from the start.  http://reed-store.com/shop.cfm/Otohime-Larval-Feeds/Otohime-Larval-Feeds/OTO-START/
 
Oh, and I crashed the rotifers again.....any chance I could get more from you again?

>>>>>Settlement is the time when you are most likely to lose fry. 
 
Dunno about that, I seem most likely to lose fry at all stages so far.  ;-)  (I know, it will get better as we learn more)
No problem on the rots. 
I'm headed down to lakeville at some point this weekend, PM me your address and I'll drop some off.
 
John

Sent PM on TCMAS