Breeding Journal, Species: [Pseudochromis flavivertex] Sunrise Dottyback

General
Species:  Pseudochromis flavivertex
Social Structure:  male and female
Size of Individuals:  approx. 2.5"
Age of Individuals: unknown 
Date added to Tank:  end of Aug. 2011

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  10gal plumbed into a 500gal system
Substrate Details:  bare bottom
Filtration Details:  wet/dry, fluidized sand bed, I-tech skimmer
Water Changes:  10% weekly
Water Temperature:  79-80
Lighting:  overhead fluorescent
Lighting Cycle:  on for 13hrs
Other Tank Inhabitants:  none


Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  Rods Food FO blend, hikari mysis, PE mysis, cyclop-eeze wafer
Feeding Schedule:  every 4hrs


Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  10/23/2011
Spawn Time of Day:  between 4pm and 5pm
Dates of Consecutive Spawns: 
Courtship Details:  male lures female into spawning cave (capped 1" PVC)
Egg Size:  1mm
Egg Color:  white
Egg Count:  hundreds

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  10/27/2011
Hatch Time of Day:  right after light out
# Days after Spawn:  4
Larvae Description:  3mm silver, very thin


Larval Tank Details
Temperature:  80
Size of Larval Tank:  25gal round tub
Substrate Details:  bare bottom
Other Tank Decor:  none
Filtration Details:  none
Lighting:  overhead fluorescents
Lighting Cycle:  8am-9pm timer
Water Changes:  none until day 7

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  rotifers w/ rotigreen omega
Feeding Schedule:  as needed

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:  11/20/2011
Days after Hatch:  24
Date of Settlement End:  11/24/2011
Description of Fry:  identical to their parents

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature:  80
Size of Larval Tank:  25gal round tub
Substrate Details:  bare bottom
Other Tank Decor:  none
Filtration Details:  fluidized sand bed, skimmer, 25um sock 
Lighting:  overhead fluorescents
Lighting Cycle:  8am-9pm timer
Water Changes:  10% a week
Size at Transfer:  never transfered, this is the tank they hatched in...water was just turned on for filtration
Age at Transfer: 

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types:  crushed flake, cyclopeeze, OtoB2
Feeding Schedule:  every four hours

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.

Their first spawn occurred on 10/23/2011. 

I noticed last night (after lights out) that the male was not in the spawning cave and was therefore was not tending to the eggs.  This morning the eggs, no longer confined to an egg ball, were scattered about on the bottom of the tank.  None were viable as they appeared to have fungus.
Pair has a routine set a routine of spawning, so we shall just try again!

We did have a new spawn!  Male tended the eggs for three days and I harvested...fingers crossed!

Nice! Good luck!

-Adam

We got a hatch on the fourth night!!!
Video

 
12dph

 
20dph

 
30dph


 

Jonathan Foster

FishEye Aquaculture

Posting a picture for the 60 DPS report.  This dottyback is 4months old.  Such an attractive fish, one of my favorites!!!!

Jonathan Foster

FishEye Aquaculture

Jonathan, did you really raise these to metamorphosis on rotifers alone?  That is the only larval food you mention.  Also, can you please elaborate on what "as needed" means regarding your larval feeding schedule?  Your journal has very few details.  Since I'm working with P. tapeinosoma, I'd be interested in as many specific details as you are able to provide about your larval rearing protocols.  TIA!

Jim,
Yes, these fish were raised to meta on rotifers, nothing smaller. 
I introduce enough rotifers to the vat to co-culture them with the larvae.  So "as needed" means to add rotifers to the density as needed. 
I have found that I have better success when aeration is very low and green water (Rotifer Diet, from Reed) is premixed and added slowly once in the morning and late afternoon.  I also do not tint as much as I do with the clown larvae. 
When you look at the pictures above, the 20dph larvae was feeding on new hatch Artemia.  At that point they were active hunters and probably could have used them earlier, however, this was my first attempt at dottybacks. 

Jonathan Foster

FishEye Aquaculture

Thanks for the extra info, Jonathan, but I'm still confused by what "to the density as needed" means.  1 rotifer per liter?  100 per ml?  Can you please estimate the density you were striving for?
 
Another clarifying question (if I may):  Since my last post, I checked your settlement report, and it mentions enriched artemia and wild plankton.  How often and at what stage(s) (DPH) did you provide wild plankton?
 
Thanks in advance for indulging my questions!

Jim-
I have learned to eye the amount of rotifers needed.  I am embarassed to say that I have never measured densities. 
Wild plankton and enriched rotifers was used just before meta.  I had some wild plankton left over from some dragonets that I'm playing with and threw it in with the dottybacks, knowing they would appreciate it (what marine fish larvae doesn't).  We have since had larger yields, and not used any wild plankton.  Artemia was fed at day 15 and enriched artemia was introduced at day 20.

Jonathan Foster

FishEye Aquaculture