Culturing Journal DataSheet
This first post should be updated regularly to include new information as events take place or changes are made to your system
General Species: Brachionus rotundiformis Species description: Small rotifers,
Culture source (link if possible
): https://ebill.uncw.edu/C2...7&SINGLESTORE=true If algae, CCMP # (Optional
): http://ccmp.bigelow.edu/ Culture Establishment Date: 5/17/2012
Continuation Date: 3/22/13
Culturing Vessel Details Salinity: 20ppt
Temperature: 82-86F
pH: 7.8
Vessel description: clean salt bucket, 5 gallon , 20 x 12 inch sheet of Reed's rotifer floss, 25 watt heater.
Lighting description: ambient
Lighting cycle: 14 day, 10 night
Aeration description: open end airline, fairly vigorous
Methodologies Split methodology: remove 25 % of the culture daily and replace volume with clean saltwater.
Culture medium description: clean saltwater + RGcomplete
Cell count: approximately 300 rotifers per ml
Reference links: https://ebill.uncw.edu/C2...7&SINGLESTORE=true Additional Information (No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please) Notes: I am feeding these RGcomplete around the clock via a peristaltic pump. Every morning I vigorously wipe the sides and bottom of the culture bucket with the rotifer floss, then vigorously rinse out the rotifer floss in the sink, and remove a gallon of culture (4 gallons total volume), and add back a gallon of pre warmed clean 20ppt saltwater, replacing the squeezed out floss. These rotifers need warmer, 83+ degree water. I have a lid for the bucket, with a hole for the food additions. I place a smaller bucket on top of the lid, fill with the next days water replacement, and cover that. The heat rising off the culture warms the next day's water a couple of degrees, so when I do add it, it isn't such a shock to the warm rotifers in culture.
Every week or so, I pour the culture through a 400 micron filter to get any big clumps of deadness out of the culture. Sometimes I use a 53 mesh and give them clean water to refresh the culture. I clean only the bottom of the culture bucket, as I feel that the bacterial film on the sides is beneficial. The dead stuff on the bottom is not, so I remove it.
I tried keeping some back up S rotifers in the refrigerator, but they did not live even a week. So for backup, I keep another bucket at room temperature
with the discarded rotifers of a few days at a time. These get a dribble of RGcomplete twice a day, and no heater, just air.
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<message edited by KathyL on Monday, June 16, 2014 9:30 PM>