Apocyclops and color in fish

For my latest batch of black ocellaris, I hatched the eggs, from the pot they were laid on, in a BRT, 'cause I had one available.  I gave them some of my culture of S-rotifers that also is culturing A. panamensis quite successfully. It wasn't a large nest, and I haven't had to feed the larvae any more rotifers.  I did feed the tank with RGcomplete to make the water green and the rotifers fed, but only twice a day.  Temp. 82F.  They've acheived meta at the usual time, but they seem bigger than normal, and also have a bright orange color, unlike larvae fed exclusively on rotifers and regular Otohime A. These larvae have never seen Naturose. My guess is their orange color is a result of the Apocyclops processing the pigments in RGcomplete, similar to the way that T. californicus does.  Well fed T. californicus has an orange color to it, whereas A. panamensis does not. And yet, my newly metamorphosized fish are beautiful!
 

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

 

 

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

 

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

After I took these pictures, I gave them a little TDO A, and they snapped it right up like they knew what they were doing….

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

They sure have a lot more white in their stripes than my Darwins, and yours look smaller.  Of course, you're better at this than me! 

Don't let fear and common sense stop you! =]

Nice, Kathy! How was the die-off at meta compared to a normal run? I was pretty impressed that I only had a few of the percs die, but I had nothing to compare them to (since clowns don't spawn for me).

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

Makes sense - copepods are high in HUFA and nearly all, if not all, have astaxanthin in them.  IN fact, don't nearly all crustaceans have some in their exoskeleton? (think about when you cook them - color change to red)
 
What makes a copepod red isn't necassarly the exoskeleton either...  
 

 
The above is Calanus finmarchicus.  If you saw this without a scope, you'd say the entire thing is bright red.  Its not, just the little HUFA pack makes them appear red.  Rather common with microscopic items. 

Where are you getting NutraRose?  

Normally, I don't get much die-off at meta, and I can't say I got much die-off this time, as I raised them in a BRT, and I can barely see them.  I didn't clean the bottom or do water changes, and I only used a sponge filter when I started the TDO, which was after I took the pictures.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

I got some a while ago from Brine Shrimp Direct.  I keep it in the freezer and it seems to last pretty well/long.
 
Do you guys grow your own Haemo...humhum algae?

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

Nutrarose never claimed longer then a year in a freezer I thought (unopened).  Once you introduce O2 and moisture, the race to the end is on. It may not loose its appearance, but it will loose it effectiveness.   If I were you, I'd get a moisture absorber and O2 scavenger in there to extend the shelf life.
 
No, we do not grow any freshwater algae.  The competition in that field, and amount of land needed, is simply beyond what we want to get into.  We'd have to get another farm our size just for it, and probably another dozen staff members.  Then we'd have to invest in the process to turn it into a fine powder.
 
We have a few suppliers for it.  At some point we may sell it, but right now its not something we're doing. 
 
Haematococcus pluvialis

Well now, these fish have just been moved to a glass tank, so I can get a good look at them.  They are black ocellaris, and despite being only 3 weeks old, they have a lot of black on them! 
 
I didn't do any water changes on the BRT, and barely added water or top off water.  Nitrates and nitrites were higher than they should have been, and there was a carpet of algae on the bottom and sides.  Yet these fish seem quite healthy and active, and their color is better than any Darwin fish I've raised so far.  The only real difference is the Apocyclops panamensis, and perhaps a little more neglect than usual.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

I've mentioned it before but, I get much better black coloration in my Darwins when using TDO. 2-3 months sooner than using regular Oto.

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

When I was top dressing my own Otoheim, I did not see any difference in the time to blackness with my Darwins. 
 
This time is distinctly different.  Tal, did you have A. panamensis, or any other copepods at the time you made the observation?

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

No, only TDO.

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

I apologize in advanced for the italics.  I cannot get rid of it, forum issue (cutting and pasting an italic word from the thread while in a post window seems to result in this issue)
 
 
Pretty sure our top dressing is a bit different then what you have done yourself  Not only do we use powdered Haematococcus pluvialis, we also use a Haematococcus pluvialis oil, as well as a high grade salmon oil, and two yeast by-products.  We also take great care of all the ingredients, and pack in a moisture, oxygen and light free packaging and store them at the proper temp.  None of our Haematococcus pluvialis is older then a couple months from the production date.
 
I don't attribute all that happens with TDO to just Haematococcus pluvialis.  That's why I point all that out  I'm not trying to diss your method at all  Copepods are in incredible feed for larvae, which is why we are investing so much time into the production of parvos.

I am not feeling dissed at all, I appreciate the information, and I'm glad you are producing parvos.  I would like to grow some myself.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

I am starting soon a Otohime vs Spectrum comparative experiment.After that,I will run TDO vs my home top dressed Oto.Will post the results.
And while on the carotene´s subject;nobody could get such an intense colour as ORA produced in their ocellaris.Was their protocol ever disclosed?

Are you going to get new TDO for this trial, or use the stuff you've had for a while?  Using the old will just be a flawed trial IMO.
 
I know the protocols, but cannot post em here as divulging customers purchases is not kosher.  TDO goes beyond what they do and did.
 
Kathy... we are taking a different route then Algegen on the Parvos since growing them for most is a PITA.  We're offering them on demand to hatcheries, and customers... IE. we'll sell what you need for your hatch (like with do with our rotifer shipments - not uncommon to sell a billion rotifers)  Every hatchery we've spoken to much prefer this.

My TDO is pretty fresh and still kept unopened in the fridge.Not so with my NatuRoe and Otohime which have been in the freezer for a long time
But you really mean you can achieve ORA´s intense fluo colour with TDO?
When will you have Parvo available?.

Parvo have been available for a few months now... it's an item you have to call in for right now as it is not on the website. 
 
The fish ORA has been putting out for the last 5 years have less color then what I have seen customers achieve with TDO.  

Clownfish coloration of those raised on TDO are above and beyond what I've seen from other producers. Stunning results when using TDO.
 

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

Ok guys,if that was an infomercial,I took the bait!
Will start TDO vs home made right away.I chose 3 species where carotenes are especially needed;ocellaris,tomatos and maroons.

In response to the infomercial comment  - APBreed was spawned as a way we could help bring MO breeding to another level, and hopefully keep the MO hobby alive once the US imposes very strict import, and collection regulations.  Money making is not the objective of the line, but yes, it does have to be sustainable. 

 
Yay, Luis!

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)