Breeding Journal, Species: [Synchiropus picturatus]

General
Species:  Synchiropus picturatus
Social Structure:  Pair
Size of Individuals:  male longer than female
Age of Individuals: 
Date added to Tank:  female 14/07/2012; male 08/09/2012

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  160l
Substrate Details:  coral sand
Filtration Details:  skimmer
Water Changes:  10% every two weeks
Water Temperature:  26-27°C (78-80°F)
Lighting: led                   
Lighting Cycle:  10h light
Other Tank Inhabitants:  one pair a.ocellaris, one pair p.kauderni, 1 ecsenius bicolor, 1 criprocentrus cinctus

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  SHG granules, frozen mysis and artemia
Feeding Schedule:  once a day

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  13/11/2012
Spawn Time of Day:  21.00 (1h after lights off)
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  about two spawns every week
Courtship Details:  mating "dance"
Egg Size:  1mm
Egg Color:  transparents
Egg Count:  about 50

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  14/11/2012
Hatch Time of Day:  10.00
# Days after Spawn:  13h
Larvae Description: prolarvae with yolk sac; they seem eggs with caudal fin                              
Consecutive Hatch Dates:     


Larval Tank Details
Temperature:  27°C (80°F)
Size of Larval Tank:  1l (0.3gal)
Substrate Details:  none
Other Tank Decor:  none
Filtration Details:  green water
Lighting:  fluorescent lamp
Lighting Cycle:  24h
Water Changes:  25% every 12h

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  Brachionus Plicatilis
Feeding Schedule:  none till second day after hacth. then after every water change, rotifers and phytoplankton added

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:  25/11/2012
Days after Hatch:  12
Date of Settlement End: 27/11/2012                    
Description of Fry:  small golden fish

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature:  27°C (80°F)
Size of Grow-Out Tank:  12l (3gal)
Substrate Details:  none
Other Tank Decor:  none 
Filtration Details:  none
Lighting:  fluorescent lamp
Lighting Cycle:  15h
Water Changes:  1l every day
Size at Transfer: 
Age at Transfer: 

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types:  copepods and baby brine shrimp
Feeding Schedule:  several times a day

Additional Information

(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)
Miscellaneous Information:  after 10 days post hatch, only three fish survived. I think, it's a problem in the dimensions of live food. 



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70days: 

Nice work Leo, I have been letting all my eggs go as it has been impossible to get small calanoid pods in the UK. I am going to have a go with the S Strain rotifers so its encouraging to know you did it.
 

Hi Peerless. I found many difficulties in finding live food in Italy and in Europe. the only species I have are Brachionus plicatilis (L strain) and a specie of copepods (probably tisbe or tigriopus). Also the euplotes that infected my phytoplankton helped the larvae, i think.
If you have b.rotundiformis (s-strain), the work will be easy, otherwise we need a lot of luck... if u find the s-strain rotifers in europe, please tell me 
 

Hi Leo, Some of the breeders here have them, I am being sent some S Strain. I imagine they got them from the States.  If I can get a decent culture going I may be able to help.
What size was the fish at 70 days ?

Today (81 days) the fishes are 2cm (0,78 inch)... 

Hi Leo, at what age did you start feeding NHBBS ?
 

I start feeding with NHBS the 25th day

Hi Leo. What role did the copepods play in pre-settlement larvae...in other words, would you consider rotifers or copepods the primary prey source until settlement? Do you have any idea what density you stocked them in the rearing vessel and at what point you started doing so? Also, tisbe and tigriopus tend to stick to the sides ad bottom, did this create issues for you?

Any updates on the fish as of late? Any plans to switch them over to prepared foods soon?

Thanks for the info!
Joe

Hi Joe, of course rotifers are the essential prey source in the first weeks, however I introduce copepods from the first day, because I always hope that copepod's nauplii could be preyed by larvae, above all from the second week. The problem with copepods is that they are slow in reproduction. On the other hand, rotifers are too fast in replication and this means frequent water changes. 
 
I will accustom the small synchiropus to frozen food and granules, when they'll be 3-4cm (I think in a month).

What species of copepod are you using?

I don't know the precise specie, because I isolated them from my main tank; they are harpacticoid, probably tigriopus or tisbe. I breed them with phytoplankton, yeast and rotifers.

If you isolated them from a tropical display tank, they are more likely Tisbe rather than Tigriopus.  Pictures would be helpful!

Here is a pic:
 

Is that an amphipod!?

No, it's a copepod under microscope

Lol I know, what a good shot you got of him. No clue what species it is though.

My pair:
 

the eggs: 

Beautiful. Great work, Leo. How big would you say your bloodstock are? Mine are much larger than the average 1" or so picturatus I've seen. They are both larger than both of my splendidus. My male is easily 2" and my female is maybe a couple of mm shorter. I'm hoping their larger size yields more eggs. My only concern is that they may be old already.


Joe

My male is about 2'', while the female is much smaller; in fact when she carries eggs, she seems to be a little ball  when I bought this pair, they were very small and thin, but as soon as they began to eat frozen food and pellets, they became two fat fishes 

Any update on those last eggs?

In these last months, I had about 3 spawn every week, but I only tried to change water conditions: for example I tried to breed in clear water (no GW) and I added a minimum water flow, but I didn't have any bigger success. I found the S-strain rotifers and I started a colture of ciliates (euplotes), so next week I'll try again.

Do you plan to do anything special to the ciliates before feeding them to the larvae? Any particular enrichment?

I breed ciliates in phytoplankton (isochrysis, chaetoceros and nannochloropsis), so I hope it's enough to enrich