First spawn

[Fletch]

Hi guys, i am a new member and have just bred a pair of Red Rocket Crowntails that i purchsed in Brisbane. These are my first attempt and i must say i was quite surprised to find myself with a spawn so early.. . They are now almost a week old and have been eating microworms.. Now what??? Bit wary of BBS, not really sure why, guess its because brine/saltwater, betta fresh.. Is this fear founded??? Also have to consider my poor wife who has endured my community tank for years and now has 4 more tanks in the kitchen plus three worm cultures....

Anyway, just wanted to say hi, been getting a lot of help through the forums so far and any advice will be appreciated...

[Bettarazzi]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the spawn. There's nothing to be scared about bbs. They are a great food and fry do really well on them. I get the best growth when the fry are fed on bbs. First things first, go and buy some good quality brine shrimp eggs. You can get them at Fishchick Aquatics or aquarium shops that specialise in marine fish also usually stock them.

Making brine is easy. Get a bag of rock salt from the supermarket. Check the back to make sure there are no additives. Add 6 teaspoons of salt to 1 litre of water. I don't usually dechlorinate the water but it's probably a good idea to add a few drops of dechlorinator.

At the beginning when the fry are still getting used to bbs you don't have to hatch very much. When you're only hatching a tiny amount you can just use a cup. Add about 200 ml of brine to the cup, then add a tiny pinch of eggs (say a thin line about 5mm long), put it in a warm place (around 25 deg C works best for me) then wait 24 -36 hours. At this quantity there's no need for aeration. When you need to hatch more than 1/16th teaspoon you'll have to start using a larger container and possibly giving them some air. I've been able to hatch a quarter teaspoon of bbs in 500 ml of brine with an airline (no airstone, just the tube). That's enough for a single feeding of several hundred fry. I start a new batch every 12 hours and feed my fry before and after work.

[Neffy]

Welcome Congrats on getting a spawn! You can strain and rinse BBS but a little bit of salt is good anyways (aquarium salt not table salt) it helps with stress and to build a slime coat keeping fry on microworms isnt the best they arnt very nutritional

[Fletch]

someone at Fishchicks is fanastic. At what age do I start on the bbs? Only have small spawn as I did separate female to early and have made a few mistakes. Too impatient. Really got no idea on how many as I have too much java fern and floating plants in with them. Also work long hours and have to convince my poor wife to help out with feeds. Will micro worms be enough until they are old enough for blood worms? What about frozen bbs?

Edited November 3, 2010 by Bettarazzi
deleted double post

[Sarah]

BBS can be fed from day 3!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=7uNkHPuGaqo is a video I quite like on setting it up. You can get mature cultures, so that way you don't have to wait for them to get all ready and whatnot..

[Fletch]

Thankyou for your help. It really is a godsend to be able to tap into like minded peoples experiences and ideas. Keep up the good work everyone. :-).

[zhong89]

When you're able to read through the forum. Go to the library section under general discussion. There's so many important things to know about raising the fry, there are so many tips that makes your fry raising experience easier and the rate of survival increases dramatically.