Parvocalanus bucket culture...thoughts?

[LordJoshaeus]

Hi everyone! I am looking into culturing Parvocalanus copepods for raising baby fishes (and perhaps for treating the adult fish). How does this protocol sound?
CONTAINERS; Two 2 gallon buckets, each with a weak (a couple bubbles a second) airline in them and a small (25 watt) heater. They will likely not be filled to the brim.
FOOD; Homegrown Isochrysis, in quantities sufficient to turn the cultures a weak tea color. Will be checked twice daily for culture color, but will only be fed if a tint is not visible.
HARVEST; One bucket will hold a maturing culture, the other a reproducing culture. Once a day the reproducing culture will be mostly siphoned through 5/16" ID tubing (or perhaps smaller tubing) with roughly 100 micron mesh (exact size TBD) on the end inside the bucket so that only eggs and nauplii are harvested; the eggs and nauplii will then be collected with a 25 micron mesh and the now copepodless water gently returned to the bucket.
MAINTENANCE; Each culture will be set up with nauplii (ideally around 4-5 nauplii per ml) and new saltwater, and fed with Isochrysis whenever the water is clear. Chloram-X will be added daily to control ammonia levels. After a week, I will start harvesting the culture daily; a week after that, the culture will be restarted with new water and some of the nauplii harvested that day. The two buckets will be staggered a week apart to ensure a constant supply.

How does all of this sound? And would there be any benefit to adding a small sponge filter at the end of the air lines? Thanks

 

[ichthyogeek]

So...what fish are you working with? I keep seeing your threads, but I've never seen what you're working with...I want to say tangs or maybe some sort of pelagic spawner? Most of the more rare fish breeders tend to be on Facebook, exception of @ThRoewer and maybe a few others.

I also question why you want to add chloram-x, when instead you can add bottle bacteria, which will eventually make nitrate, which the Isochrysis can then take up (Iso also takes up ammonia, but the point is that it'll take up waste products as well)?

Other than that, I'm not seeing any super big issues? I don't think very many (if any) people culture calanoids on here, so let us know how things work out!

 

[LordJoshaeus]

So...what fish are you working with? I keep seeing your threads, but I've never seen what you're working with...I want to say tangs or maybe some sort of pelagic spawner? Most of the more rare fish breeders tend to be on Facebook, exception of @ThRoewer and maybe a few others.

I also question why you want to add chloram-x, when instead you can add bottle bacteria, which will eventually make nitrate, which the Isochrysis can then take up (Iso also takes up ammonia, but the point is that it'll take up waste products as well)?

Other than that, I'm not seeing any super big issues? I don't think very many (if any) people culture calanoids on here, so let us know how things work out!

I have yet to start (I don't even have a saltwater tank yet) but I wanted to start with something easyish that isn't a clownfish (perhaps gobies or orchid dottybacks) and did not want to give the larvae rotifers (which, while easier to produce, are not ideal nutritionally for marine fish larvae). The Reed mariculture guide for culturing Parvocalanus suggested ChlorAm-X, but did not mention a filter (they also sell ChlorAm-X, so...)

 

[ichthyogeek]

That's understandable. I've always wanted to work with dottybacks, never had the time/space to do so. Have you thought about culturing Apocyclops pods instead? I think there are more guides on how to culture them instead, since they have a benthic lifestyle after the naupliiar stages.

 

[LordJoshaeus]

That's understandable. I've always wanted to work with dottybacks, never had the time/space to do so. Have you thought about culturing Apocyclops pods instead? I think there are more guides on how to culture them instead, since they have a benthic lifestyle after the naupliiar stages.

I have looked into Apocyclops, and they are certainly less fickle than Parvocalanus...however, they also seem to be much less productive, with Reed mariculture giving a daily nauplii harvest rate of 80,000-100,000 per a 60 liter culture. If their eggs and nauplii are harvested daily, Parvocalanus cultures can produce 40,000 eggs and nauplii per liter. See these articles; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0044848614004712

Advances in intensive copepod production technology - Responsible Seafood Advocate

Research at the Oceanic Institute has been successful in overcoming bottlenecks associated with rearing small-mouthed fish larvae by finding a suitable first feed. Early work on the calanoid copepod Parvocalanus crassirostris focused on parameters necessary for successful maintenance of stock...

www.aquaculturealliance.org

 

[Thespammailaccount]

They eat Tisochrysis lutea as main feed and isochrysis galbana also can be supplemented with Thalassiosira weissflogii. Other algae can be added depending on fry nutritional profile. Need two cultures one for babies and one for adults since adults will eat the babies. Will need to separate often since baby to adult is only six days. 100 micron will keep adults 40 micron the babies. 100% water change weekly

 

[LordJoshaeus]

They eat Tisochrysis lutea as main feed and isochrysis galbana also can be supplemented with Thalassiosira weissflogii. Other algae can be added depending on fry nutritional profile. Need two cultures one for babies and one for adults since adults will eat the babies. Will need to separate often since baby to adult is only six days. 100 micron will keep adults 40 micron the babies. 100% water change weekly

I was going to use a siphon with 100 micron mesh on the end in the culture to harvest the nauplii daily (otherwise production would be far less than the value I cited above, at least partially for that reason). I'm not sure I have seen T. weissflogii offered as a live culture before (if you have seen it don't hesitate to post a link here), but the above article from global aquaculture found that either Isochrysis galbana or Chaetoceros muelleri - or a mix of those two - worked well (the former improved adult survival while the latter increased productivity in the females). Tetraselmis and Nannochloropsis did not work well in their experience. They did not mention T. weissflogii

 

[Thespammailaccount]

Rotifers are great like an empty vessel but they are only as good as what you feed them

 

[Thespammailaccount]

I was going to use a siphon with 100 micron mesh on the end in the culture to harvest the nauplii daily (otherwise production would be far less than the value I cited above, at least partially for that reason). I'm not sure I have seen T. weissflogii offered as a live culture before (if you have seen it don't hesitate to post a link here), but the above article from global aquaculture found that either Isochrysis galbana or Chaetoceros muelleri - or a mix of those two - worked well (the former improved adult survival while the latter increased productivity in the females). Tetraselmis and Nannochloropsis did not work well in their experience. They did not mention T. weissflogii

Yes they will eat t weissflogii or t pseudonana but this is more of an extra algae. Some algae are nearly impossible to culture without lab grade equipment and just easier and cheaper to purchase. I would not even attempt to culture tw or tp algae but these people offer tp https://utex.org/products/utex-lb-fd-0002?variant=30992163373146

 

[LordJoshaeus]

Ahhh...ok. Isochrysis is definitely manageable, so I will continue to plan on using that species (and perhaps also Chaetoceros if I can find it)

 

[Thespammailaccount]

These companies offers tw. Reed offers practical bottled solutions.

Phytoplankton Cultures

Live feeds provide the best nutrition for larval and early-juvenile fish, and invertebrates. Copepods and rotifers stimulate a natural, healthy feeding response that reduces mortality rates...

www.algagen.com

Thalassiosira weissflogii

DescriptionDocumentation: Krill feeding on sediment in the Gulf of Maine (North Atlantic) (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271251927_Krill_feeding_on_sediment_in_the_Gulf_of_Maine_North_Atlantic)Comparative assimilation of Cd, Cr, Se, and Zn by the barnacle Elminius modestus from...

ncma.bigelow.org

And the reason why some are best bought just bottled

Optimizing culture of the weissflogii diatom - Responsible Seafood Advocate

The diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii is important in the aquaculture industry to feed shrimp and shellfish larval stages in hatcheries.

www.aquaculturealliance.org

 

[LordJoshaeus]

Good info...however, Parvocalanus does not eat preserved algae (such as what Reeds carries), so culturing algae is basically inevitable if one wants to cultivate this copepod. I still think Isochrysis, perhaps with Chaetoceros, would work best for both me and the copepods.

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Hi everyone! I am looking into culturing Parvocalanus copepods for raising baby fishes (and perhaps for treating the adult fish). How does this protocol sound?
CONTAINERS; Two 2 gallon buckets, each with a weak (a couple bubbles a second) airline in them and a small (25 watt) heater. They will likely not be filled to the brim.
FOOD; Homegrown Isochrysis, in quantities sufficient to turn the cultures a weak tea color. Will be checked twice daily for culture color, but will only be fed if a tint is not visible.
HARVEST; One bucket will hold a maturing culture, the other a reproducing culture. Once a day the reproducing culture will be mostly siphoned through 5/16" ID tubing (or perhaps smaller tubing) with roughly 100 micron mesh (exact size TBD) on the end inside the bucket so that only eggs and nauplii are harvested; the eggs and nauplii will then be collected with a 25 micron mesh and the now copepodless water gently returned to the bucket.
MAINTENANCE; Each culture will be set up with nauplii (ideally around 4-5 nauplii per ml) and new saltwater, and fed with Isochrysis whenever the water is clear. Chloram-X will be added daily to control ammonia levels. After a week, I will start harvesting the culture daily; a week after that, the culture will be restarted with new water and some of the nauplii harvested that day. The two buckets will be staggered a week apart to ensure a constant supply.

How does all of this sound? And would there be any benefit to adding a small sponge filter at the end of the air lines? Thanks

Sounds good. I culture Parvocalanus at Reed Mariculture. They are a great copepod to work with as long as you have a mastery of culturing live Isochrysis.

It is a very good idea to have a reproductively active culture and a maturation tank for your next broodstock gen.

Weak tea color is a good thing. If you overfeed Iso, it tends to stick to them and cause mortalities.

We are currently designing a passive nauplii harvester to make removal of nauplii less stressful on the population. You can see how they are constructed here: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FA/FA18800.pdf You want to use 70 micron screen on the intake portion and no greater than 41 micron on the reservoir.

Make sure to keep your adult densities at 3-4/ml. The more dense the adults, the less they reproduce.

I no longer use ClorAm-X on my cultures, so you probably don't need to use it. You have to be careful with this ammonia neutralizer as it can cause the pH to drop.

One of the most important things I've found with this animal is that it thrives on good, live Isochrysis. If your Iso is struggling, your Parvos will struggle.

I've been working with Parvocalanus for 9 years. They are an amazing animal and can be very productive if you remain consistent.

Let me know if you have any other questions about them.

Best,
Chad

 

[Reef Nutrition]

I have yet to start (I don't even have a saltwater tank yet) but I wanted to start with something easyish that isn't a clownfish (perhaps gobies or orchid dottybacks) and did not want to give the larvae rotifers (which, while easier to produce, are not ideal nutritionally for marine fish larvae). The Reed mariculture guide for culturing Parvocalanus suggested ChlorAm-X, but did not mention a filter (they also sell ChlorAm-X, so...)

I need to change the information sheet. I no longer use ClorAm-X.

 

[LordJoshaeus]

Sounds good. I culture Parvocalanus at Reed Mariculture. They are a great copepod to work with as long as you have a mastery of culturing live Isochrysis.

It is a very good idea to have a reproductively active culture and a maturation tank for your next broodstock gen.

Weak tea color is a good thing. If you overfeed Iso, it tends to stick to them and cause mortalities.

We are currently designing a passive nauplii harvester to make removal of nauplii less stressful on the population. You can see how they are constructed here: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FA/FA18800.pdf You want to use 70 micron screen on the intake portion and no greater than 41 micron on the reservoir.

Make sure to keep your adult densities at 3-4/ml. The more dense the adults, the less they reproduce.

I no longer use ClorAm-X on my cultures, so you probably don't need to use it. You have to be careful with this ammonia neutralizer as it can cause the pH to drop.

One of the most important things I've found with this animal is that it thrives on good, live Isochrysis. If your Iso is struggling, your Parvos will struggle.

I've been working with Parvocalanus for 9 years. They are an amazing animal and can be very productive if you remain consistent.

Let me know if you have any other questions about them.

Best,
Chad

Thank you for offering your professional input on raising these pods! I was going to experiment with culturing Isochrysis for some time before attempting to grow the copepods - I want to try growing them in a mixotrophic culture with small amounts of glycerin (.5 ml per gallon of culture) as an organic carbon source, and with added carbonate (likely with baking soda) to aid photosynthesis. I think I was shown this passive harvester before when I asked you about Apocyclops...

Here's a question; would it be a good idea to have a sponge filter on the end of the airlines? I am assuming that if it was I should take the time to cycle the culture before adding the copepods. Also, how long can I leave the reproductive culture running before it needs to be restarted?

EDIT: Would 90 micron mesh work over the intake, or would this capture nauplii too large for the marine larvae?

 

[LordJoshaeus]

Here's a question...if I harvested Parvocalanus nauplii and happened to get more than the fish larvae immediately needed, would there be any way to store the nauplii for later that day? Perhaps by sticking them in a brine shrimp hatchery (with reduced air flow, of course) with some Isochrysis and some new saltwater? When I did research, I found that it did not take many nauplii to keep fish larvae well fed (an article on raising mandarin fry found that 1-2 nauplii per ml was sufficient).

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Here's a question...if I harvested Parvocalanus nauplii and happened to get more than the fish larvae immediately needed, would there be any way to store the nauplii for later that day? Perhaps by sticking them in a brine shrimp hatchery (with reduced air flow, of course) with some Isochrysis and some new saltwater? When I did research, I found that it did not take many nauplii to keep fish larvae well fed (an article on raising mandarin fry found that 1-2 nauplii per ml was sufficient).

You can refrigerate them for 24 hours. It stops them from molting, so when you pull them out the next day, they will be the same size and at the same life stage. They only tolerate this for 24 hours, any longer and they will all perish.

Chad

 

[LordJoshaeus]

You can refrigerate them for 24 hours. It stops them from molting, so when you pull them out the next day, they will be the same size and at the same life stage. They only tolerate this for 24 hours, any longer and they will all perish.

Chad

That would definitely make storing them easier...thanks How many nauplii can be safely stored per liter in the fridge? And on another note, since these are pelagic copepods, would there be any benefit to keeping the Parvocalanus cultures in circular containers and using an air lift pump to create a gentle circular flow?

EDIT; Here is a drawing of my design for the copepod culture;

The culture will have a lid, and the lid will have two holes. The first will have an air line (with an air control valve) and will attach to a homemade sponge filter (speaking of which...should I shoot for higher or lower PPI filter foam when using this filter for copepods?), which will likely have an air lift tube that encourages a gentle circular flow in the culture. The second hole will be larger and will have a 1/2 ID silicone tube wedged into it; normally this will be covered with 25 micron mesh to keep pests out, but this will also be the opening I use to harvest or do water changes on the culture, as well as to feed it.

 

[Reef Nutrition]

That would definitely make storing them easier...thanks How many nauplii can be safely stored per liter in the fridge? And on another note, since these are pelagic copepods, would there be any benefit to keeping the Parvocalanus cultures in circular containers and using an air lift pump to create a gentle circular flow?

EDIT; Here is a drawing of my design for the copepod culture;

The culture will have a lid, and the lid will have two holes. The first will have an air line (with an air control valve) and will attach to a homemade sponge filter (speaking of which...should I shoot for higher or lower PPI filter foam when using this filter for copepods?), which will likely have an air lift tube that encourages a gentle circular flow in the culture. The second hole will be larger and will have a 1/2 ID silicone tube wedged into it; normally this will be covered with 25 micron mesh to keep pests out, but this will also be the opening I use to harvest or do water changes on the culture, as well as to feed it.

You can stock 50,000 naups per liter. Do some experimentation with this, first. Make sure you can spare to lose them if the experiment fails.

Your culture tank sounds fitting. Be very careful with sponge filters; they tend to accumulate the live algae if you run them too high. Very low aeration is best. I don't run sponge filters on my cultures, but I know people that do.

 

[LordJoshaeus]

You can stock 50,000 naups per liter. Do some experimentation with this, first. Make sure you can spare to lose them if the experiment fails.

Your culture tank sounds fitting. Be very careful with sponge filters; they tend to accumulate the live algae if you run them too high. Very low aeration is best. I don't run sponge filters on my cultures, but I know people that do.

Would 1-2 bubbles per second be overkill? I remember reading about the algae issue in the Apocyclops manual. (Side note...would daily nauplii harvest improve Apocyclops production?)

I was going to experiment with both Isochrysis and Parvocalanus culture long before I have any fry to feed.