BBS

[SCOTT]

While not fish per say, it is still fry related I guess. I am attempting to hatch some BBS for the first time, with little success I might add. I don't know if I have a bad batch of eggs, or if I may have my specific gravity wrong. Right now, I have my gravity set at 1.017, ph at 8.2, temp at 84, with plenty of airation. The eggs have been in the hatchers for 4 days now with no results. Any ideas? I knew there was a reason why I never bothered with BBS, hehe.

[Ellen]

Re: BBS

Your specific gravity does sound a little low, and maybe your temperature is a few degrees too high...

This page has some specifics you might want to try:

http://www.angelsplus.com/bshrimpegg.htm

You can start over and if you don't see results with these tweaks, then your batch might never hatch. You could always decapsulate!

HTH,
Ellen

[PhishPhreek]

Re: BBS

Brine shrimp eggs should hatch in about 30 hours.  After 48 hours you are waisting your time.

Bulk Brine shrimp eggs are sold with a guaranteed hatch rate.    90% hatch are twice as expensive as 60% hatch rate eggs.    The hatch rate decreases with age.   Recomendation is to keep unused eggs in the refrigerator to help maintain hatch rate.

I have been using this system for a few years and it works fine with good eggs.

http://www.baker.ws/2xbbsh/2xbbsh.htm

[Obed]

Re: BBS

I posted a reply earlier but for some reason it did not show up. I hatch out about 3 batches of bbs every day and find the instructions on Steve's site angelsplus to be very good instructions. I use 80% hatch rate eggs because with the expense of the 90% over the 80% it does not justify buying the 90% eggs. Houston water works very well for hatching bbs, you don't need to dechlorinate the water, in fact you can add  2 to 3 drops of bleach to take care of any bacteria on the eggs or any increased bacteria in the city water that sometimes occurs in the summer, the chlorine will evaporate long before the eggs hatch. Hatch time for me is 18 to 24 hours. I add a tablespoon of epsom salts to my water along with the salt and get very good results. You can use baking soda if you prefer, it will do the same thing, it assists in keeping the ph stable. If you continue to have problems you can decapsulate the eggs before hatching, that is a popular process among many angelfish breeders.

[SCOTT]

Re: BBS

As long as we are on the subject of Angelfish Obed, I had put up a post earlier. I breed Africans, however I have been attempting to get my Angels up and running. The problem I am having is with my fry hatching out with no yolk sacs. Any ideas what could be causing this? This one has me stumped, I have tried everything I can think of, and some things that I shouldn't have thought of, but nothing seems to work. I am wondering if I might have a line bred issue that has caused a defect in the spawns from this pair of angels. Have you ever experienced anything like this, and if so, what did you do to remedy it?

[Obed]

Re: BBS

I have never had a problem like that. At what point are you noticing the yolk sac problem? is it at day 2 thru 5 or at day 7 or after?

[guppymax]

Re: BBS

The water is too hot. 82 might be too hot. Start over.

max

[SCOTT]

Re: BBS

As for the yolk sac, they appear to be hatching with almost no sac at all. Instead of getting a big ball with eyes, I am getting the big eyes and no balls, hmm,,, that didn't come out right did it, hehe. Anyway, the yolk sac is roughly half the size it should be, so rather than the fry being able to survive off the yolk for the typical week, mine are lasting about 3 days before the sac is completely gone. Of course, at that point the fry still arent ready for live food much less powdered flake and they promptly starve to death.

[Obed]

Re: BBS

Scott, I want to make sure we are on the same page. Different groups use different terminology.
When your angels spawn, the eggs typically hatch in about 48 hours, the fry are wigglers at this point and survive off of the yolk sac for the next 5 to 6 days. Usually around day 7 they begin to free swim and have about 12 to 24 hours left on their yolk sac. I usually begin feeding bbs as soon as the fry are free swimming.. If I understand you correctly your fry are not making it to the free swimming stage but are dying in the wiggler stage on the 3rd day after being laid. Am I getting it right, or are they dying the 3rd day of free swimming? Angel fry can eat bbs on the first day of free swimming.

[SCOTT]

Re: BBS

They are dying while still in the wriggler stage. The yolk sac just isnt well enough developed to allow them to reach the free swimming stage.

[Obed]

Re: BBS

I have never had a problem like that. I am stumped as to what to do. It may be that you have a genetic problem or it could be that you have a young pair and they may yet get it right. I will ask my  fellow TAS members if any of them have had any experience like this and see how it came out with them, this may take a few days before I get any responses, sorry I could not be of any immediate help.

[SCOTT]

Re: BBS

No problem, I know what you mean. This is a first for me as well. This particular pair has spawned well for the last 6 mos. None of the spawns has lasted more than 3 days. This one has me baffled.

[Obed]

Re: BBS

Scott, I have had a reply from one of my fellow angelfish breeders who had a similar problem. He switched the fish to different mates and the problem went away. He is more confused now than before, if the problem had occured with the new pairings he would have known which fish had the defect, but since both fish are producing normal fry with their new mates he does not know what the problem was, nothing else has changed, the water, food and environment is the same, but now no defects. I guess some pairings are just not meant to be. If I hear anything else of value I will let you know.

[SCOTT]

Re: BBS

Thats kind of what I expected to be honest. My guess was that both had a recessive gene that they shared. It's nice to hear someone else confirming my suspicions, now I don't feel like a kook.