Raising Rotifers

OK, so I am trying to raise some rotifers that I got from PEGGYSUE, and her phone number is not in service. So I am going to ask here if I am doing this correctly. I have the rotifers in a two gallon plastic container with freshly mixed ro saltwater at 1.024. I have placed a small airstone in the container also, on light flow. No heater has been placed in the water. I have a lid on the container just to keep foreign matter out, it can still breathe. They are in a room with a window so they get some natural light. I have fed them Kent Marine "Phyto Feast" but I dont know how much and how often to feed. Another question I have: There is some brown loose gunk on the bottom of the container. I don't know what this gunk is, could it be poop, eggs, dead rotifers, or just a natural occurance. Should I feed finely crushed flake food. I have fed flake before, but I saw gunk on the bottom of the container and I did a complete water change because I thought the gunk was settling flake food, but that is not the case becaues the gunk appeared again without the introduction of flake food. I also am wondering if the gunk could be the Phyto settling.

Edited by DeepFriedOprah - July 25 2008 at 1:20pm

I agree with Crystal,

Edited by Mark Peterson - July 25 2008 at 4:59pm

Write down all your questions.  Bring them to the August meeting.  And, feel free to hang out with our speaker earlier in the day or after the meeting as well.  We're always looking for people to help entertain the guests while they are here.

I just read Amie's article, do I need to lower my salinity from 1.024 down to 1.014.

I like growing things at 1.023.  Then I can just scoop out a gallon of tank water and change it with a gallon of rotifer water. 

thank you all for the info this is great stuff but my wife is going to kill me now

Thanks Adam, an amonia alert thingy before I go much further, I think I lost the culture only a couple swimming around. Are tigger pods much different to culture than rotifers?

 Adam, when did you change your mind about growing live food! That is soooo cool! Last time we talked on this subject you were into using the Reed stuff. We really do need to get together and  talk fish. I'm going to skip this meeting cause I've already seen it, but you should come to our next reefer party! We'll get Rob to make lasagna again. 

 We'll keep your breeding experiences just between you and I.

 Jason, Tigger pods  (Tigriopus californiicus) are much easier to grow than rotifers. Just throw them in a bucket, add a drop of nanno paste from BSD and they multiply like crazy! I must harvest a few hundred a day. Todd Gardner (he invented rotifers) says they are the most nutritious food on the planet!

Suzy,

Suzy-