Auto brine shrimp hatchery and feeder

[Tracy G]

Hmm

 

 

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[paul b]

I abandoned that design because the eggs kept clogging the tiny air vent that would let out air from the float and allow the valve to open.  I also thought it was to complicated and hard to change the water.  This is a much simpler design and so far is passing the tests.  It is a much larger version of my normal feeder except this one allows for the water to be constantly renewed.  There is an auto dry food feeder on the rim of the tank (above the funnel) that I tweeked a little so it only lets about 1/4 teaspoon of brine shrimp eggs into the funnel at the top of the tube just at the waters edge twice a day.  There is a small tube (3/16") that disperses water into the funnel from the tank.  That comes from my algae trough but an air bubbler would work.  The water flow provides 2 services.  It aerates the eggs and pushes them down the tube to the feeder and even if it doesn't, after the shrimp hatch, they will be forced down (I hope).  I may have to tweek this a little but I have an other design in my head for that possibility.  There is a stocking over the feeder to allow the shrimp to exit.  The water being pumped into the device also changes the water in the device.  "most" of the eggshells will stay under the mesh (stocking) but not all.  The eggs are slightly larger than the mesh and most of them sink anyway.  When I come back from vacation I will run my diatom filter if there are any visible eggs to remove from the tank but I don't think it will be a problem in a few days.  Right now the 3 pipefish, 2 mandarins and scooter dragonette are all around this thing and the rest of the fish come by for a snack.  I will get the fish used to feeding in this place for a few days before I go anywhere and I will be using it now.  The powerheads will turn off a couple of times a day to allow the pipefish to feed without searching all over the place for new born shrimp.  I like this idea even better than how I am feeding them now as it keeps shrimp in the water continousely and that is how pipefish and mandarins are supposed to eat.  I will update with any problems and maybe a video.

[AlanM]

Neat. It's fun to see those pipefish hanging out.

[paul b]

[paul b]

The first batch of eggs hatched in the feeder and the pipefish and mandarins are all over it like a cheap suit.  I love it.  There is a dragon face pipe laying on the thing but he is white so hard to see, then there is a multi stripe pipe and the pregnant mandarin.

[Rob A]

Cool! Although I was hoping there was something more exciting going on with the potatoes and "cough syrup" since you usually have such great stories to tell. 

[paul b]

No instant potato stories, and I don't eat them.  Worm food.

[Seahorseconservancy]

wow I need this when I get breeding again, did you know the common pipefish is in the bay, they have great saddle marks and I think look better then tropical ones, 2 weeks in my brothers boat house attracted to a light at night the biggest one I ever saw 9+ inches and fat fat, saw him the next day too, to big to tame saw babies last year

[paul b]

Here in NY I can collect 50 pipefish in one pull in of the 2 man net.  They are very common.  We also have seahorses but much fewer.

I collected and bred these guys here.  The female is transferring eggs to the male's pouch

 

Edited August 20, 2014 by paul b