killimike Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 A few of the SKGers have had some funky round brine shrimp hatcheries since I was knee high to a grasshopper, and recent discussion about them prompted me to go looking for some on the net. And I found some new in the box on ebay! I had to have, of course. The eggs are placed around the outside of the hatchery, when they hatch, they swim towards the centre where a hole lets light in, over and under baffles, leaving unhatched eggs behind. You can just pick up the little scoop and voila! bbs just like that. The hatchery in box Pop off the lid . . . All together... Now just read the 70s instructions What could be easier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I am literally LOL at the "don't pay any attention to the instructions on the other pack". It's like Hatchery Wars!! I love this thing. Let us know how it works once you've had some time to play with it! I'd love photos of The First Harvest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 It's classic! I will set them up ASAP and then reap little bbs souls for my own nefarious ends... They are still available on ebay if anyone wants to do a group order to reduce postage, and own a little part of fishkeeping history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'd be interested. Anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Me, me, me... where's the eBay link? I love gadgets like these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I think this should work http://cgi.ebay.com/LONGLIFE-BRINE-SHRIMP-...%3A1%7C294%3A50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Any Melbournians interested in sharing the shipping? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 This is so cool! Could you pretty-please show us photos of how the bbs get into the centre ring and from there into the "cup"? And how do you remove the cup without losing the water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) My pleasure You fill with water to the level of the red marker on the hatchery, which means the water is below the top of the perspex grid. The BS eggs start out around the outside ring, with aeration if you like to improve hatching. There are then a series of baffles between the outer ring and the inner space where the light is. So the bbs hatch in the outer ring, then, attracted to the light, swim over the first baffle, then under the first perspex one, then so on a few more times. Because they are either floating or lying on the bottom, the eggs or shells don't get past the first one or two baffles. This means that by the time the bbs get to the middle, under the light where they stay swimming around, there's no eggs with them. The scoop has a mesh bottom, so when the shrimp congregate above it, you simply lift it up, and with no water, just shrimp, which makes feeding easier. I will post photos as soon as I get a hatch! I hope the explanation makes sense, it's an ingenious idea, so much so there's a new brand of these being made now too. Edited March 17, 2009 by killimike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Thanks for that!! It actually shouldn't be too difficult to DIY one. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axoloto Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) That's pretty cool! Splendidbetta can you please let us know how you go on the diy. Edited March 17, 2009 by axoloto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Will do :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Indeed it is not It's a small tupperware container, perspex strips siliconed in so that the bbs go from one side to the other, rather than from outer edge to centre. The two outside baffles are above the water level, the middle one below. Again, it's for small quantities, container is about 500mL, fills to 400mL with the baffles, and I used to put a new one on every day. Good times... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Good job! Do you think depth matters? Also, I can see that aeration might be a problem in a flat container. The cysts won't circulate well, and they'll drift through the barriers. I can imagine a solution: using your DIYed version, make the barrier wall on the cyst side closeable; hatch the bbs in an aerated inverted cone hatchery; pour contents of hatchery into shrimp net and release into DIY separator; reopen barrier once cysts have stopped moving. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I think shallow water actually might keep eggs marginally more oxygenated, so improve the hatch rate. But too shallow and too few baffles, like mine, and aeration will stir everything up too much, so I didn't use it. I like your solution! Essentially, hatch as per usual in coke bottle say, and use a baffle hatchery as a kind of separator? I will try this tonight . . . rather I will put on a coke bottle and then separate it tmw :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Re: depth; yes, I agree. And yes, hatch in coke bottle as per usual, and use your contraption just as a separator. Let us know how you close off the cyst side :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 My thoughts at this stage are to only fill it up to just below the middle divider, so that water can't move from one side to other, then add the cysts and nauplii to one of furthest compartments, and leave to settle. When settled, very gently add water to the opposite side. Since the difference in water height on either side of the barrier will be very small, when the water flows over it, there should be little disturbance. When I used to use these, sometimes I would not get any bbs appearing under the harvesting window, when I checked, the water level had dropped below the height of the middle divider due to evaporation. Carefully topping it up from the harvesting window side usually wouldn't cause eggs to swirl onto the wrong side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I made a DIY one in my SKG days. It was a mess. Tried hatching as normal and using it only as an egg shell separator which didn't work very well either. I think I didn't get a good enough black out and the bbs were just swimming around everywhere. Have you done a hatch yet Mike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 That should probably work Nice and simple :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Cheers Stefan! Razzi, even tho that isn't your name here, it's too cool not to use, I used to use the DIY ones exclusively back in our joint SKG days because most of my 'spawns' were small, you know, a margarine container of gardneri here and there. I have the three of the DIY ones still, they must be almost 10 years old, I would put one on every day, sitting on top of a light reflector to keep it toasty warm. I haven't tried the Longlife one yet, but it is exactly the model Dallas, and Peter Surmon I think, have used since before I was born, which to be honest was part of the interest, like a slice of fish keeping history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Hey Mike (killi, not razzi ) , any chance you could bring some along to the SBG meeting and run us through a bit of a DIY demo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I'd be happy to! Will bring both the Longlife one and my old DIY one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finley Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 The Longlife product is the exact same model as the one made by Hobby currently. I have one. Secondhand of course (not paying $$$!). I really like it and it works - just a bit small so I could do with a second one. I went looking for the Longlife one on eBay and found an expired listing... It said "Check out these similar items by all sellers on eBay" ... which lead me to "VINTAGE 80s SPORT FIT DEAD STOCK RETRO TENNIS SHORTS". OoooooooKaaaay! If any dead people have Brineshrimp hatching in their old shorts, I don't want to know! Interesting method though. (Just thought I'd share ) Fin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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