my observations with breeding Amanos

[chlorophyll]

Might be right about the brackish thing. But I haven't had the pleasure of reading any really reputable works on the natural behavior of C. japonica. If they are found in greatest numbers in marshes, it's possible some may go closer to brackish water at times. I know berried M. rosenbergii do. Many others of course, do just dump off their babies in the streams/rivers. Some from high up above waterfalls, apparently

[badflash]

So take one and put it in backish water. If it dies you know.

[chlorophyll]

Well I'm quite sure an adult can survive salinity in the water. The question is whether eggs will hatch in those conditions. Anyway, I haven't got plans to try it, myself.

I finally did a formal count of my PL's, and there were more than I thought in all that grimey growth. Ended up with 33... I'm sure I started with less than 100 larvae; probably between 70 and 90. If that's a 40% survival, I'm really happy with that.

I'm on the verge of starting up a new culture, so I'll see if I just got lucky or if I can have any repeat success.

[badflash]

chlorophyll- did you record how long it takes the eggs to hatch? Any changes in color before they do? Mine are a uniform oil grey right now and just showed up today.

I can confirm that high phosphate/nitrate levels will prevent egg production in these and cherry shrimp. Now that my phosphates are 1-2 ppm and nitrates are near zero I'm getting all sorts of eggs. I've done nothing but get rid of the phosphates nitrates. All my Black Beard Algae is gone as well.

I was not prepared for how many eggs a large female would carry. I'll try to get some pics shortly.

My marine rotifers are doing well. My 5 gallon salt tank is stable at 78 degrees and 30 ppt. I have marine green water (Nanochloropsus) by the gallon and hope to have artemia in there at the same time. The nano is pretty cool algae. It has no trouble living in salt or fresh water. I grow it in fresh water and mix it with concentrated salt water in the correct proportions so that when I do a feed & bleed on the tank I can increase or decrease the salt levels as I need too.

[brbarkey]

did you record how long it takes the eggs to hatch

I would just look at the eggs and when I saw a black dot then I knew it wouldnt be long. A day to a couple of days...

Hope this helps

ben

[badflash]

Thanks. I found it in the Mike Noren article:

When freshly laid, the eggs are a dark moss-green color, but become progressively lighter and more khaki in color as they mature. The female carries the eggs for about 5 weeks before they hatch. The color of the eggs can be used as a rough guide to when they're going to hatch, but a better estimate can be obtained by looking closely at the eggs (e.g. with a hand lens, or, as I do, via a macro photo): if you can see the eyes of the developing embryos through the eggshell, then the eggs will hatch within a few days.

[badflash]

I'm on pins & needles. I now have 8 (count 'em females carrying eggs. One has had them for nearly 3 weeks and they are getting really grey so the first hatch should be soon. They are all in their own tank so I don't need to worry about anyone slurping up the babies. Looks like I have about 6 more on the way, including my so called "blue amanos". Hopefully I'll get the hang of it by the time they are ready so I can see if any breed true.

My salt water tank is kicking butt. Loads of rotifers and a self sustaining colony of brine shrimp. I'm feeding them green water and doing about a gallon water change every other day in a 5 gallon tank. Temp is 78 degrees, salinity is 31 ppt. no nitrates, ~.5 ppm phosphate. Light is on 24/7. Am I missing anything?

[badflash]

Jeez. When it rains is poors. I now have 11 amanos carrying eggs with several more ready to go any day. The nursery is full, so I'll leave the rest in the main tanks for a few weeks. Hopefully I'll have a few hatches by then and can rotate these females back to the main tank. I'm hoping my blues will be last so I can have some experience before they are due.

[xerxeswasachump]

My turn...
Hi guys i just signed up to this forum. I am new to shrimp and fish tanks in general and i need some help breeding amanos. I've read all of the material but i need a method for doing this that doesn't require any money to be spent. I'm dead broke right now and have no instruments for measuring water conditions except for a thermometer/hydrometer that floats to show salinity.
Earlier this winter i tried to set up a salty tank to breed my amano babies and spent $35(!!!) on marine algae cultures that never grew into anything. I still have some of that stuff left but it is back home and i'm at colelge (45 mins away). Right now i have an extra 10 gallon tank that i put some calcium (the powdered kind you put on crickets) and some kosher salt (the kind without iodine) in it and filled it up most of the way. I threw in some java moss and have an air pump whose hose is held down by a rock (my airstone). Unfortunately, i need to fill it with soem more water before i can actually use my floating hydrometer (right now it would just hit the bottom).
I am at a college though and could probably find someone to steal me some culturing medium to make some algae, i just need to know exactly what to look for. So what do i need?
Also, my room has no natural light and all i have is a heat lamp right now. Is that good enough? Or should i just give up on all of this?
I do have an extra fluorescent lamp and a good grow bulb but i need a new starter for the lamp and have no idea where to get a new one. If anyone knows anything about fish stores in the Morris county, NJ area let me know.
Anyway, i hate to be redundant but what do i do? By my understanding i have some time to figure all of this out considering the eggs just appeared under my female this week. Any help will be met with piles of gratitude.

[badflash]

You can't just throw stuff together and hope for the best. You can do it on low bugget, but not on low intellegence. I don't mean to be rude, but your post does not appear to be very well studied.

Get marine rotifers from
http://www.aquaculturestore.com/info/rotifer.html

and Kent Pyto plex (google it).

Do not cut corners on the sea salt. You need to change 20% of the water every other day.

You need to feed the culture 2X per day.

Lose the java moss.

[xerxeswasachump]

Well studied? Dude, i've never done this before. And i read the original post but i am not a scientific person. A lot of it make very little sense to me. Anyway, i'm trying to take this as seriously as i can. I also have $0 to spend on the entire operation. Now how do i culture marine algae? the same that the rotifer guy did his rotifers? Because i think i can do that. How can i make good culturing medium for free? Should i just go to the bio department of my college and ask for marine algae culture medium?

Also, the best salt i have available is water softener salt. I guess that is better than the kosher salt. What is the real difference between all of these salts?

Does anyone here know anything about making your own Pyto plex? Because my roomate does have a gift certificate to Stop & Shop and we do have a kitchen. I can make pretty much anything i just need to know the method and the ingredients.

Keep in mind this has to be no budget not low budget. I can probably borrow ingredients from other people too.

Also, i only want maybe 5 shrimp out of this. The whole point of this is to get shrimp for free. If i wanted to spend money i would just go buy 5 more shrimp for $2 a pop. There is no point in spending more than $10 dollars on this operation. Unfortunately, i have already wasted $35 of marine algae cultures.

[badflash]

I'm sorry, but you would be better off just buying the shrimp. Everyhtnig you would need to culture green water, rotifers, etc. costs money.

Pyto Plex is a combination of various marine algaes. I don't think you are going tomake it in the kitchen.

I suggest you go to the library and borrow "Plankton Culture Manual" by Frank H. Hoff. It has an excellent section on low budget and home-built systems for growing algae and rotifers. However, the lights and air pumps alone will cost you a lot more than some shrimp.

If you want them for free, find someone with too many and ask them for some.

[rs79]

When I lived in Los Angeles near the beach I'd simply grab a bucket of seawater, leave it on my desk and shortly it'd turn green. I'd put baby brine shrimp in it and they'd feed off it and grow into adults.

What would happen if you grabbed a bucked of saltwater from somebody's marine tank the next time they did a water change and put strong lights on it 24x7? Wouldn't you get enough green stuff to keep baby ammanos alive?

[xerxeswasachump]

Yea that seems to make sense. Unfortunately, i live in NJ and don't have a car to drive down to the shore. Also, NJ sea water would be pretty disgusting. I just talked to the some professors in the bio department of my school and they are willing to help me out. I have all of the spirulina and pytoplex i could ask for. Also, they have a 10 gallon salt water tank that isn't going to be used for another five weeks. How long does it take for the larva to grow? My two females just started showing their eggs a week ago. How long will the whole process take?

[badflash]

There isn't enough time. It takes around a month for the eggs to hatch, then another month for the larva to mature.