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  1. #61
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowsaw View Post
    strange one, literally all you need to do is raise a nice high turbidity culture of phytoplankton and then add a seed batch of daphnia to it,

    you could use biological matter of plant feed for that, tiger prawns are raised in ponds doused with pig or chicken muck to feed the algae, that in turn feeds the prawns.

    but for small scale culture the water should have enough nutrients to raise a decent bloom, or just take water from the pond and use that to grown the plankton
    Thanks, its massively frustrating as if I could crack it would make the whole feed process so much easier.. If I could replicate the bloom I get in some of the 25l tubs in the 500l tanks things would be rocking!

    Happy to play and through the summer its the ideal time to learn and develop.. even if its for 2020. How would you suggest I prep a 500L tank?

    Many thanks

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  3. #62
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion bowsaw's Avatar
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    500ltr of pond water, will soon go green, could pass through a daphnia collection sieve to ensure its free of zoo plankton.

    think of that as your mother culture, dilute it down by taking a starter culture from it and retooling up the same way, if inside in winter, allow the pond water to warm to room temperature first, just in case it knocks things back. add that starter to either treated tapwater (faster than all that straining) or strained pond water, as it colours up then add a mixed randomised haul of daphnia, that way you get some that are reproducing, some that will in days and some that are probably on last legs, (used to have to hand sort with a scope for a certain instar, though that was not the stock setup but a experiment batch).

    add them and watch the population grow, in time you will get a feel for how long they last before they start to crash, and don't forget to frequently water change using the nice pea soup you have grown, start a series off a week or so apart to have a constant stream and back up and every now and then give the container a full clean and fresh stocking,
    the slow pond build thread

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  5. #63
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Briefly going back to your artemia production, there's many different ways to separate the shells but the following worked best for me.

    I used to raise them in large glass sweet jars - the old fashion ones where Grandad would buy you a 1/4 Ib if you'd been good!

    Turn the aerator off, put a light bulb at mid-water level, wait 2 or 3 minutes.

    The shells will either sink or float and your entire artemia population will be congregated where the light is.

    Then syphon them out into a mesh over a jug.

    You'll get 100% pure brine shrimp with zero shells mixed in.

    Once the population has gone rinse out the jar, refill and start again.

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  7. #64
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Can't get my mind off Chocolate Dust, Rhubarb & Custard, Army & Navy, and Strawberry Bon Bons since that post!

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  9. #65
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowsaw View Post
    500ltr of pond water, will soon go green, could pass through a daphnia collection sieve to ensure its free of zoo plankton.

    think of that as your mother culture, dilute it down by taking a starter culture from it and retooling up the same way, if inside in winter, allow the pond water to warm to room temperature first, just in case it knocks things back. add that starter to either treated tapwater (faster than all that straining) or strained pond water, as it colours up then add a mixed randomised haul of daphnia, that way you get some that are reproducing, some that will in days and some that are probably on last legs, (used to have to hand sort with a scope for a certain instar, though that was not the stock setup but a experiment batch).

    add them and watch the population grow, in time you will get a feel for how long they last before they start to crash, and don't forget to frequently water change using the nice pea soup you have grown, start a series off a week or so apart to have a constant stream and back up and every now and then give the container a full clean and fresh stocking,
    Thanks for that, it is something that I would really like to crack and it is real frustrating not having done so!

    Dave

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  11. #66
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    Briefly going back to your artemia production, there's many different ways to separate the shells but the following worked best for me.

    I used to raise them in large glass sweet jars - the old fashion ones where Grandad would buy you a 1/4 Ib if you'd been good!

    Turn the aerator off, put a light bulb at mid-water level, wait 2 or 3 minutes.

    The shells will either sink or float and your entire artemia population will be congregated where the light is.

    Then syphon them out into a mesh over a jug.

    You'll get 100% pure brine shrimp with zero shells mixed in.

    Once the population has gone rinse out the jar, refill and start again.
    ta, this year I was rather more disciplined in rinsing the used bottle in a CT solution then in water before reuse, it seemed to provide more consistent results.

    Dave

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  13. #67
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    WIth some relief got the feeders running on the fry systems, hopefully will give me a little more kip.

    With .3 to .5mm powder the profi copes , but it needs to be level...

    the little tetra feeders are an alternate just a shame they have limited feed options.

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  15. #68
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    I have 500 grams of Queni stage 3...... Way more than I'm going to need so prepare yourself a 300 gram tub!

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  17. #69
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    I have 500 grams of Queni stage 3...... Way more than I'm going to need so prepare yourself a 300 gram tub!
    Ta,

    Tomorrow could be paddling time in the wildlife pond, there are some serious tobies that I'd like to get to grips with.... but boy are they quick.

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  19. #70
    Quote Originally Posted by Davej View Post
    Ta,

    Tomorrow could be paddling time in the wildlife pond, there are some serious tobies that I'd like to get to grips with.... but boy are they quick.
    Its cold out there, I was paddling today! pulling creases out of liner before coping stones go on tomorrow.
    Built not bought!

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  21. #71
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dave_vr6 View Post
    Its cold out there, I was paddling today! pulling creases out of liner before coping stones go on tomorrow.
    I cant set up a koi vat without getting creases in the bottom.
    But with water temp now moved up to 25C I think I can just about cope - however I think the prospects of success are pretty remote.

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  23. #72
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davej View Post
    I cant set up a koi vat without getting creases in the bottom.
    But with water temp now moved up to 25C I think I can just about cope - however I think the prospects of success are pretty remote.
    25c pond temps. Where you living at Dave
    The bahamas. My pond temp hit its highest this year at 18.4 c yesterday.
    Or are you heating the ponds.
    Great thread Dave. Keep it going mate.
    I love reading it. And it's great knowledge.

    Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

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  25. #73
    We where teased with the taunts of an update on here lol

    Sent from my BBF100-1 using Tapatalk
    Built not bought!

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  27. #74
    Quote Originally Posted by Davej View Post
    WIth some relief got the feeders running on the fry systems, hopefully will give me a little more kip.

    With .3 to .5mm powder the profi copes , but it needs to be level...

    the little tetra feeders are an alternate just a shame they have limited feed options.
    Personally I prefer Eheim feeders over Tetra ones - use it for many years on my tropical tanks - now running twin feeder and the std one on my discus tank as this feeds three different varieties of food dosed - Tetra based - as my humble opinion Terta has best fish food for tropical fish.

    Just food for thought
    You get what you pay for - or better - what you make yourself.

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  29. #75
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    Weekly ish update..

    Pics will follow.

    Temp wise yes 25C, the ambient water temp in the indoor tanks is 22-23C so no great issue pushing it up a fraction. The Wildlife pond is run through an ASHP andat the current ambient air temps is real efficient and very cost effective form of heating

    I took an Executive decision that there were too many in the inside tank T2. This one was the tank I heavily stocked (circa 12,000 hatchlings) .. So drained the tank, had a clean up, netted the fry and had a sort through.. This wasn't asy…… Indeed incredibly frustrating, aim was to pull out the Tobies, stray yellows, deformaties and the weaker fry. Overall I’d give myself maybe a 5 out of 10 rating for the exercise and it was one of the lows that you suffer.

    Spent the next couple of days looking at T2 and thinking I’d overdone the weeding out ..but the fry in there consolidated, got their act together started feeding again and panic over.

    The decision to move to ZM300 powder has proved a good one,with hindsight should have been made earlier. Clear they could eat the grains. I rigged up profi feeders on both inside tanks and the wildlife pond and added some ZM300. They just about cope wih the particle size. The stronger fry in T3 went on 1 min total feed time spread over 16 feeds, T2 set at 35seconds 10 feeds. WLP 1 min 40 secs and 20 feeds.

    Ive also had a play with tetra feeders. Load cheaper than the profis! Limitation being that you can only run 3 feeds a day from eachunit. Advantage is they are a safer option in terms of avoiding overfeeding .

    Growth has really started to take off (at last).. they are still small but weight wise have more than doubled in the week. Transition to fry from hatchlings is complete.

    What is clear is that I need to move up to ZM400, the next grade powder in T3 and the WLP, T2 is maybe 3-4 days behind.

    The critical second selection is starting to loom up, ideal would be to leave this another couple of weeks but will have to see how things pan out .

    Daphnia side of things I am still playing! Greened up some buckets of pond water and seeing how this goes. I am thinking that the buckets inside may be starting to get too warm during the height of the day? (air temps in the fish house climb into the 40s..)
    Last edited by Davej; 26-06-2019 at 08:37 AM.

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  31. #76
    Busy bloke!

    Looking forward to the selection stages with plenty of images.

    Keep up the hard graft mate.

    Sent from my BBF100-1 using Tapatalk
    Built not bought!

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  33. #77
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    Yeah Dave keep at it mate. Love the read

    Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

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  35. #78
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    The really exciting news is that I have had a population explosion in the 100gallon daphnia tanks

    I chucked in a dozen or so blanched lettuce leaves 10 days ago and have been feeding yeast when the water clears, did a big water change using lightish green water from the wildlife pond Friday, and bang this evening the numbers are there!

    To top it the pond has gone much deeper green so after harvesting a few decent net fulls this evening I am pumping in pond water to get the green back in the tanks..

    Thanks Guys for your input on this, it has helped a load....if this isn't just a lucky break then it will make things a load easier, after selection the numbers will be significantly less than current and just maybe the "natural" food source is a possibility.

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  37. #79
    Where's our pictures mate?

    Great work glad the living lunch is coming together for you. These things are gonna blow up in no time. Have you anymore space to build more ponds

    Sent from my BBF100-1 using Tapatalk
    Built not bought!

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  39. #80
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Davej's Avatar
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    Random snaps of the daphnia project..








    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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