Newly hatched BBS

[Karen B.]

Greetings!

I heard Dean say it’s possible to put BBS in the fridge? If so, for how long? In salted water or normal water?

Or is it better to keep them at room temperature? For how long? Salted water or normal water?

[Fish Folk]

On 12/6/2021 at 6:20 PM, Karen B. said:

Greetings!

I heard Dean say it’s possible to put BBS in the fridge? If so, for how long? In salted water or normal water?

Or is it better to keep them at room temperature? For how long? Salted water or normal water?

I've personally never tried keeping BBS alive in the fridge. They can be frozen into cubes and fed later. I've never personally done that, but I've seen plenty of other aquarists who hatch out a LOT of BBS do that rather than toss excess hatch.

I begin collecting BBS from 1-liter hatching containers at 36 hrs, and then a second time at 48 hrs. Occasionally I'll collect at 60 hrs. But by 72 hrs, mine begin dying. I keep them in the hatchery with air at room temperature.

What the occasion for your hatch? Any particular fry? Or are you trying to ready certain fish for breeding? Or just hatching out a fun treat-food?

[Flumpweesel]

I feed or freeze, fish seem equally happy with both. 

I can't see much benefit to putting in the fridge as the longer they are alive they are using up the energy supply which we want for our fish.  The fridge might slow them down and preserve it a bit or they might use it to keep warm.  (only supposing no research done) 

[Fonske]

On 12/7/2021 at 7:20 AM, Karen B. said:

it’s possible to put BBS in the fridge? If so, for how long? In salted water or normal water?

I regularly keep half of hatched BBS in the fridge, usually for one day, occasionally for 2 days. In brine (~12g salt per 200ml or so), in a flat container with large water surface and plenty of air. 

If kept in fresh water, BBS survive for several hours at least (I never tried to keep them longer, only for a second feeding in the same day).

The freshly hatched BBS are the most nutritious, but even slightly grown ones after a day or two at cool temperatures are devoured by fish with much joy and vigor. 

Photo below is BBS after two days in the fridge.

[Karen B.]

On 12/6/2021 at 9:03 PM, Fish Folk said:

I've personally never tried keeping BBS alive in the fridge. They can be frozen into cubes and fed later. I've never personally done that, but I've seen plenty of other aquarists who hatch out a LOT of BBS do that rather than toss excess hatch.

I begin collecting BBS from 1-liter hatching containers at 36 hrs, and then a second time at 48 hrs. Occasionally I'll collect at 60 hrs. But by 72 hrs, mine begin dying. I keep them in the hatchery with air at room temperature.

What the occasion for your hatch? Any particular fry? Or are you trying to ready certain fish for breeding? Or just hatching out a fun treat-food?

Sorry for the delay!

I am raising clown killifish fry.

I do freeze the BBS but as my fry are in a rather large tote, I find that moving BBS are easier for them to associate with food (I have dump fry! Hehe)

I am also doomed with hatching BBS.  Here’s a post I just wrote : 

I have little clown killifish fry. I feed them vinegar eels at first (I hate harvesting them. I fail at Cory’s method…😭) then I switch to BBS… which I kinda fail at hatching too. 
 

I bought the ziss hatchery, aquarium coop eggs, fritz marine salt. I watched Cory’s video at least 50 times.

Room temp water, 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 the spoon of BBS. Air tubing, Aqueon preprogrammed heater (I live in canada. It’s cold), and a heating lamp.

My problem is I get soooooo many unhatched eggs it’s crazy. Or eggs/shells that deposit themselves at the bottom of the hatchery or on its sides even. I don’t know if it’s the heater that stops the air bubbles to travel properly, if my air flow is too slow or too strong. And is it normal that there is a slight smell in the salted water?

I did an experiment yesterday and removed the heater and upped my air flow after 24 hours and harvested them at 36. The water smelled stronger then usual, and about half the BBS seemed not to move but I had less debris at the bottom and less unhatched eggs. I still fed them to my fry and to some of my community fishes… but then regretted it. I hope they won’t get poisoned if the BBS were bad/dead?

The light trick works somehow to bring the BBS at the bottom but as there is already so much debris there… And even if I shake the container, the debris/unhatched eggs sinks faster.

Should I just give up and accept that I will harvest at 24 hours, with tons of wasted/unhatched eggs but with healthy BBS?

[Bjorn]

On 12/9/2021 at 1:45 PM, Karen B. said:

My problem is I get soooooo many unhatched eggs it’s crazy. Or eggs/shells that deposit themselves at the bottom of the hatchery or on its sides even. I don’t know if it’s the heater that stops the air bubbles to travel properly, if my air flow is too slow or too strong. And is it normal that there is a slight smell in the salted water?

Sounds like you're doing the right thing by experimenting and seeing what works for you and your water. I sometimes get unexplained mass DoA hatches but less so since fine tuning my process. I don't think dead bbs is bad for the fish as long as they're freshly hatched and not decomposing.

You mentioned you use marine salt. Corey mentioned he uses that because his tap water is soft. Maybe experiment with aquarium or any no iodine salt and use baking soda if you need to raise the pH to ~7.5-8.0

[Fish Folk]

Sorry for the challenges you're facing with BBS. I use 3x large tablespoons of aquarium salt per 1 liter of water and 1x large rounded tablespoon of artemia eggs.

Here is a link to a post from last summer explaining exactly how I make my DIY BBS hatcheries, and exactly how I harvest them.

And here are two videos showing / describing how I take the hatch out...