First time hatching BBS

[Monkeypoint]

I watched Cory’s video on hatching baby brine shrimp using the Ziss hatchery. The setup looked so cool I had to get one. I also watched a Prime Time Aquatics setup video for the Ziss. Jason set his up a little differently. I’m wondering if anyone has experience with this particular hatchery. Cory connected the airline tubing to the lid, then connected the rigid tube on the inside with a small piece of airline tubing to add some flexibility. He didn’t use an airstone - just pumped air through the tube. Jason used an airstone on the bottom of the rigid tube. Does it matter? Seems leaving out the airstone makes things a bit less complicated. 

[Fish Folk]

The issue has to do with which may be more likely to clog up with salt: the air-stone? Or the open airline?

I like using the ziss air-stone, attached to a length of rigid (hard-plastic) air line.

I do a simple DIY version like this…

 

[Monkeypoint]

On 1/8/2024 at 11:29 PM, Fish Folk said:

I like using the ziss air-stone, attached to a length of rigid (hard-plastic) air line

Thanks, I think I’ll go with this as well. And thanks for the thread - very helpful! 

[TOtrees]

What kind of discussion would this be without a dissenting opinion? 

I use rigid tubing only, no airstone. I don't find that the tubing clogs with salt, but salt does accumulate in the tip of the tubing over time, as a precipitated crystals. I clean that out maybe every 1-2 months with a piece of wire, and that's it that's all.

I also like the wall or rack-mounted setup. Like Cory I strapped a short piece of pvc to the wall, and use the ziss handle to hold it in place. 

My own mod is that I use tubing from a narrow python vac connected to the outflow of the hatcher (at the bottom), so I can decant the hatcher into a pitcher in my sink a few feet away. 

Another tip I rarely see mentioned is to let the hatched bbs sit for 5-10 mins without air before you pour off/separate the hatched bbs. With the brand that I use, that 5-10 mins allows all shells and unhatched eggs to float to the surface, so when I decant from the bottom I get virtually zero shells. Nothing but sweet orange goodness.

So my process post soak looks like this: 1) turn off air for 10 mins; 2) decant from hatcher to a pitcher, avoiding all the shells and unhatched eggs at the top; 3) pour the decanted pure bbs through a bbs net; 4) feed to fishies. 

 

[Monkeypoint]

On 1/9/2024 at 11:35 AM, TOtrees said:

Another tip I rarely see mentioned is to let the hatched bbs sit for 5-10 mins without air before you pour off/separate the hatched bbs. With the brand that I use, that 5-10 mins allows all shells and unhatched eggs to float to the surface, so when I decant from the bottom I get virtually zero shells. Nothing but sweet orange goodness.

I’m so glad I asked questions before trying this out for the first time. Great tips! And now I’m back to my original thought - seems simpler to just go with the rigid airline tube connected to the pump than using the airstone. Do you use a regular shrimp net or one of those nylon food grade nets with a specific micron number (100 - 400)?

[TOtrees]

On 1/9/2024 at 11:44 AM, Monkeypoint said:

Do you use a regular shrimp net or one of those nylon food grade nets with a specific micron number (100 - 400)?

The second one. These are from amazon.ca, but the same type is avail worldwide. I don't think a micron size is specified, but comparable ones are usually around 200. 

[Monkeypoint]

On 1/9/2024 at 11:58 AM, TOtrees said:

he second one. These are from amazon.ca, but the same type is avail worldwide. I don't think a micron size is specified, but comparable ones are usually around 200. 

Perfect, thank you!

[GoofyGarra]

On 1/9/2024 at 11:58 AM, TOtrees said:

The second one. These are from amazon.ca, but the same type is avail worldwide. I don't think a micron size is specified, but comparable ones are usually around 200. 

I use nets like these, but i have experienced that if you are trying to hatch large amounts of BBS the high walls of a sieve hold in the BBS much better then the net, where it is likely to overflow.

[jwcarlson]

I've got two of the Ziss hatchers, they're hanging on a piece of 1x10 that holds my electronics and whatnot for a water aging/heating setup.

I just use rigid tube with a small piece of flexible airline to connect it to the lid.  Even the rigid tube occasionally get some salt buildup, but I always rinse it off after a hatch so it's not too big of a deal.  With the film (molts?) that coat the bottom towards the end of a hatch I would think the airstone would get yucky.  At least the way I hatch.

[Monkeypoint]

On 1/9/2024 at 1:00 PM, jwcarlson said:

With the film (molts?) that coat the bottom towards the end of a hatch I would think the airstone would get yucky.

Yeah, that makes total sense.

On 1/9/2024 at 12:44 PM, GoofyGarra said:

I use nets like these, but i have experienced that if you are trying to hatch large amounts of BBS the high walls of a sieve hold in the BBS much better then the net, where it is likely to overflow.

I only have 2 tanks so I won't be hatching large quantities, just small batches, part of which I'll feed live and then freeze the rest.

[jwcarlson]

On 1/9/2024 at 12:10 PM, Monkeypoint said:

Yeah, that makes total sense.

Also, I ran into bad hatches when I wasn't scrubbing the hatcher out after each hatch.  I was rinsing it really well, but wasn't using the brush.  With small hatches the build up on the bottom isn't really visible, but now that I've built up to more eggs, it's really obvious that I wasn't getting it clean enough.

[Monkeypoint]

On 1/9/2024 at 1:13 PM, jwcarlson said:

Also, I ran into bad hatches when I wasn't scrubbing the hatcher out after each hatch.  I was rinsing it really well, but wasn't using the brush.  With small hatches the build up on the bottom isn't really visible, but now that I've built up to more eggs, it's really obvious that I wasn't getting it clean enough.

I'll have to channel my inner neat freak.