MBI Event Reporting Form

GENERAL
Name:	Kathy Leahy ( KathyL ) Site: Marine Aquarium Societies of North America
Species:	Brachionus plicatilis ( Class: FC1 , Points: 5 )
Establishment Date:	07/29/2011
Culture Source:	Washington University Zebrafish facility
Link to Journal:	http://www.mbisite.org/Forums/tm.aspx?m=58819

Culturing Vessel Details
Temperature:	75-78 ° F
PH:	around 8
Specific Gravity:	20 ppt salinity
Vessel Description:	5 gallon buckets filled to 4 gallons. Rigid airline to bottom connected to air pump. Low boil aeration.
Lighting:	ambient compact fluorescent bulbs.
Lighting Schedule:	14 hours day, 10 hours night

Methodologies
Feeding Tactics/Medium:	At least one gallon of clean water with food is dripped in daily. Food is 6 parts N-rich, 1 part Roti-Grow+, 2 ml per feeding, 2 feedings per day. Second feed of the day is either another gallon of clean saltwater dripped in, or a squirt of food and chloramX, as time permits.
Split Cycle:	One gallon is dippered out each day to distribute to the Enrichment bucket and the Tiggerpods bucket. Each week, the culture is decanted to a clean bucket, sediment swirled and collected into a tall bottle to settle. The now empty bucket is wiped out with a paper towel, and the body of the culture is returned to it, in order to preserve the biofilm. After sediment settles, the bottle is decanted into the culture as well.
Split Yield:	I have yet to top 50 rots per ml. My goal is 200-500 per ml of a reasonably stable culture.
Number of Cultures:	one, with 2 side cultures for different purposes: Enrichment and Tiggi
Number of Splits:	daily
Density:	40-50 rots per ml
Harvest Methology:	Pour culture through a coffee flter to remove algae clumps, and through a 53 micron filter to collect rotifers. Backwash rotifers into a collection cup using a spray bottle with clean culture water in it.
Adjustments Made:	Added an airline to the food jug to keep the food in suspension as per Gresham's suggestion.

Other Details
Other Information:	"Clean" saltwater is saltwater that has been bleached (1 ml per gallon) in its container, and then dechlorinated, and tested for chlorine. My hypothesis is that adding food to the jug will preserve the quality as it is dripped in during the day, as there will be less bacteria to cause the food to deteriorate. I have yet to see improvement in the culture, but this is an just an establishment report, and there is still time.

Other Details

Other Information:

"Clean" saltwater is saltwater that has been bleached (1 ml per gallon) in its container, and then dechlorinated, and tested for chlorine. My hypothesis is that adding food to the jug will preserve the quality as it is dripped in during the day, as there will be less bacteria to cause the food to deteriorate. I have yet to see improvement in the culture, but this is an just an establishment report, and there is still time.

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