# Culturing live food for your livestock



## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

Interested in hatching and culturing your own live food for your livestock?

Are you getting tired of buying frozen? 
- I know I did. 

What do they really put in those little icy cubes of fish food goodness?

Do you have a Mandarin/Ruby Red Dragonet?
- I do  - A male Ruby Red

After careful planning and a trip to Canada Coral and Dollarama, I have created a culturing vessel/table.

** Please note, this works for me- I am far from a marine biologist nor do I claim to have "found the answer" I just wanted to share my project with everyone. 

Needs:

4 empty plastic bottles- I went with Fruite Juice bottles- I recommend the Grape or the Lemonade... Peach isn't bad 
Scissors
Small screwdriver or something to punch a hole in plastic
Freshly mixed saltwater- 1.021-1.025
Light source- lamp
Air pump
2 x Submersible Heaters- 50w
Canada Corals or you local LFS:
- 1 x Bottle of PODS
- 1 x Bottle of Phyto
- 1 x Pouch of baby brine eggs
- 6 x Basic blue air stones
- Airline tubing
- 8 x T airline connectors
- 2 x Air pressure shut off valves
Dollarama:
** I went with 2 vessels: The culturing side has 2 sections or cultures, the hatching side has 4 sections.**

- 2 Snaptite 6.4L/ 216 oz Tupperware container
- 2 Snaptite 3.1 L/ 104 oz Tupperware container
- 2 Snaptite- meal size Tupperware containers without divider **see picture**
- 2 x Thick superglue

Now that we have the needs out of the way, lets get to the build


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

*Culture side*

For the culture side I created a two vessel from the SML and LRG container. 
T connections, airline tubing and superglue.

- Take the small container, flip it over. Punch a hole through the middle, insert airstone. Add a ft of tubing to the airstone, seal with superglue (let sit). Repeat with the other.

- Take the large container, from the side, make two holes (large enough to insert T connector. Insert T connector, seal with superglue let sit.

- Measure the distance between the 2 T connections (exterior), cut airline tubing and attach (See picture 1)

- Take the tubing from the small containers, attach to the T connector of the large container, place small containers in the large container, let sit.


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

*Hatching side*

For the hatching side, I went with 4 sections. Baby brine hatching, enriched bubble, clean water wash and one for a back up.

- Take the empty Fruite containers, cut the ends off 
- Take the caps, punch a hole, insert airstone, seal with superglue. Take a ft of tubing, attach, let sit.

- Take the LRG rectangular Tupperware containers and MED tall Tupperware container, place on table; place the medium inside the large. 
- Find the middle point of the MED container- few inches from the bottom, mark the point punch hole through, repeat (large enough to insert airline tubing) see picture 4

- Take the LRG rectangular container, from the side line up the point of the MED container, mark on the outside of the large container, punch hole.
- Take the large container, insert T connections, seal with superglue; let sit. 
Measure the distance between the exterior T connections, cut tubing attach. See picture 6

- Take the 4 Fruite containers- 2 and 2. Take the tubing attach a T connection, repeat. Take a ft of tubing, attach to the bottom connection of the T (see picture 5). Take the tubing and run it through the hole of the MED container, seal the hole with super glue, let sit. 
- Repeat with the other two- same process.

Picture 6 is the finished product.


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

*The mix*

Now that you have the containers made, dried, washed and ready to go.

- Mix up a batch of fresh saltwater- 1.021-1.025

For the hatching side, fill the 4 Fruite containers with 6 cups of water.
- Container 1- add 1 TSP of brine eggs
- Container 2- add 2 ML Phyto 
- Container 3- leave just water.
- Container 4- leave just water, just in case.

For the culturing side, fill the 2 small containers with water
Place heater underneath the culturing containers (in the large container)
Fill with water

- Container 1 add 1/4 bottle of PODS- Trigger was my choice
- Add, 5 ML Phyto- till the water is a nice green color

- Container 2- leave just water


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## LTPGuy (Aug 8, 2012)

Newbie questions.

What are the bottle of POD and PHYTO? Are those live culture? Are they food for your fish or for the brine shrimps?

Not sure if you're finished with your post, but would like to know running and maintenance schedule and procedures.

Thanks in advance.


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

*Almost done*

Now that you have your containers made, filled, sitting on a table.

Now take your air pump.
- Take tubing, cut needed length to go from pump to the area housing the containers.
- Take a T connection, attach.
- Take tubing, cut a ft x 2, attach to the T connection from the air pump. 
- Take the air shut off valves, attach to the tubing from the T connection
- Cut 1 ft x 2, attach to the other end of the air shut off valve.

Now that you have the split air supply from the pump, attach on to the hatching section and the other to the culturing side.

Plug in air pump.
You will have to adjust the flow of air using the shut off valves. This gives you the ability to create more flow for the hatching section and still regulate the flow to the culturing section.


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

*The finished product*

Timeline.

Brine:

I allow my baby brine to hatch- 48 hours
I strain them, add to the pyto mix. Allow to enrich in the bubble for 48 hours
Strain them again, add to the clean water bubble- 24 hours

Use as needed in tank 

PODS:
I allow my pods to culture for 2-3 weeks. ***Water changes as needed- 25% of volume.
I collect them, add to a phyto enriched bubble- 48 hours.

Collect and use as needed.

Things to note.
The baby brine hatch should be an aggressive bubble. (valve fully open)
The baby brine enriching bubble should be a gentle bubble

The culturing bubble should not be aggressive at all, enough to move the surface of the water

Try to not allow the containers with phyto enriched water go clear. The water should be a nice green tint, not too dark or your culture will foul.

** To be honest, This post might be a bit wordy and will need to be edited but what I have just outlined is a simple and easy way to have your own live food on hand 24/7. Worked for me.

As always, comments, suggestions and feedback is welcome.

If you have any questions or if something doesnt make sense (very possible) please PM me.

Thanks for reading and have a good day 
Mike


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## marblerye (Jul 25, 2010)

Great post thanks for the write up! I'm sort of setting up something similar soon so this definitely helped me out.

Question; what brand and type of pods did canada coral carry? I know I can get tisbe type from Hubert over at reef aquatica in the little kool aid type pouches labelled reefpods but looking for variety.


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

*Reference article*

For all that are interested, this article care of Advanced Aquarist gave me the details needed for my culturing success.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/2/breeder


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## someguy (Sep 7, 2009)

Nice write up, I've always loved mandarins. I'm also curious what pods you used to start your culture with.


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

marblerye said:


> Great post thanks for the write up! I'm sort of setting up something similar soon so this definitely helped me out.
> 
> Question; what brand and type of pods did canada coral carry? I know I can get tisbe type from Hubert over at reef aquatica in the little kool aid type pouches labelled reefpods but looking for variety.


Canada corals carries the Reef nutrition line. 
I started with a tigger and a bottle of phyto feast.


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

someguy said:


> Nice write up, I've always loved mandarins. I'm also curious what pods you used to start your culture with.


I started with tiggers but recently discovered that Hubert from Reef Aquatica is receiving his shipment of Reefpods ;I am getting a bag of tisbe and tangerines- I will be starting those cultures asap.


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

*First harvest*

Harvested the first culture.
*** Started with approx 10 adult Tiggers
*** 1 cup culture to 2 cups fresh saltwater
*** Produced 24 ounces.

Pics taken with a Note 2.


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

*Clean up*

Needs:
Baster
2 X Tupperware container
Air tight Tupperware container

Its time to clean up. You have hit the 2,3, 4 week mark and you can see the explosion of pods.

- Turn off the air flow to the culturing vessels
- Take the baster and slowly remove the bottom culture waste, put in tupperware container

** I found that if I depressed the baster ball before you put in the culture you do not disturb the waste as much, giving you the ability to collect more.

- Remove as much waste as possible, place off to side- we will get back to it.

Now turn the air flow back on and allow the water to mix up again- approx 5 minutes.

- Ding*** 5 minutes is up. Take the baster and begin collecting the pods in the vessel. I used the baster, but it is recommended that you strain them in a micron filter..... baster works for me 
- Collect approx 50 percent of the volume in the culturing Tupperware container. *** Leave the rest for later ***
- Place the collection of pods in the air tight Tupperware container.
- With a measuring cup, take 1 cup of collected pods to 2 cups of freshly mixed saltwater, place in air tight container, place off to the side. ** Do not put lid on it ***

Now with your collection of pods in your airtight container- it is time to enrich them.

Simply, take your Phyto mix, add a few drops to the container, mix and place container in a warm dimly lite area. Leave the top of the container on, but open, allow for air to get into the container.

24 hours later, place the Air tight Tupperware container in the fridge.

There you have it, Copepods, ready to feed your Mandarin or Ruby red.


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

*Leftovers*

So you are thinking to yourself "Damn, I still have 50% of the culture and what am I supposed to do with this waste?"

If you hold the waste up to a light, you can see LOTS of activity. I am a "reduce, reuse and recycle" kind of guy so I will start another culture with the 50% left over and the waste.

Simply, add the waste back into the culture vessel holding the 50 % leftover from the collection, top up with fresh saltwater mix, turn on the airflow, add your Phyto mix till nice green color and cover.

And it begins again.


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