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#1
06-21-2011, 11:31 PM
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This is day 21...on one of the PS the eggs are completely silver and full of eye spots...so I am expecting one batch of larvae after lights out tonight...the other PS is still holding but the eggs are starting to look green/grey so the second batch should follow in a few more days...
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#2
06-23-2011, 04:15 PM
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Quick update....still no larvae! Both PS are STILL holding and the eggs on both are now a distinct silver and plenty of eye spots are visible to the naked eye...perhaps I'll have a nursery full of larvae tonight.
Now a note about the snails that I've added to the nursery, I added them too soon! On several occassions I've caught the adult PS killing them for a little escargot even though they are very well fed....so not a good idea to add the snails until after the larvae have arrived and the adults have been moved back to the broodstock tank. With this new diet that the adults are on I've observed significant growth and of course this prolonged period of carrying the eggs. We are now at day 22, I was of the understanding that it only takes 10-14 days for the larvae to hatch as was my experience with the first batch. Now, I'm starting to think that this prolonged period is far better and should produce higher quality larvae (time will tell) and that the previous 14 day cycle may well be a premature cycle as a result of poor nutrition (this is only an idea based on what I'm currently observing). Now as far as the system goes, I am running a set of NO flourescents across the broodstock and the nursery; however, because the nursery has very little flow through I am starting to see the development of cyano , so the plan is to move the lights to a position several feet above to create more of an ambient lighting effect. If this doesn't help with the cyano then I'll switch to a light source for the broodstock only tank and leave the nursery with no direct lights. (The photoperiod is important to get the PS to keep spawning). ....my next entry should be the announcment of the larvae (I hope).
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#3
06-23-2011, 04:16 PM
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Day 23...............both still holding.............
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#4
06-23-2011, 06:14 PM
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Here is another very interesting occurrence.....today, while feeding the adult broodstock I noticed an empty carapace, the adults have undergone a full molt while holding the eggs at day 23 and it has not effected the eggs at all. I didn't know that this was possible.
So while we are waiting on this ever so slow larvae to make their grand appearance, let me mention something about feeding time. At feeding time I simply slice off a sliver of my frozen seafood goo and stick it to the end of my finger, each PS comes up to the surface in turn hangs on to my finger then takes off to the bottom of the tank again with a nice little clump of food. It has gotten to the point that they only have to see me coming and up they come!
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#5
06-23-2011, 10:01 PM
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Is the 10-14 day hatch period widely described elsewhere? If that's how long it's supposed to go, it's nuts that they haven't hatched yet. I'm imagining my sister 9 months overdue...
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#6
06-24-2011, 01:48 AM
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Quote:
She is HUGE and waddles with a sideways canter dragging her abdomen along the bottom.
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#7
06-24-2011, 02:49 AM
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Here is a pic of the left over carapace from the molt that occurred at day 23 while the PS was still holding the eggs (this one has been holding eggs now for 23 days). Please note the reflectivity of the eggs which is caused by the formation of the eyes of the larvae and please note the formation of a new batch of eggs behind the head.
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/v...t=9474&p=83722
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