Easy Reefs EasyRoti

Description

For rotifer culture two easy reefs® microalgae species are used: Nannochloropsis (80%) +Tetraselmis (20%). 

The dosage will depend on the number of rotifers reached. The average consumption is of 4 ml Easyroti per litre of rotifer culture per day (25% of rotifer will be harvested every day). 

To keep a rotifer culture follow the directions below:

Material needed: 
3 cylinder flasks of 2 L with slow bubbling. 
Rotifer inoculums.

Food needed: 
easy reefs®   Nannochloropsis (80%) +Tetraselmis (20%)

Culture cycle from strain: 5 days

Recommended sea water density: 1019, although they can be cultured well up to 1022.

Culture temperature: 22ºC to 28ºC. Optimum culture temperature: 24ºC.

To filter the rotifer you should use a 50 micron net.

Once you start the culture you will be able to harvest rotifers after 6 days. You will have one flask for the “strain” and another one for the “production” culture.

The information that follows describes the dosage to be used in ideal conditions assuming that the rotifer density is the ideal. Sometimes it is possible that the amounts of microalgae that are being added do not adjust to the rotifer demand. This is because in aquariums people don’t count rotifers, so the amount of microalgae added is not exact to the amount of rotifer. If the culture water gets clear this would mean that the amount of microalgae wasn’t enough. If rotifer remains with no food for more than 4 hours, the number of eggs will decrease and so will the population growing yield. It is essential that the rotifer always have food.

Rotifers are very sensitive to changes of water parameters. Rotifer population would be affected if the water quality decreases. If you observe an excess of dirtiness in the cylinder then you should filter the rotifer and start the culture in a new clean flask and add the amount of microalgae needed.

Depending on the intensity of the green colour that the flask has, this will indicate the amount of microalgae needed. With time and experience, the difference in green colour will let us do our own feeding protocols. There is no difference in using live or Easyroti as food.

We will put a glass tube with a gentle air bubbling (5-10 bubbles per second) in the graduated flask used for the rotifer culture. This air bubbling will provide a homogeneous mixture in the culture. An excessive water movement will make rotifers to loose their eggs and this way they won’t hatch. 

It is recommended to feed twice a day. But due to the lack of time, rotifers are usually fed once a day.