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[fishmark]

I have a pair of parasema actively spawning on a regular basis, the egg mass are huge and they hatch on cue on the 5th evening. Survival is a fantasic 95% until day three until all are deceased. Unfortunately I am yet to find an acceptable first food organism for them, I am guessing that copepod nauplii would be the ideal but at this stage our copepod culture are too small to even attempt a rearing. Thinking of using Nematodes cultured with flour or cilates if only i could get some there never around when you need them any suggestions???

[ToddG]

Fishmark,

The reason you get such high survival to day 3 is probably that they have a food reserve (yolk) that will last for 3 days.

I would think nauplii of the copepod, Gladioferens impairipes would be the ideal food for these guys. I've spoken to several people in Australia who have had great successes with very small larvae using this copepod and apparently, it can be cultured in high densities.

While working at a fish hatchery in Puerto Rico, I once raised a small batch of Chrysiptera cyanea - probably by accident. All we had to offer them was rotifers, but one batch, out of the 20 or so we tried, made it all the way to metamorphosis (I can't remember how long it took, but I will see if I can find a record). The rotifer cultures often became contaminated with ciliates and I assume that the one successful batch was reared because there was an appropriate ciliate in the cultures at the time.

You can induce cilate blooms very easily by setting some salt water out in a tank and placing some vegetation (lettuce, grass, etc.) in it and allowing it to decompose for a few days.

Good luck, and please keep us posted on your progress.

[Luis M]

Well,Fishmark,I have been struggling with parasema since 1977 and only recently could I raise some few,now in 2nd generation.
The larvae feed well on rotifers.Don´t give them Artemia,which seemingly produce sudden death at MMP time,20-25 dah.I add larval feeds at this time.Juveniles can take Artemia without problems though.Growing is very slow.
I am trying to find a way to raise a decent number of larvae.Perhaps copepods are the key.I am currently running a C.hemicyanea batch just with them.

[Luis M]

Well,Fishmark,I have been struggling with parasema since 1977 and only recently could I raise some few,now in 2nd generation.
The larvae feed well on rotifers.Don´t give them Artemia,which seemingly produce sudden death at MMP time,20-25 dah.I add larval feeds at this time.Juveniles can take Artemia without problems though.Growing is very slow.
I am trying to find a way to raise a decent number of larvae.Perhaps copepods are the key.I am currently running a C.hemicyanea batch just with them.