Steve b's new begining diary.

[brewmaster15]

I have a habit..bad one. I tend to have alot of projects going.

[steve b]

How do you do BBS? I have 2l bottle with air line tap water 7.6Ph hard. Salt solution 35ppt @ 26c. after the first hatching do you add more eggs to the same water or start a fresh bottle?

[Charlyc11]

I would add some baking soda to a ph of 8 and you can reuse once the water if you want to but I don't. I hatch at 25 ppt 80 - 81 F and these are the recommended parameters.

[brewmaster15]

How do you do BBS? I have 2l bottle with air line tap water 7.6Ph hard. Salt solution 35ppt @ 26c. after the first hatching do you add more eggs to the same water or start a fresh bottle?

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The above is from brineshrimpdirect.com

What I do is use 2 litter soda bottle.. 1 tablespoon table salt. 1/4 teaspoon sodium bicarb... fill bottle 3/4 with water.I am not high tech. I have a light over the bottles and a small 25 watt heater in a water bath the bottles sit in.

I make 1 hatch in the am and 1 in the pm.

I should add my starting water is pH 7.2- 7.4 before adding bicarb

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[steve b]

Brilliant, just what I needed thanks. All my questions answered. Looks like my salt concentration too high and Ph too low and add a top light, maybe raise temp a bit. Thanks. At the moment 24hrs and can see very few but what I can see just hatching so hope in another 12/24hr should have some or have to get new. Like your unit going to make something similar.

[Charlyc11]

Usually with the correct parameters 18 to 24 should be fine.

[steve b]

Well bad news on my first test not a single BBS. Made a new solution to see if this works, set up as these new instructions. Really hate to throw these eggs away as I have about 400g of them! but if they are no good then have too.

[steve b]

Good and bad news... bad news is that I bought some (20kg) JBL Dark Sansibar sand and it said pre washed just rinse? so I did 750l later still cement like sludge coming off it! Good news is water changes will be a doddle not like years ago when keeping my fist Discus. 4:1 ro/di-no3 filtered water. Now just waiting for my Brine shrimp eggs to arrive.

[steve b]

Okay update on the JBL Sansibar sand. @@ @@@ @@! It took me 120l to wash 1kg and still it was cloudy. Iv'e been talking to JBL re this and showed a lot of photos how dirty this product is. This nice young lady said she would pass it on to their tech department and this is what I got.
"Thank you for your message.

Our technical department has given me feedback.

The product should really only be rinsed, not "washed".
Washing always results in more abrasion."

Just look at these photos.... and make your own mind up.IMG_3.jpgIMG_0066.jpgIMG_1jpeg.jpg


Not a happy bunny, would you rinse this and put it in your tank and get this result?

[illumnae]

Wow that's really bad with the JBL sand. I have been using JBL Sansibar river sand for years, including 14 bags of it in my 600 gallon tank and I've never even rinsed it before putting it into my tank - it goes straight from bag to tank. The tank gets a slight haze when filled but I just put some filter wool in the sump and leave it overnight to run. It's always crystal clear by morning.

[steve b]

Oh my word.... if I had done that I would never get the tank clean. That's what I was trying to explain to them, told them to do a product test. So had to hold my tongue. May I quote you to them? might get them thinking.

[illumnae]

Oh my word.... if I had done that I would never get the tank clean. That's what I was trying to explain to them, told them to do a product test. So had to hold my tongue. May I quote you to them? might get them thinking.

Sure not a problem. I'm based in Singapore though, so almost definitely I wouldn't have gotten the same manufacturing batch as you did.

[steve b]

Thanks, it like talking to a brick wall don't wash, rinse.....don't they think I know when the sand is clean. Must be a rogue batch but will they accept that? I doubt it. It's in my 5' tank now a bit cloudy but the floss filter will sort that out in a few days. 2500l of water to rinse 20kg.

[steve b]

Been a bad weekend got nothing done except flood the floor. trying to clear the cloud from my 5' tank with a Ehim 2017 filter ...could I get it to prime, no way. After an hour or so got my Ehim 2324 out, floods of water around the gasket..... ok use the small 2224.. no O rings on the intakes. Ordered all the bits wait another 4 days.

Can't start the regen resin yet as the pressure gauge is going nuts and can't get an answer why.....

Can't use the filter that I am cycling as no fish in the 5' tank and don't want to add Ammonia to it and have to replace the water, keep it in my 15x12x8, 10 drops of Ammonia a day gone in less than 24hrs so ready and waiting.

[steve b]

Well got the new gasket and works perfectly, the rubber had shrunk at least 10%!! Need a new gasket for the small 2324 as that leaked too, no a good day.

Got a large Eheim filtering the 5' cloudy tank, see how long that take too clear. And not a sound from JBL ....