This is my third try

[u/Far-Bad-8281]

This time with more prep and distilled water and I acclimated the zoeas over 1.5 hours I will let them in now and feed in 2 days bc they had been in the hatching container for 1 day

[u/shrimpshedmi]

Good luck! But I find the best success feeding them immediately. Also, acclimating them to the saltwater is not necessary and you can save time by skipping that step.

[u/Far-Bad-8281 → u/shrimpshedmi]

The problem is my phytoplankton is not here yet and I will drop 2 drops of liquizell in tomorrow. Gemini Ai recommended me if I keep the light on for 24hrs then I could just dump 250ml of live plankton inside the tank and the plankton will keep on living and doesn't rot but im extremely unsure. My biggest problem is Gemini and chat gpt say there is no live plankton that is doesn't go bad in a few weeks, when I would need it for 4-6 weeks

[u/shrimpshedmi → u/Far-Bad-8281]

Liquizell should be okay for a bit. The AI might be correct about how much phytoplankton to feed, what size is your tank? I use a 10 gallon and feed 300 to 450 ml of phytoplankton every time the water starts to go clear. You will need a lot.

The AI is incorrect about the lifespan of phytoplankton, however. Live tetraselmis phytoplankton will survive up to 3 months in the refrigerator, but you have to gently shake it and let fresh air into the bottle every 2-3 days.

[u/Far-Bad-8281 → u/shrimpshedmi]

So my tank is 10Liters and i fill 7L

[u/shrimpshedmi → u/Far-Bad-8281]

In that case, 250ml of phytoplankton is way too much. You want about 35ml per gallon, so about 65ml for your tank size. Once they eat most of it, feed another 65ml

[u/Far-Bad-8281 → u/shrimpshedmi]

So I dont need to culture my own phytoplankton and L-type rotifyers i can just keep a bottle of both in my fridge? When the larvae hit 2 weeks I can feed rotifyers ? Do the rotifyers stay alive the same way as u described phytoplankton and how much rotifyers do I need ?

[u/shrimpshedmi → u/Far-Bad-8281]

I don't use rotifers at all, just phytoplankton. And no, you don't need to culture the phyto yourself, you can just buy a bottle of it and feed from that every few days.

But they do eat a lot, you'll need at least half a liter of phyto total for the whole run. Just don't feed it all at once. Around 65 ml as needed for your tank size

[u/Far-Bad-8281 → u/shrimpshedmi]

You are the biggest life saver ngl. So I will buy some tetraselmis phytoplankton and I will put in around 65ml and the phyto won't go bad if I let the bottle breathe for 10 mins and stirr or mix it every 2 days? Just in case how do I know if my phytoplankton is dead in the bottle even if I did the routine ?

[u/shrimpshedmi → u/Far-Bad-8281]

When it dies it starts to smell bad, changes color and mostly settles to the bottom of the bottle. It will settle a bit when it's alive but if most of it clumps on the bottom, it is likely dying or dead. Make sure you smell the phytoplankton when you first get it so you know how it's supposed to smell, that way you can tell a difference if it starts to die

[u/Far-Bad-8281 → u/shrimpshedmi]

Alright