- Marine Aquarium Co-op
- →
- Welcome to Marine Aquarium Co-Op
- →
- Tank Maintenance
- →
- It's all about the Protocols!
| Welcome to Marine Aquarium Co-Op. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| It's all about the Protocols! | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Aug 20 2010, 04:02:38 PM (258 Views) | |
| Post #1 Aug 20 2010, 04:02:38 PM | Suzy |
|
Hey, Guys! I am at the local public aquarium a lot more now. We are setting up an exciting new endeavor: Our breeding system! I get to work one on one with a really sweet marine biologist, who is in charge of all the syngnathids:The Seahorses and Pipefish! We are going to try to raise all the syngnathids that spawn, but I think once we get it going well, the curator will give us all the other spawn, too. The moon Jellies and sea nettles, I hope! I am really getting to see a lot more of how professional aquarists run large systems, which really seems helpful to what I am trying to do in my basement. The coolest thing I have learned lately is how this team of professional aquarists work together, but seperately. Each different husbandry staff is assigned an area: One does the fw/Utah exhibit stuff, one does the South America tanks, another the penquins, another the flighted birds, ect. They all work as a team, but each has their own area. Each day, food is prepared for all the animals, a different aquarist does it each day, and prepares the food that each area needs. Then they use it as required during the day. Each member has a day they prepare the food for everyone. Each area has a checklist that has the required jobs in that area. In our area, we start with a "walk through', count the animals, check the tanks temp, tubing and the like, ect, ect. If a staff person calls in sick, annother one can cover that area, just by checking the checklist. Everything, every processs has a protocol. They reseach a way to do something, then write up the protocol, then try it for a specific amount of time. After that timie, there is a required evaluation, and they tweak the protocol until it is just right. The protocols get evaluated on a routine basis, and changes get made even after years of the same process! So, I am going to start making protocols and a process for my tanks! I will go down toi the basement, do the routine stuff and be done for the day! Until the noon baby feeding anyway.... |
Seahorse Whisperer
  ![]](http://z4.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)
|
|
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
 
|
 |
| Post #2 Aug 21 2010, 10:01:46 AM | Suzy |
|
First Suzys Reef protocol (there will be editing!): Feeding Protocol: PM: Collect frozen food from freezer Sw mysis: 1/4 package FW mysis: One inch piece Brine shrimp: 10 cubes Frozen zooplankton Using separate containers, place all in fridge to thaw. Add few drops garlic, and vit supplement. Feed all tanks Add one cap full AA supplement to reef display Add one sheet Nori to reef display Add drained pods and rots from am. Check, mix ASW for next day AM: Feed display tanks. Feed Broodstock tanks Feed nursery tanks. For live cultures: Drain 2 turkey basters from each warm water pod culture. Add 2 drops Iso paste to each. Add 5 drops Iso paste to Omarina Add two turkey basters to O marina to each warm water pod. Drain 2 cups cold water pods. Add squirt of Nanno paste Top off O marina and cold water pods with premixed ASW Edited by Suzy, Aug 23 2010, 04:57:15 PM.
|
Seahorse Whisperer
|
|
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
|
|
|
| Post #3 Aug 24 2010, 09:39:18 AM | Clint |
| This is a great way to work. |
breeding stock
|
| Midvale (435) 213-6215 | |
|
|
|
| Post #4 Aug 24 2010, 08:15:14 PM | Suzy |
| This one is getting better! Tweaking it just right over time is working! |
Seahorse Whisperer
|
|
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
|
|
|
| Post #5 Aug 25 2010, 07:54:44 AM | Amie |
|
Wow, so structured. That makes total sense though. So, of course, everything is labeled and has it's place in the fridge? I really should organize my fish fridge, it's a disaster. I think you should come up with an automatic feeding system for any babies they get, don't you? Otherwise, it will be too time consuming if you want to make sure they have enough food all the time. Are you going to hatch brine shrimp there? Or just bring them in? Just curious. What kind of seahorses do they have? You should be taking pictures at the end of every day you work at the LPA to show the progression of your work. I'm excited for you and they are lucky to have you. |
stormy, stormy nights
|
|
http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sandiego/technology/mammals/interns.html Tell them Adam sent you. | |
|
|
|
| Post #6 Aug 25 2010, 12:49:18 PM | Larry H |
| I agree with Amie, they are lucky to have you and so are we. You will learn more and then tell us. |
breeding stock
|
|
|
|
| Post #7 Aug 25 2010, 08:59:37 PM | Suzy |
|
Thanks guys, but I am the lucky one. I am finally getting to do cool stuff, things that are new to me. The seahorse display tanks are acrylic, and huge compared to what I have played with before. Trying to clean them with a long handled scraper is very new to me, and I am paranoid I am going to scratch one. The H erectus tank has really active stock and they chase the handle of the scraper and latch on! Makes it hard to work! Yesterday, I was so into the tank, I didn't realize my hair had fallen into the water. I'll bet some kid thought that was funny! Right now, we have 5 species of seahorses, and I think 4 or 5 pipe fish spp. They have been hatching and growing brine shrimp for quite a while now. The pipes, the dwarf seahorses and the moon jellies eat them, and they have a display of adult ones. Of course, there is a protocol for them! Plus, they have live mysis, live crickets and worms and other creepy stuff. Once we get some spawn, we may set up a feeder for at night. But, there are people there late and early so we can probably get someone to feed when we are not there. First, we need to get something to spawn! |
Seahorse Whisperer
|
|
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
|
|
|
| Post #8 Aug 27 2010, 11:19:33 AM | Larry H |
| I can't wait for the new aquarium to be built. When I did a tour of the behind the scenes there, I was kind of shocked, that it looked like that. But when they get into the new place it will be a building that is designed for being an aquarium and should be really cool and much much better. It is still cool. |
breeding stock
|
|
|
|
| Post #9 Aug 27 2010, 04:25:55 PM | Suzy |
|
I don't think anything "behind the scenes" will change. There are always people building, painting, spilling, ect. It won't look like the display in front ever! We spent 3 hours yesterday moving tanks, cleaning and organizing just in our room. It still looks like crap! I am pumped about the new aquarium too! Not because it will look better, but we'll get more room! More room=more tanks! So, now I need a protocol for water changes. We did a 10% water change on the system that house the Biofacts stuff yesterday in literally just a few minutes. A pressurized filtration system is plumbed so a turn of a handle drains then refills the sump. The process took about 15 minutes, waiting for the huge tank to drain to a marked line, and then waiting for it to fill with new water. BUt, the actual input from staff is minimal! It is sweet! Water is plumbed to each area, sw and fw! After we were done, it is our job to make more water for the rest of the facility. We used 9 boxes of salt! I got to use a huge oar to stir it while my associate dumped in the bags. Got my bicep workout! They make water usually twice a week, but the containers that hold the water are huge! 2 stories high! The RO filter is awesome. I want one.... |
Seahorse Whisperer
|
|
"i was informed of some dolphin related testing going on up there" Too Funny! | |
|
|
|
| Post #10 Aug 27 2010, 10:03:42 PM | Larry H |
| I think it may end up looking better behind the scenes as well because they may make space for those things they need before they build them and it won't be an after thought they need to cram into a small space. The skimmer they have is huge also. The place they made the food smelled kind of funky, is that where you work? What I also thought was interesting is that they have many more fish that never make it to the displays in their behind the scenes tanks. And I love that they are working with the state with those toads. The LPA is a great place and is doing things that I doubt the public even knows about. My plug is to support them and visit often. |
breeding stock
|
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Tank Maintenance · Next Topic » |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| Theme: MAC | Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
 5:35 AM Feb 7
|