# Marina Breeder box



## bostoneric (Sep 7, 2011)

Good review.

Sometimes when I get shrimp from trusted sellers I will use a large breeder box for introducing the new shrimp to my display tanks. I turn down the air life tube so its just slowly dripping into the breeder box. I remove the gate or sponge I also use. Eventually the entire box will fill up and begin to overflow back into the display tank. If you just leave it like that the shrimp seem to figure out that they can enjoy a nice slide into the display tank when they are ready. its fun to watch how smart they really are.

again I only use this method when I trust the water the shrimp are coming in.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Sean speaks the truth. Escape has been my number one complaint with these boxes for selective breeding. To supplement, i've used saran wrap over the lid to keep the lid down and moisture within. A course sponge covering the span of the outflow is also a must! 

To keep eliminate the bubbling noise, a marina mini filter was used to replace the airline to feed a steady flow of water up into the inflow pipe.

Thanks for posting ORhunterfisher!


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## Lexinverts (Jan 17, 2012)

orhunterfisher said:


> Hello all my TPT friends. I am writing this brief thread to help a few of you through my past experiences with using breeder boxes for the purpose of rearing, breeding and/or isolating shrimp.
> Couple of things for you from my past experiences.
> Mesh breeder boxes don't work for shrimp...they suck. They will work in a pinch and certainly long enough for you to get solid ones but take my advice on this. Reason being, the shrimp actually can climb the mesh out of the breeder box and either get back into the tank or worse (as I have had done) go over the other side and onto the floor. The worse thing of all is that it provides no protection for selective breeding since outside shrimp can breed through the net if conditions are perfect (I have witnessed this myself).
> I have used breeder boxes extensively for years in order to selectively breed my shrimp (and fish before that). I have found there is only one that I like...the Marina Breeder box. It comes in two sizes, and I prefer the larger. It is an external box with an internal air lift tube which draw water from the tank into the box and then overflows out. They are AWE SOME!
> ...


I've found that my Marina Breeders get really cold in the winter when using them in my garage. I quit using mine because of this. Do yours stay warm enough for you? Or do you just use them in the summer?


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## orhunterfisher (Jun 30, 2008)

I have found that they can be a little colder but it also depends on whether you are good about keeping the tanks topped off. In winter they evap quicker due to the overall differences in temp and then when the water level drops, the air lift pump on the Marina box becomes less efficient and therefore has a slower turnover rate allow it to cool well below tank temp. If you stay up on water level it is not bad. I do have some soft foam "clothe" for lack of a better word, wrapping two of my boxes to add a little insulation but have found the water level to be the major factor.


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

i cheat with the heat on mine. i have even used it for angel fish eggs and fry. i use a small light from a 1 gal hex tank on top of the breeder box. it keeps the temp up in the breeder box if left on all the time and its great for keeping an eye on the little ones. i use cfl bulbs in these light and can post a pic later if any one wants to see


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## lemonnoodle (Apr 1, 2013)

I have two of these and I've had disastrous results from both! It sucks in all the babies from the tank and they can't escape and the breeder box also fills up full of algae and scum even with all the water flow. Currently I have them on a shelf slowly becoming covered with dust.


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## orhunterfisher (Jun 30, 2008)

lemonnoodle said:


> I have two of these and I've had disastrous results from both! It sucks in all the babies from the tank and they can't escape and the breeder box also fills up full of algae and scum even with all the water flow. Currently I have them on a shelf slowly becoming covered with dust.


 
Again,
If not using them properly and maintaining them then they can certainly have problems. If you are sucking fry in from the tank, all you have to do is put a sponge over the internal intake pipe as if it were an HOB intake and problem solved. The scum part I have never experienced and don't "overly" maintain mine.


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## Fdsh5 (Jan 3, 2012)

I have a bunch of 7.5 watt heaters that I put inside the breeder boxes. It's just enough to keep the water just warm enough.


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## lemonnoodle (Apr 1, 2013)

orhunterfisher said:


> Again,
> If not using them properly and maintaining them then they can certainly have problems. If you are sucking fry in from the tank, all you have to do is put a sponge over the internal intake pipe as if it were an HOB intake and problem solved. The scum part I have never experienced and don't "overly" maintain mine.


There is no doubt that the water params will vary from the main tank. And it gets worse over time. There is just not enough water flow. The only solution would be to get a very strong air pump to create more flow or change the water in the box once in a while. But obviously that would defeat the purpose of the box...


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

not true. you can use the hagen elite mini internal filter. the out flow of it will fit right in to the lift tube and push water though. i did that for the angel fry.


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

These rock for the Large breeder. Apparently they aren't sold by the big boxes anymore. I wonder if they're discontinued. Sad. I think I paid $7.95 for mine last year. There are units for sale on ebay and amazon if you're interested.


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## orhunterfisher (Jun 30, 2008)

I have absolutely zero problems with water quality. Now I don't use any wimpy lil cheap air pump to drive my system either. When using a quality air pump there are absolutely no problems with water quality. I, in fact, have my valve turned down to prevent too much flow through the box. You could certainly add a mini powerhead as wicca suggested as well.
I cannot have my conditions different in my breeder boxes. That would defeat the purpose. The ability to add and remove shrimp at will to selectively breed is my main goal. These boxes work very well for my needs with exceptions of the negatives I mentioned above. Evap and temp loss are a big deal in my system. Again, these are my personal experiences and observations...


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## greenteam (Feb 8, 2012)

So what happen to the pics? 

Pics or it aint real!! j/k


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## shrimpzoo (Sep 27, 2011)

m00se said:


>


Are these soundless? Like an EHEIM?

And do they work well with the medium sized breeder box?


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## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

They are quite and do work well


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## usgetata (Dec 28, 2012)

I am sold! Just ordered one to try it out for my red leg selected breed project

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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

You have to put a little piece of foam on the output hole to keep the gurgling noise down but they're a heck of a lot quieter than the air pump bubbles. It should work on the medium box although I haven't personally used it on one. There's a flow control lever on them. I always used mine with it set to minimum because the pump has plenty of power. It really is a great fit for the breeder box.


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