Brine Shrimps

[zip_case]

I've recently gotten some brine shrimp eggs from a friend and was wondering, what's the real benefit on feeding live brine compared to frozen.

Is the shells bad for the fishes if they digest it?
Any tips on how to hatch the shrimps?

 

[Anonymous]

Live brine usually has no nutritional value unless you enrich them with phytoplankton. The best discussion on rearing brine for food to fish that I have found is in Joyce Wilkerson's Clownfishes.

 

[JennM]

Think of brine as little "gel caps" for other foods

You can gut load brine with phyto, or selcon and then they are more nutritous.

You can get enriched frozen brine (Sally's/San Francisco Bay Brand has Omega 3 enriched frozen brine), or you can hatch, and enrich your own.

I use SFBB eggs, decapsulate them (remove the hard exterior shell, the nauplii are then 20 % more nutritious at hatching), and enrich them with greenwater (homegrown

) and selcon.

I also have a grow out bucket (in the summer I have several outside) where they grow up in homegrown phytoplankton.

Yummy!

Jenn

[ January 22, 2002: Message edited by: JennM ]</p>

 

[Tremelle]

No, I would not think the shell would be harmfull to the fish's digestive system. The fish eat them with the shell on in the wild. Plus you would need a magnifying glass to remove a shell from a brine shrimp.

 

[MadMorf]

Anyone got any pointers to a good brine shrimp hatchery/system?

 

[HARRISON]

There are tons of different ways to do it. @ liter coke bottles and air pumps. There is a little commercial do-hicky that goes in your tank that is supposed to be good. I have one but thought it was to ugly in the tank. If you do a search you will see that we have talked about this before a couple weeks ago.

I like to keep it simple and use a plastic holding cup like the fish stores use. I add water from the tank and pour in some eggs. Nothing else. Then by the next day I have artemie to suck out with a turkey baster. I usually get about three basters full before things get stirred up. Then I leave it alone to settle and in a while I do it again. Each time I remove brine and water I just add a couple squirts back from the tank. This is easy and works well. Plus if company is coming over you just pull it out and add it back later.

 

[Lynn]

It doesn't seem to be working for me??? I have a 10 heater to 79, with a air stone and a plastic cone thing. I've put the eggs in and waited 3 days???still nothing. LSF told me I can't use aquarium water, I need to make up water with rock salt???
Lynn

 

[Lynn]

It doesn't seem to be working for me??? I have a 10 heater to 79, with a air stone and a plastic cone thing. I've put the eggs in and waited 3 days???still nothing. LSF told me I can't use aquarium water, I need to make up water with rock salt???
Lynn

 

[HARRISON]

The artemia are the most nutritious for the first 48 hours after they hatch. After that they have a very limited nutritional value unless they are "enriched" like the others say. The full grown are good to get fish to start eating when they finicky. I use them more as a treat if they are full grown and not enriched. Otherwise I just hatch a new batch every day or so for the fish and corals. Stuff looks pretty healthy so I think it helps...

 

[HARRISON]

Your LFS is crazy...hahah

I know you can buy the little packets with the salt in them with the eggs, but you don't seem to get enough eggs for the money. I just buy the little viles of eggs and use aquarium water it works very well. If you need I have a picture of what I do but it is just a plastic holding container that sits on the inside of the tank to maintain temp. Eggs are just poured on top and they sit overnight and in the morning or next eve I have brine to suck out...

 

[danmhippo]

Translation: Your LFS want your $$!

Never hear of nonsense like that. I too use my tank water to hatch.

[ January 23, 2002: Message edited by: danmhippo ]</p>

 

[danmhippo]

Actually, something just popped into my mind......Lynn, What is the salinity in your hatching tank? Commercial plants keeps decapsulated brine shrimp in high salinity brine to prevent them from hatching. My theory is....If your water SG is too high, your batch of cyst likely will not hatch!

 

[Lynn]

Yes, I'm maintaining the temperate at 79 and I was using a airstone, but in the last 2 days I've been using a plastic box thing that you attach the air hose to.(its actually for fish fry) My salt is at 0.025 ??

 

[Lynn]

Yes, I'm maintaining the temperate at 79 and I was using a airstone, but in the last 2 days I've been using a plastic box thing that you attach the air hose to.(its actually for fish fry) My salt is at 0.025 ??

 

[danmhippo]

You meant 1.025?

Well, my guess would be try another batch of brood, and see what happens.

 

[Terry McGee]

They should hatch a 1.025, but might do better at 1.020 to 1.018, take some tank water and add a little fresh and try it. take care Terry