Hatching Brine Shrimp
Follow the following procedure if you plan on hatching brine shrimp yourself. It’s not that hard to hatch them at home.
Use a container such as a clean 1-gallon (3.8L) glass jar for hatching brine shrimp. You can also use a specially designed clear cone-shaped brine shrimp hatching container.
Make sure it’s clean and never use the ones that have been used before for other purposes. Residues of other chemicals or detergents can interfere with proper hatching of the brine shrimp.
Fill the container about one-half to three-quarters full with saltwater. The specific gravity should be within a range of 1.018 to 1.023. The pH should be within a range of 8.0 – 8.8. The temperature should be within 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (23.9 to 29.4 degrees Celsius) for the entire procedure.
Add a sufficient amount of brine shrimp cysts to the hatching container. About 1 to 3 teaspoons of cysts will supply an ample amount of brine shrimp. Brine shrimp cysts, incorrectly called as brine shrimp eggs can be purchased at your local dealers or retail pet stores.
Add an air stone that is attached to a good air pump. Aerate the water to keep the cysts in suspension. Make sure foam of bubbles will not form on the top of the water. So do not bubble fast.
The cysts should hatch within 24 to 48 hours. Remove the air stone to remove the newly hatched shrimp. Light the container directly toward the bottom. They will tend to go at the bottom where the light source will be at. There should be a light orange mass. They are the newly hatched shrimp.
Siphon off carefully the brine shrimp. The shrimp can be fed to your saltwater fish or invertebrates. You can store extra live brine shrimp in a small open container in your refrigerator.
Clean out the container completely and wash the air stone. Repeat the instructions to hatch additional brine shrimp.
Return from Hatching Brine Shrimp to Live Foods
Return to Saltwater Aquarium Main Online Guide Page
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