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Best way to hatch Brine shrimp

gerald

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5 Year Member
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1,491
Location
Wake Forest NC, USA
Assuming its the same as what I had in the 70's (it looks identical) the shrimp swim up over the opaque baffles (attached to the dish bottom)and down under the clear baffles (removable) until they reach the center. The removable upper baffles need to be clear (or at least translucent) so that the shrimp can see the light and move toward it.

Note the Hobby Hatchery does have a place to insert an air tube, and the old ones came with an airstone, but when I used it then egg shells would end up in the middle. So instead I bent a piece of stiff air tubing (heat over a candle) at a right angle and placed it so it would blow ON (not under) the surface. This kept a slight current circulating around the outermost ring, which might (or not) have helped hatching, without getting shells in the middle. Anyway, it looked good and made me feel better.
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Re: salinity. I hatch at about half normal marine salinity, density between 1.012-1.014. I presented a program in Salt Lake City early this year. The next day Bob Alan took me egg collecting. All we found were dead eggs and ice (water too 'fresh/sweet'). Utah regulates the commercial egg harvest based on harvest studies. Bob told me then to think about buying extra eggs this year because the price would go up. Brine Shrimp Direct even sent emails out this fall to its commercial buyers suggesting that they look for other sources of eggs because they probably would not be able to adequately supply everyone. I doubled my cans of eggs I usually buy (in the freezer at 0°F/-13°C). I now wish I had bought more.
 

Apistomaster

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
703
Location
Clarkston, WA
I just noticed this discussion and it looks like I better order a couple one pound tins of cysts while they getting is good.

Back to the subject at hand, there are many ways to hatch out cysts. Which method is best suited for your needs depends on how much newly hatched Artemia you use each day.

The floating method is the least productive but fine if you do not need large quantities.

One of my friends has used two, one liter glass jars with plastic lids. He drilled two holes in each lid so with the addition of two Male Adapters, 1/8"–1/2" (NPT x Barb), I recommend the 3/16"barb X 3/8 thread fittings.
You can see what they look like here but you can buy them from most local large hardware stores.
http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/5031/Male-Adapters-1-81-2-NPT-x-Barb
This allow one to run two or more jars in a series off a single air source. On one fitting for the air, extend a length of clear rigid 3/16" tubing per jar. Once the jars have been filled with salt water and eggs, tighten the jar lids to seal the system. This way air bubbles through one jar then escapes out the second fitting and that may be connected to another similarly set up jar. You are able to use one small air pump to drive a series of small jars. Of course the size of the jars can be as large as you wish.

I personally prefer the purpose made two liter brine shrimp hatching cones and their custom stands.
I own four but rarely run more than two at any given time.

I use less salt than is recommended on the cans but more than some of my fellow posters.
I found out years ago that I could get better hatches using reef salt(cheapest brand is fine) at the rate of one tablespoon per liter. The salt is a little more expensive than using rock salt or the rock salt/Epsom salt mix many use. The difference is good enough to justify the salt since the eggs are what costs the most I rather hatch as many cysts as I can.
I differ from most in how I harvest the nauplii in the following ways:
1. Nothing works better than a gold plated coffee maker sieve unless it is a properly size plankton sieve.
These beat any net and never wear out.
2. I keep my hatchers at about 82*F/27*C by using a 15 watt Compact fluorescent with screw base.
I often cover the hatcher(s) and lamp with a large plastic bag to retain heat and shrimp hatch better in a lit environment.
3. My eggs all hatch within about 20 hours. I turn off the air, let the shrimp settle near the bottom and they are also attracted to the light which is also near the base.
3. I then open the drain valve which has a section of clear flexible 1/2" tubing connected. This is drained through the sieve but it will still contain some shells so I repeat the process using the strained hatching water. The second separation eliminates nearly every egg. It may seem like extra work but I harvest the entire container just the one time per day.
4. I then store these clean shrimp in a plastic shoe box in one inch of fresh brine the same strength as the hatching solution, in my refrigerator.
Most of the shrimp remain alive over 12 hours and remain stalled at their pre-shed hatched state at which they are at the peak of their nutritional value. To feed the shrimp to the fish I merely pour what I need through my sieve, rinse in fresh water, then mix in a container with some fresh water so I can go from tank to tank and feed each tank only as much as needed by using a dedicated kitchen baster.
 

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