Freezing BBS

[stever521]

Hi I'm wondering if I can freeze baby brine shrimp after they hatch, the reason for this question is i don't have the means to keep them alive for very long but, if they can be frozen the problem is solved so I would guess. Thanks for any info on this one in advance.

Steve

 

[Neil]

That is a good question! I would be interested in the answer to that one as well. Doesn't freezing has a tendancy to breakdown the membranes in the cells of living tissues. I wonder what effect it has on artemia. I know that you can buy baby brine in frozen cubes, but I don't know if there is a particular way that they do it.

 

[tjudy]

Freezing will definitely kill the bbs, and it will change the nutritional value a very little bit. Freezing has a negative effect of some vitimin-protein complexes, and some lipids.

I used to use the ice trays from the mini-fridges, or I would use an empty frozen food cube tray. I would separate brine from egg shells as normal, rinse them, and then place them in a double shot glass that has a conical bottom. After the brine died/settled I would use a syringe to extract from the bottom of the shot glass, careful to get as little water as possible. The I would set the syringe tip down and let them settle again. Then, without uprighting the syringe, I would put the bbs in the tray. The idea was to get the amount of bbs as dense as possible.

I used frozen bbs to feed bottom feeder fry in bare tanks. They sink rather quickly, and in gravel they just disappear. I used it for cory fry and bushy-nose pleco fry mostly.

 

[jvr]

frozen BBS

Hi,

I have frozen baby brine as a backup for when a hatcher goes bad, new bs eggs won't hatch etc. when you have fry you need a back up.

I just net out my baby brine as usual and then put them in fresh water and freeze them in ice cube containers, when I need them I throw in an ice cube, as it is melting the shrimp are released and if there is enough water movement they actually look alive as they sink, the fry eat them.

I have used frozen baby brine where the fish won't touch them it is the live wiggling action of the shrimp that attract some species, just a consideration.

Fry that will take frozen baby brine will also take cyclop eeze, golden pearls or any other fry food, so why go through the hassle of freezing the baby brine shrimp when these will do ? it is your choice.

Point of interest I have stored live baby brine in salt water in the freezer and they have stayed alive for 3 days, the water won't freeze because of the salt content, so live food for 3 days.

Other substitutes are vinegar eels and microworms, they are as easily cultured as it is to hatch baby brine.

Thanks

John