Storing Artemia cysts

[raymond82]

Hi,

What is the best way to store Artemia cysts?

Some websites say in the freezer, others say that in the fridge and again others say at room temperature...

 

[Richgrenfell]

I leave them right in the fishroom. Haven't had any issues, ever.

 

[aquaticclarity]

I store unopened cans in the freezer (I buy them by the case), my open can that's in use is in the fridge. I do not follow the advice of warming the eggs up before using them and have no issues.

 

[Godly3vil]

Are artemia cysts decapsulated brine shrimp?

 

[aquaticclarity]

Are artemia cysts decapsulated brine shrimp?

Nope, just the Latin genus name of the shrimp.

 

[viejo]

Artemia cysts are the same as 'brine shrimp eggs' whether decapsulated or not. Cysts is the more proper term.

 

[Mike Wise]

I think you'll find everyone has a different system for storing shimp eggs. I find that storing unopened cans of eggs in the freezer results in better hatchings. I also keep open cans in the freezer, too. I fill a small jar with about 1 month's worth of cysts and keep it outside of my heated fishroom. The rest of the cysts are put in a plastic fish bag. I squeeze all of the air out of it, close it with a rubber band, and put it back in the can. This remove excess air (and moisture - the main cause of poor hatching from long-term storage) from the eggs. I then put the can in the freezer. I could just as easily put it in the refrigerator, but I have a refrigerator that is smaller than average that is usually filled with food. Refrigerators tend to have moister air than freezers. Besides, my chest freezer has more room. When I need to refill my egg jar, I pull the can out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature. This prevents moisture condensing on the eggs. I reseal the bag, put it back in the can, and refreeze. It works for me.

 

[raymond82]

Thanks for all your responses!

I was asking since we bought a full can but it will probably last us a while so we have to store it well. The hatching rate of the new can is much higher than that of the old can, suggesting that it might not have been stored too well... I like the idea of having a small jar with the cysts for a month, that will also prevent any disasters that might happen with the full can (every time I get it out of the fridge I imagine the horror of dropping the whole thing on the floor).

I have one more question, I have Brine Shrimp Direct eggs that came with a small spoon, does anyone know how much gram is a spoonful?

 

[wethumbs]

I store both unopened and opened can in the freezer. Moisture is the main culprit in turning the eggs bad. If left in the frig (not the freezer), they will go bad in a year where the hatch rate will drop to less than 10%.

 

[raymond82]

I decided to go for my own mix now, I store the opened can in the fridge with the artemia in a fish bag and a small amount outside of the fridge. The hatching rate of these artemia are still better then the ones I had before (those were second hand) but I think already a bit less than when I just opened the can three weeks ago.