How to hatch and grow brine shrimp

[Ben]

Before you get started this is what you will need!


Empty 2 litre coke bottle
Wire coat hanger
Air hose
Air pump or air supply
Silicon
Marine quality salt (a lot better than rock or sea salt as it has essential minerals)
Brine shrimp cysts
Hydrometer
Small torch


If you want to grow the brine shrimp to Adult size

2 foot tank
spiralina powder




To make the hatching vessel cut the coke bottle bottom off and with a scew driver make a hole in the cap for the air hose. You will need to add a bit of aquarium silicon around the join to make it water tight. Cut and bend the coat hanger so it can be hanged up some where easily.
When setting up brine shrimp hatching vessel make sure the air pump is higher than the water level or use a one way valve to stop water going into the air pump when turning off.

Once you have made the hatching vessel you are ready to start hatching brine shrimp!
Use water that has been aged for at least 24 hours to get rid of most of the chlorine as this will help get a higher hatch rate. Dissolve enough salt in the water that will give you a density reading of 1.028. The water will need to be warm no higher than 28.c or lower than 20.c. Ph of 7.5 is great. If possible keep the hatching vessel near a bright light or better still near a window sill as this will increase the cysts hatching.
With the right density reading and the bottle 2/3 full of salt water turn on the air pump and add 1 level teaspoon of cysts. They will hatch in around 30 hours a bit longer if the water is cooler. Wait an extra 12 hours for any late hatchings.

Now you can feed these guys to your baby fish. The best way to get them out of the hatching vessel with out getting too many un hatched or hatched cysts is to darken the room and lay a torch in a convienent place, shining on the lower third of the bottle.
After 10 minutes they will be attracted to the lit area and using another piece of air hose you can siphon them out into another clean holding container. (or better still buy some de capsulated cysts, this can also be done at home but a little on the tricky side and another post!)

To grow these little guys to adult size ½ fill a 2 foot tank or similar with salted water with a density reading of 1.022. Add an air stone to the middle of the grow up tank as well as the baby brine shrimp. They will take around 40 hours before they will start to eat.
To make the food I buy spiralina powder from your local health food shop, add 1 level teaspoon of the powder in a cup and pour ½ cup of boiling water stir well to dissolve the spiralina. This can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.
When still small feed only small amount twice per day. Add 2 table spoons of the spiralina liquid per feed. Make sure you do not over feed as if the water goes foul they will die off very quickly!
Within a week you will be feeding a little bit more as they get bigger but after the 7th day from hatching I add ¼ of the tank with freshly made salted water. I find this really easy as it is like a water change for them, without sucking up any small brine shrimp!

In another 3 days you will need to siphon out any rubbish on the bottom of the tank to do this, darken the room and shine the torch up one end where there is less sediment and rubbish on the tank floor, then using a very small hose suck up about ¼ of the water along with the sediment. Top up with freshly made salt water.
The brine shrimp will get to adult size in approximately 16 days this depends on water conditions, feeding and the temperature of the water. Keep always a reading of 1.022
To catch the adult brine shrimp a specially made brine shrimp net can be bought from some local fish shops.

If you look after the adult brine shrimp they will start breeding and producing naupli in the tank!


*sorry about the picture quality but it gives you an idea!*