Hatching Decapsulated Brine Shrimp Eggs Guide

HATCHING DECAPSULATED BRINE SHRIMP EGGS GUIDE

LIGHTING: Place container next to window for sun light or provide florescent light. Light should be on about 12 hours. But for faster hatch and growth rates can be on 24 hours.

WATER SALINITY:  Add marine salt to water. Salinity of the water should be between 1.017 – 1.025

TEMPERATURE:  Around 80 deg. More or less. 

 OXYGEN: Provide as much aeration as possible (with an air stone) without “over boiling” the eggs out of the container. (The more oxygen the better)

CONTAINER:  Any container will do. Best if you find one that is cone shaped, for example, like a plastic 2 liter coke bottle. Cut the bottom of the bottle off and screw the cap on tight. Then turn/ place the cut bottle upside down to hold water. The cone shape will help to rotate eggs in the water to keep them suspended. Brine shrimp are not too picky but you will get a better hatch percentage if you rotate the eggs good without many of them settling on the bottom overnight. The air stone also keeps the eggs tumbling, so they don’t stick to the sides and bottom of container.

 PROCEDURE:

  1. 1.      Place airstone in container.
  2. 2.      Fill with desired amount of water.
  3. 3.      Put eggs in.
  4. 4.      Start air pump (adjust to a boil).
  5. 5.      Wait 24 – 36 hours.
  6. 6.      Harvest shrimp nauplii.

 

 HARVEST:

  1. 1.      Turn off air supply every once in a while. Let your culture settle for a few minutes. Look inside with a flash light. Shrimps should be gathering toward the strongest light available. That will be the window if they are exposed to sunlight.)
  2. 2.      After a few minutes when you see the shrimp congregating or clustering together, suck them up with a turkey baster or other tool of choice.
  3. 3.      Squirt them into a 120 micron sieve. For the time being if you don’t have a good sieve you can use a fine mesh net or coffee filter.
  4. 4.      Important: Rinse them thoroughly before feeding to fish fry to minimize pollutants from your shrimp culture entering into your fry tank. Over many feedings on a daily basis, toxins and pollutants will accumulate in your fry tank.