Hatching brine shrimp in tank?
- Thread starter samurai9
- Start date
I have seen posts about this before. Here is what I do. (flame if you like)
I just use a plastic container that is used by the LFS to hold fish. You know the little plastic box that can hang on the edge of the aquarium. Then before I go to bed I fill it with water from the tank and cover about an inch or so with brine eggs. (not the salt mix stuff just eggs) Just make sure the box is on the inside so that when the lights come on in the morning the eggs will benifit from the light. I also like to keep the box hanging inside the tank so it doesn't get knocked off and it helps maintain temp. The next day when I get home from work I take my turkey baster and suck out the freshly hatched shimp.
My understanding is that the fresh hatched are the best cause they are full of more aminos and other goodies. If you want to grow them larger or keep them longer you will need to make green water. I have not needed to do this yet.
I hatch brine almost every day for my tank and feel it has been very successful. One other little trick is to slide the container to the far corner away from the light and all the shrimp will swim to the light. This means they will all be in the corner of the box and easy to suck up. I suck up about two or three basters full then replace it with tank water. In a couple hours when everything has settled (and I am bored with whatever I am working on) I go suck up some more. Pretty cool. It is also fun to show people that you grow your own food for the coral. The don't know its easy and they like to watch them swim...
Now I have a little air operated gizmo-jigger that seperates the shells from the brine and needs an airline and stays in the tank and all that, but this is easy and fool proof and doesn't clutter up your tank. Just clean it every three or four days... Happy hatching!!!
Harrison
I just use a plastic container that is used by the LFS to hold fish. You know the little plastic box that can hang on the edge of the aquarium. Then before I go to bed I fill it with water from the tank and cover about an inch or so with brine eggs. (not the salt mix stuff just eggs) Just make sure the box is on the inside so that when the lights come on in the morning the eggs will benifit from the light. I also like to keep the box hanging inside the tank so it doesn't get knocked off and it helps maintain temp. The next day when I get home from work I take my turkey baster and suck out the freshly hatched shimp.
My understanding is that the fresh hatched are the best cause they are full of more aminos and other goodies. If you want to grow them larger or keep them longer you will need to make green water. I have not needed to do this yet.
I hatch brine almost every day for my tank and feel it has been very successful. One other little trick is to slide the container to the far corner away from the light and all the shrimp will swim to the light. This means they will all be in the corner of the box and easy to suck up. I suck up about two or three basters full then replace it with tank water. In a couple hours when everything has settled (and I am bored with whatever I am working on) I go suck up some more. Pretty cool. It is also fun to show people that you grow your own food for the coral. The don't know its easy and they like to watch them swim...
Now I have a little air operated gizmo-jigger that seperates the shells from the brine and needs an airline and stays in the tank and all that, but this is easy and fool proof and doesn't clutter up your tank. Just clean it every three or four days... Happy hatching!!!
Harrison
HMMM.. have eggs with me right now and just ran across this post. think I'll give it a try
_________________
Rehab discussion
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Rehab discussion
Rich-n-poor,
I use the San Fransisco Bay Brand eggs. I found them at a LFS here, (Aquatic Warehouse) for a couple bucks a pack. The package contains a little jar or vile looking type container made of glass and holds 6gm of eggs. About as big as your thumb. This pac has lasted me a couple months and I am only halfway through the jar. Before I used the envelopes with the salt and eggs but thought it was alot messier to use. So Now I just get the eggs and this is the biggest I have seen them.
I have thought about finding another plastic container and drilling a couple small holes in it so the brine can swim out on their own. This should work cause the eggs float on the surface. If the hole is mid container on the light side they should swim out on their own...I will do this soon and post it but right now I don't want to drill my only holding cup.
Good Luck,
HARRISON
I use the San Fransisco Bay Brand eggs. I found them at a LFS here, (Aquatic Warehouse) for a couple bucks a pack. The package contains a little jar or vile looking type container made of glass and holds 6gm of eggs. About as big as your thumb. This pac has lasted me a couple months and I am only halfway through the jar. Before I used the envelopes with the salt and eggs but thought it was alot messier to use. So Now I just get the eggs and this is the biggest I have seen them.
I have thought about finding another plastic container and drilling a couple small holes in it so the brine can swim out on their own. This should work cause the eggs float on the surface. If the hole is mid container on the light side they should swim out on their own...I will do this soon and post it but right now I don't want to drill my only holding cup.
Good Luck,
HARRISON
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by esmithiii:
<strong>Any nutritional content? Protein? Just curious, and may try this.
E</strong><hr></blockquote>
Because of the yolksac that the baby brine live off of for 48 hours, they are very nutritional. High in proteins, aminos, and lipids.
<strong>Any nutritional content? Protein? Just curious, and may try this.
E</strong><hr></blockquote>
Because of the yolksac that the baby brine live off of for 48 hours, they are very nutritional. High in proteins, aminos, and lipids.
Greg,
I don't have air in the little box at all. It is just a plain old holding cup and works fine. I might get a better yield with air but then thats another cord and I am pretty happy with the lo tech way to go.
The only other way I grew them is with the little air powered doo hicky that goes in the tank. It keeps water circulating and allows them to go to the tank freely. Just too much junk in my tank for me. Maybe in my sump at some point.
Ernie, he is right the earlier you feed them to the fish and corals the better. They use up the nutrients in 48 hours I think then they are of little value. Thats why live brine is ok but not all that nutritious.
I don't have air in the little box at all. It is just a plain old holding cup and works fine. I might get a better yield with air but then thats another cord and I am pretty happy with the lo tech way to go.
The only other way I grew them is with the little air powered doo hicky that goes in the tank. It keeps water circulating and allows them to go to the tank freely. Just too much junk in my tank for me. Maybe in my sump at some point.
Ernie, he is right the earlier you feed them to the fish and corals the better. They use up the nutrients in 48 hours I think then they are of little value. Thats why live brine is ok but not all that nutritious.
Thanks. I think I will try hatching some I did it when I was a kid, so how hard could it be. Yesterday at Wal*Mart when I was buying some more matchbox cars for my son my wife told me I was regressing to my childhood... wait till she sees my "Sea Monkeys"!
Anyone with any information on mysid shrimp? How nutritions are they? I have been feeding frozen brine soaked in selecon or in vitachem and also spirulina and emerald entree, but I have heard some good things about the mysid shrimp so I plan on trying that as well. Since I travel, ease of preparation is a must so the wife won't revolt.
Thanks in advance,
Ernie
Anyone with any information on mysid shrimp? How nutritions are they? I have been feeding frozen brine soaked in selecon or in vitachem and also spirulina and emerald entree, but I have heard some good things about the mysid shrimp so I plan on trying that as well. Since I travel, ease of preparation is a must so the wife won't revolt.
Thanks in advance,
Ernie
Ernie,
I have frozen mysid shrimp as well. My understanding is that some fish take a little longer to accept them than say brine shrimp but when they do they are a better bang for the buck. More nutrients and such. As you can see, I vary my fished diet alot. I don't however soak anything in selcon or the like.I have considered it but just have not yet. Would be interesting to hear peoples thought on this. To give you an idea, I have several flake foods that I use, shrimp pellets (that suck except for the coral banded shrim and hermits), frozen brine, mysis, and blood worms, as well as a frozen Reef plus food that had a bunch of mixed fish, and I put in a pump of Liquid Life frozen phyto. Everything seems to be doing well. All of the fish are pretty hardy eaters and I probably over feed but I make sure no one starves. I just keep up on water changes.
HARRISON
[ December 29, 2001: Message edited by: HARRISON ]</p>
I have frozen mysid shrimp as well. My understanding is that some fish take a little longer to accept them than say brine shrimp but when they do they are a better bang for the buck. More nutrients and such. As you can see, I vary my fished diet alot. I don't however soak anything in selcon or the like.I have considered it but just have not yet. Would be interesting to hear peoples thought on this. To give you an idea, I have several flake foods that I use, shrimp pellets (that suck except for the coral banded shrim and hermits), frozen brine, mysis, and blood worms, as well as a frozen Reef plus food that had a bunch of mixed fish, and I put in a pump of Liquid Life frozen phyto. Everything seems to be doing well. All of the fish are pretty hardy eaters and I probably over feed but I make sure no one starves. I just keep up on water changes.
HARRISON
[ December 29, 2001: Message edited by: HARRISON ]</p>
Harrison:
The jury is still out on selecon for me. I am not sure how much really gets absorbed into the food and then subsequently eaten by my fish and how much simply goes into the water column. I would love to hear some opinions on that also.
I think variety is good. I also starved a yellow tang to death once by under feeding. Believe it or not I had no clue until I saw him being eaten by my hermits. My dad visited the week before and even commented on how "thin" it looked, but to me I saw it eat every day and thought that was enough. Now I am more paranoid, and would rather overfeed than underfeed. I am too lazy to mix my own food in the blender, though.
Ernie
The jury is still out on selecon for me. I am not sure how much really gets absorbed into the food and then subsequently eaten by my fish and how much simply goes into the water column. I would love to hear some opinions on that also.
I think variety is good. I also starved a yellow tang to death once by under feeding. Believe it or not I had no clue until I saw him being eaten by my hermits. My dad visited the week before and even commented on how "thin" it looked, but to me I saw it eat every day and thought that was enough. Now I am more paranoid, and would rather overfeed than underfeed. I am too lazy to mix my own food in the blender, though.
Ernie
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