hi,
(guppy, tetra, snails, platy, shrimp (larger))
how do you use brine shrimp as a food
> can you breed them at home for a constant supply
> how do you purchase them, pet store?, are they bought from a tank?
> how many would i need for a 60l tank diet (mixed with flake food, to help vary the diets of the fish)
thanks for help
im mainly interested in using live food to help the fish have a better diet and overall be healthier, and have been recommended to use brine shrimp, but unsure how to do so.
some stores will carry live ones, but as i said in your other question, they aren’t good for very long.
hatching them at hom is really the only option for live.
they sell hatcheries for like $20, and all they are is a stand for a 2L bottle. but nothing i have tried has worked better.
as a treat do like 1/2 a teaspoon of eggs in your batch.
if you want to feed more often i would buy 2 stands for them, and one going then alternate the other one. that way you can get BBS (baby brine shrimp) everyday.
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Brine shrimp aren’t hard to hatch or deal with, but there are some basics. Essentially, they’re only nutritious when they’re newly hatched, because the important part of what you’re feeding is their attached yolk sac. All you need is two quart jars, some salt, viable brine shrimp cysts, a pump with two lines.
Fill the quart jar with warm water, 1 2/3 tablespoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of brine shrimp cysts. Buy the highest hatch rate that you can get. For example a 70% hatch rate will be cheaper but will be a lot more water. Get 90% hatch rate and you’ll be happiest.
Put the airhose into the jar and turn it on so it is bubbling vigorously. Leave a light on it 24/7 because that improves the hatch rate.
If you have a clean bucket and a 25 watt heater, even better. Put the quart jars into the bucket, and fill the bucket with water so that the water level matches the level in the jars. Put the heater on 82 degrees, because that will improve the hatch rate and make them hatch faster. For the set-up you’re talking about, two quart jars will be fine. They should hatch in 18-36 hrs., depending on the temperature. Stagger your jars so you start one every other day for a continuous supply.
Harvest by letting the jar settle for about ten minutes near a light. The unhatched cysts will float and the baby brine shrimp (bbs) will settle to the bottom. Use a turkey baster to suck them out, and strain into a paper coffee filter (those brine shrimp nets don’t work!). Rinse if you feel like it (I don’t), and offer them to your fishies. If you have more than they’ll eat, scoop the extras out of your coffee filter and put them into a baggie and freeze for later.
Sounds like a lot of fuss, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy. I’m glad when my spawns are past that stage and I don’t have to do it every day, but it’s not a big deal.
Good luck! Lucky guppies, platies and tetras! They all love bbs!
Brine Shrimp Direct is a great place to get your brine shrimp cysts, too. Often the little tubes in the stores are very low hatch rates and they’re too old to hatch.
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/
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