Brine Shrimp Eggs

[olsenshouse]

Are these safe to dump in your tank? Bought some at a LFS.

 

[returnofsid]

This will depend on if they're decapsulated. If not, then No, not safe. If you purchased them in a dry form, they are not decapsulated. If they're a redish brown color, they are not decapsulated. Decapsulating softens the cysts and involves dumping them in a bleach/water solution, and constantly stirring them, until the shells soften and become a clear/white color. Once decapsulated, correctly, they are safe to feed directly to fish.

The problem is, brineshrimp eggs have a thick shell "cyst." It's possible for small fish to eat enough of these, and actually have issues with the cysts not passing through their intestines.

Also, brine shrimp eggs will not hatch in our reef tanks. They require a much higher salinity, to hatch, hence "brine." They also offer very little nutritional value, unless fed as baby brine shrimp, freshly hatched, OR if grown and "gut loaded."

 

[olsenshouse]

how high of salinity do they need to hatch?

 

[returnofsid]

Ya know, it'd been a long time since I hatched out Brine Shrimp. I used to hatch them, on a daily basis, while breeding Cichlids. However, I mis-informed you. They don't need a higher salinity. They hatch at 1.018-1.030. I hatched them at 1.030 or slightly higher, but it's not necessary. The problem is, when they hatch, the hard shells will float around your tank, also being eaten by your fish. That is, if all the eggs aren't eaten, in the 24-36 hours that it'll take for the eggs to hatch.

Here's a good tutorial, on decapsulating bring shrimp cysts (eggs) making them safe, to add directly to your tank. However, the tutorial leaves out an important step, IMO. The decapsulating container, usually a bowl, should be placed in a larger bowl. The larger bowl should contain ice water. This is because the decapsulating container gets HOT, during the process. Keeping it cooler, will give you a higher "hatch rate"
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa023

 

[ac7av]

Also, brine shrimp eggs will not hatch in our reef tanks. They require a much higher salinity, to hatch, hence "brine." They also offer very little nutritional value, unless fed as baby brine shrimp, freshly hatched, OR if grown and "gut loaded."

I can not disagree more with this. I have for years floated a clear glass container in my tanks with just water from the tank in it with brine shrimp eggs. They will start hatching in less then 12 hours and I dump them in when feeding in 24 hour increments. I would have 2 containers and feed one in the morning and one in the evening. I run my tanks on the low side compared to most 1.020 to 1.022. I don’t do this anymore once I learned that they are not so good for the fish and I was not guy loading them as adults.

 

[returnofsid]

I can not disagree more with this. I have for years floated a clear glass container in my tanks with just water from the tank in it with brine shrimp eggs. They will start hatching in less then 12 hours and I dump them in when feeding in 24 hour increments. I would have 2 containers and feed one in the morning and one in the evening. I run my tanks on the low side compared to most 1.020 to 1.022. I don’t do this anymore once I learned that they are not so good for the fish and I was not guy loading them as adults.

Ya know, it'd been a long time since I hatched out Brine Shrimp. I used to hatch them, on a daily basis, while breeding Cichlids. However, I mis-informed you. They don't need a higher salinity. They hatch at 1.018-1.030. I hatched them at 1.030 or slightly higher, but it's not necessary. The problem is, when they hatch, the hard shells will float around your tank, also being eaten by your fish. That is, if all the eggs aren't eaten, in the 24-36 hours that it'll take for the eggs to hatch.

Here's a good tutorial, on decapsulating bring shrimp cysts (eggs) making them safe, to add directly to your tank. However, the tutorial leaves out an important step, IMO. The decapsulating container, usually a bowl, should be placed in a larger bowl. The larger bowl should contain ice water. This is because the decapsulating container gets HOT, during the process. Keeping it cooler, will give you a higher "hatch rate"
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa023

If you'd read the entire thread, you'd have seen where I corrected myself.

Also, you're correct that they aren't very beneficial, at all, nutritionally, and the cysts aren't digestible and can impact the gut of the fish. If you're separating the baby brine shrimp, from the cysts, prior to feeding, that's great. The other option, of decapsulating the brine shrimp eggs, also works. If decapsulated, you can toss them directly into the tank.

 

[ac7av]

Sid
Apparently there was a time delay between the posts or listing of the posts or the edited post was not updated on my screen when I posted. There was no corrections in the post until after I placed the post. I felt there was no need to re edit what I posted. Basically I got the refreshed page after I posted.

 

[returnofsid]

Oh it wasn't a correction, it was my second post, in this thread. Internet gremlins, that's who we'll blame...lol.

 

[rayjay]

And for another opinion, I would never place artemia cysts in any of my tanks, as they are KNOWN to harbour nasty bacteria like vibriosis.
Also, as mentioned, some small fish or some fish with specialized digestive tracts have been known to ingest the hard cysts and have the tract blocked.
While some can do it and get away with it, to me, it is not worth risking the investment I have in tanks, only to have the chance of wiping it all out by cyst borne bacteria. Even Brine Shrimp Direct has that warning posted.
I decap my cysts, a heaping tablespoon to an inverted 2L pop bottle by soaking the cysts in 2 cups of tap water for half an hour, aerating for a further hour and a half, and then adding 1/2 cup of bleach and aerating for exactly six minutes. (timer)
I then pour through mesh to capture the cysts and immediately rinse under the cold water tap for a minimum of four minutes.
Add to salt water and hatch, then grow out and enrich.
I use 1.017 for hatch and grow out but they will hatch and grow under a VERY wide range of salinities.
I never use newborn bbs but I do use them after growing them out for a day and then gut loading them in two 12 hour sessions using new water and enrichment for the second 12 hour period.
Enrichment material can be fatty acids, proteins, vitamins or medicines.
As long as it can be suitably particularized for them to eat, or emulsified, they will consume it.
My preference is a blended mixture from www.seahorsesource.com called Dan's Food with Beta Glucan.
Like the algamac products it uses as a base, it is a powder form which stores MUCH longer than the emulsion products like the Selcons and Selco's and the algamac 3050 product has higher DHA levels than even the Selco DHA emulsion.
All that being said, I no longer feed artemia to the reef tanks, preferring instead to use enriched rotifers as the size is more appropriate for consumption by my tank inhabitants. (other than fish which I would grow out to adult and enrich before feeding to fish)
GROWING BRINE SHRIMP TO ADULT

p.s. don't buy cysts that are stored on a shelf or hook for selling.
They need to be kept refrigerated for best hatching results.