Brine Shrimp or Ghost/Mysis Shrimp propigations

[RocketScientist]

I was wondering if I could get some help, information, links etc... on the subject of feeder shrimp propigation and the like. I'm in a food experimentation phase right now.

So first off. I've read up on Brine shrimp and found that they typically like a salinity around 1.015 rather than my tanks salinity of 1.026. So this raises the question of will the brine shrimp survive and reproduce at the higher salinity levels or do they require the levels to be down around 1.015 for survival???

So the next thing that I've read is that these guys being a brackish type creature aren't naturally very nutritious for salt water organisms. Anyone know if this is ture or not? I have heard that it is common to use brine that are gut loaded. Anyone know what is commonly used to feed these guys to make them good little food packets for the tank?

Now I do have a refugium going and also I know that I have substancial amphiphods, copepods and some ghost/feeder shrimp growing in the fuge. What I'm wondering is has anyone worked on propigating the ghost/feeder shrimp? Any pointers or suggestions? I'd appreciate them.

Thanks,
Brian.

 

[returnofsid]

Ghost Shrimp are actually fresh water shrimp. Brine shrimp eat phytoplankton. The salinity that require changes as they grow. It also depends on if you get San Francisco species or Salt Lake, Utah species. Salt Lake is more salty than the ocean...lol. Check out this link....

http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/

I don't know about "propigating" Mysid shrimp. They multiply quite rapidly, naturally in my refugium and in my "pod" tank.

 

[morgan]

so is it possible to have a fuge as a sperate tank and then catch pods to put in ur reef tank (neaitehr of my reefs are plumbed for sumps)

 

[Jan]

so is it possible to have a fuge as a sperate tank and then catch pods to put in ur reef tank (neaitehr of my reefs are plumbed for sumps)

I've read of this...seems pretty common to catch pods for the display tank. You can grab a handful of macroalgae and shake it over the display tank, for example. I'm sure there's other methods as well.

 

[c0yote]

If you're looking for more links, here you go

Mysid Shrimp Culturing

Brine Shrimp Culturing

 

[RocketScientist]

Excellent information guys. Thanks.

 

[p2rocks]

I found a nice sight for food propagation at florida aquafarms. they sell kits and food check it out

 

[pledosophy]

IME attempting to propagate ghost shrimp it was not worth the time or effort. The parents and offsprings are cannabalistic, they do best at lower temperatures, the return for the effort was minimal.

I did better with mysids keeping them in water that was 1.017. I kept the parents in plastic pool filter baskets, with a 20/7 day light cycle they produce more if there is a dark period. I moved the fry to seperate tanks via syphon. Brood stock lasted about 6 months, I changed out every 5.

Still IME unless you have a lot of room to dedicate to this, it is not worth the time.

I do have mysids that grow in my refugium and get fed to the tank via the return pump. IME they are not harmed gretly by the impeller and many do make it into the dispaly.

JME, HTH

 

[RocketScientist]

Thanks pledosophy for the information!

 

[tasos]

What is the water flow in your refugium?I had many mysids before increasing the flow from 500g/h to 1000g/h, and geting all the caulerpa racemosa out,replaced by chaetomorpha.....I don't know what cause them to dissapear.......
The refugium is appr. 45 gallons

 

[RocketScientist]

Tasos,

Well I have a MAG 10 in the sump/fuge but I know that since I put the chiller in line with it my flow has dropped. I'm thinking it's probably around 700ish but I don't know for certain.

Oh and actually to revise the comments I made in the initial statement I don't think the little shrimps are ghost shrimp since they are fresh water guys. These little white/clear guys do breed as I always have some in the fuge running around. There aren't a lot of them, meaning the amphipods out number them quite a bit. So it seems that I misidentified them.

Oh also in my fuge I've got chaeto, and like three different types of caulerpa. My thought is that each different type is going to be a unique combination of vitiamines and minerals. Likely the chaeto is just good hiding grounds but I'm pretty sure some of the caulerpa is consumed as food.

Humm, I'm no expert but here are my thoughts.

1. since increasing the volume flow rate to 1000 gph has this increased the current in your refugium? If so it might be likely that the little guys dissappeared because they are all getting flushed into the main tank.
2. Also, if the current in the fuge looks like normal then I would point to the algae change and it would make me believe that the Chaeto isn't a good food source for the little guys and they have moved into your display tank to find food or worst case senerio to be eaten or they just simply died.

Overall it's either the combination of the two events or one of the two events that has caused the creatures to disappear.

B.

 

[tasos]

A strange thing, I have a few of them swimming in the bubble trap, where the water flows freelly, and theris not either chaeto or caulerpa....The bubble trap is not illuminated as refugium is.....any chance the suddent light inncrease when the huge colony of caulerpa went off,has desimated the population?

 

[DonW]

Brine shrimp are easy and dont really seem to care about much of anything.
These are in a little 2.5 gallon tank on my uncovered porch year round. I dont do anything, there is no heat, circulation or anything. Once every few months I throw in a few eggs and a few teaspoons of salt. I dont top it off, the rain does that. When its hot my sprinkler will get it enough water to keep it full. I dont feed them and they survive just fine with a inch or so of ice covering the top of the water.