Hatching Brine Shrimp

Does anyone optimum salinity to hatch brine shrimp. I have seen some articles say 30ppm and other 60ppm. I would like to hear from people who have experience in this.

[Merrilyn]

Brine shrimp seem to have a wide tolerance. I find the addition of a half teaspoon of baking soda to the hatching bottle (usually a 2 litre coke bottle) increases the hatch rate.

Thanks for the speedy response. How much salt would you add per litre. How many litres do you use in the inverted coke bottle.

Sorry for all the questions, just so many conflicting views out there.

[Merrilyn]

Note the edit above, it is baking soda from the supermarket that you need. It raises the alkalinity of the water.

Okay, well this is what I do. I get a 2 litre coke bottle, invert it into a sturdy jug or similar to hold everything upright. I cut the bottom off the bottle, and use it as a lid. That keeps the salt spray down to a minimum. Two teaspoons of cooking salt and a half teaspoon of baking soda go in the bottle, with about a litre of cool boiled water and 1/4 teaspoon of eggs.

I attach an airstone to a piece of rigid pipe to force the airstone down to the bottom of the bottle. Set it to bubble at a medium rate, just enough to allow the eggs to circulate freely. Keep in a warm place, or inside a small heated fish tank, to maintain the water at around 27 degrees.

After 24 hours, remove airstone and place a narrow torch beam near the centre of the bottle. Hatched eggshells will float, while unhatched ones sink to the bottom. After 30 minutes use a 10 ml plastic syringe (no needle) with a piece of airline tube attached to suck shrimp out of the centre of the bottle, where they have been attracted by the light.

Strain, rinse and feed. Return discarded water to the bottle, add another 1/4 teaspoon of eggs and airstone. This can be kept running for about a week, when it is necessary to replace the water and start over again.

It's best to keep two bottles going, set up 12 hours apart, so you have a steady supply of fresh shrimp.

[Ben]

I have used in the past one of those salt desinity meters. Works a treat! Cheap to buy aswell.

cheers,
Ben

I found these two readings. One talks about 5ppt and the other 62.5ppt

http://www.aqualink.com/marine/z-atemia.html

The optimal conditions for hatching artemia are as follows - 25 degrees C, salinity - 5 ppt (1.030 density),

http://www.sciencenetlinks.org/lessons.cfm?DocID=103

FYI: One tablespoon [15 ml] of salt mixed with one cup [240 ml] of water is usually a good mixture for hatching the brine shrimp eggs. However, do not tell this to students; let them experiment with their own ratios.

[jim]

Since brine shrimp eggs are so expensive..is it possible for brine shrimp to reproduce??

[Ben]

Jim,
have a look at this link

http://www.discusforums.com/forum/vi...346&highlight=

When i was growing them the little buggers were breeding! But the were not that many..

cheers,
Ben

Found this link on ebay. 90% hatch rate and it is 0.5kg

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....sPageName=WDVW

[Merrilyn]

I think the answer here is that there are NO exact measurements that work. They ALL work to a degree. What I'd suggest is to try a couple of the methods described above and see which one suits you best.