Tutorial: How To Hatch Brine Shrimp *PIC INTENSE*

[mhhauser321]

Hatching Brine Shrimp 101

Hello, Let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Matt Hauser and I am the proud owner of a 25gallon saltwater aquarium. My main reason for doing this was because I thought it would be a great welcoming gift for my two brand new pair of Onyx Clowns also known as Amphiprion Percula.

My goal is to make this guide as simple as possible, and hopefully create a helpful tool for anyone looking to grow their own brine shrimp.

Materials
1 Empty 2 Liter Bottle
1 Air Pump (NO Air Stone Needed)
1 Batch of Brine Shrimp Eggs(1 Tsp is Enough)
1 Brine Shrimp Net(Not Required but Helpful)
1 Silicone Sealant or Check Valve(Optional)
About 1' of Airline Tubing
*The Rest of the Materials are Common Household Items*

Step 1
Its time to get to work first things first cut the 2 litter bottle in half. This gives you two individual halves the bottom becomes a stand to rest the top in.



Step 2
Now to drill, first find a drill bit that will match the size of your air line tubing, then drill a hole through the lid of the two liter and also drill a exit whole in the base of the stand for the airline tubing. Next push the tubing through the hole in the lid about 1/2 inch then using a sealant I used (GE Silicone I Windows and Door) make a water tight seal around the outside of the lid then wait for the glue to dry. If you don't have sealant you can use the check valve method found here. This finishes the hardware steps of a simple diy hatchery.



Step 3 The Fun Part
After you have water tested you homemade hatchery and everything is working great get your eggs at hand. Most Brine shrimp packets come complete with instructions for water parameters I found most of my information from these links.
Simple
http://rods-reef.com/general.php?pg=diy&typ=bh
Moderate
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-05/nftt/index.php
Advanced
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...02/breeder.htm
Not surprisingly most of the things like ph and salinity are very close to are own tanks levels so for most of us this only requires transferring water from are tank to the hatchery. After you have found that all parameters are in check go ahead and add the eggs. Having a light source preferably a 60Watt bulb will greatly speed the waiting process.



[sub]I put some plastic wrap over the top because my air pump is a little to strong[/sub]

Step 4 The Finale
After watching your eggs like they are your own kids your finally realize they hatched probably around 24-36 hours. When you see that they are hatched turn the air pump off and rest the tubing higher than the hatchery to prevent water siphoning out. Then cover the hatchery with a towel and let things settle for about 45 minutes. You will notice that the empty egg casings settle at the top and the shrimp near the bottom. When everything is ready, drain the fluid through your brine shrimp net making sure to stop when you reach the empty egg casings. Finally BEGIN THE FEEDING FRENZY!!

BEFORE

AFTER




I realize that this is info is very subjective. My soul goal was to give help others who might need it.

Matt

[jamiep]

Well done Matt!

[mhhauser321]

Thanks I hope it helped

matt

[waxy]

Looks great, where can you buy those eggs? Ive seen sea monkeys, some stores sell it but I probably dont notice it.

Never actually grew my own shrimp. That would be quite a feast for my fellow tank mates.

[mhhauser321]

You can get them at plenty of places.

1. BrineShrimpDirect
2.These guys make good stuff
3. Your LFS will most likely have them
4. A classic google search results

Matt

[Deb91]

Wow that looks so easy even a Caveman can do it !!!!

[mhhauser321]

Funny Caveman have feelings to.

matt

[Acillaton]

Easy and fun. mhhauser321, thanks for sharing all that.

[Deb91]

I no!!!! Really it's not politary (sp) correct to say anything anymore! Thank a lot Geico!!! ;(

[mhhauser321]

I am glad it helped you

matt

[Felix1021]

Just want to throw this in and im glad that you have pics of it..but i just want to mention DO NOT DUMP ANY of the water in which they hatched ...use a net like you posted here



i made a mistake a couple months back and i was having trouble with my tank.

better safe then sorry

great info!!

Felix-

[plaereef]

Needed the info. Thanks alot!

[mhhauser321]

Thats great info, yes don't dump the water into aquarium into the aquarium make sure you strain it to get the little baby brine out.

Its cool it helped

matt

[mhhauser321]

You see when all is said and done you are left with a empty 2 liter with brine shrimp egg shells all over.
It looks much like this

Just wash it out and dry it off then you are ready for the next batch.

matt

[NanoGurl]

Very kewl thnx =)

[mhhauser321]

NO problemm I am just glad it helped

matt

[dzeadow]

Now you need to add to this post on how to grow them to adult brine shrimp.. which have more nutritional value for larger fish! Great tutorial by the way. I actually found a brine shrimp hatchery that doesn't require a air pump or heat or really light for that matter. It's a dish and it works like a charm. But this is a great tutorial for BBS.

[jamiep]

Matt what tempeture is your room at? how many degrees does a normal bulb add to the tank?

[mhhauser321]

Now you need to add to this post on how to grow them to adult brine shrimp.. which have more nutritional value for larger fish! Great tutorial by the way. I actually found a brine shrimp hatchery that doesn't require a air pump or heat or really light for that matter. It's a dish and it works like a charm. But this is a great tutorial for BBS.

I wish I knew how to grow adult brine shrimp, The brine shrimp eggs I bought also had insturctions that didn't require a lamp for heat and an air pump but I used them anyway becuase they hatch quicker with heat and the air pump. This article is were I found thatBreeder's Net It also talks about how to grow the brine into adults.

Matt what tempeture is your room at? how many degrees does a normal bulb add to the tank?

jamiep, Its funny use say room becuase I moved the hatchery to the kitchen so I could sleep without the light. My house is probably around 68-70 degrees F it gets cold in Ohio in the winter. The closer you have the temperature to 80-82 degrees F the faster the eggs will hatch, A 60watt bulb probably gets the temperature close to 78 or 80 degrees.

Hope that helps feel free to ask for clairity if you didn't understand.

matt

[mhhauser321]

Feeding baby brine is a great one time snack for little fish its not a everytime food.

matt