Brine Shrimp Hatch 'N Feeder
- Thread starter sshapero
- Start date
Samala
New member
Some aquarists who keep dwarf seahorses use this as an absolute last resort, but most do not use them at all. The hatching process for brine shrimp releases a lot of protein and other molecules into the water which rapidly break down and contribute ammonia to the system.
In a cone hatcher, it isnt the worst thing. You collect and rinse out the brine shrimp daily and restart a culture. I'm sure the shrimp arent fond on the higher NH3/NH4 content, but they're dinner afterall.
In the small confines of a tank, especially most dwarf tanks, these daily spikes in ammonia are less than ideal. At the least they contribute to nuisance algae outbreaks - particularly of cyanobacteria in the low flow environment of most SH tanks.
At the worst the poor water quality created by the hatcher contributes to low-grade stress for the seahorses which knocks down their immune system and makes them more vulnerable to other diseases or parasites that are present in their environment already (either from introduced tank inhabitants, or from the SH if they were wild caught or previously exposed to wild animals).
All in all, its not a great little device. The cone hatcher is a little more work but more than worth it. Hatch rates may be higher in a cone setup since you are providing an air line to circulate the water and keep O2 high, which isnt typically used in the in-tank hatchers.
>Sarah
In a cone hatcher, it isnt the worst thing. You collect and rinse out the brine shrimp daily and restart a culture. I'm sure the shrimp arent fond on the higher NH3/NH4 content, but they're dinner afterall.
In the small confines of a tank, especially most dwarf tanks, these daily spikes in ammonia are less than ideal. At the least they contribute to nuisance algae outbreaks - particularly of cyanobacteria in the low flow environment of most SH tanks.
At the worst the poor water quality created by the hatcher contributes to low-grade stress for the seahorses which knocks down their immune system and makes them more vulnerable to other diseases or parasites that are present in their environment already (either from introduced tank inhabitants, or from the SH if they were wild caught or previously exposed to wild animals).
All in all, its not a great little device. The cone hatcher is a little more work but more than worth it. Hatch rates may be higher in a cone setup since you are providing an air line to circulate the water and keep O2 high, which isnt typically used in the in-tank hatchers.
>Sarah
Cysts or hatching water should never be allowed to come into contact with the tank water.
Harmful bacteria have been known to be found on the cysts, and while you may get away with it a number of times, the odds are that sooner or later your tank will suffer for it.
Brine Shrimp Direct mentions rinsing in fresh water before using the nauplii as food.
Also mentioned in the Artemia Reference Centre article posted on the UN site for live foods for Aquaculture.
Harmful bacteria have been known to be found on the cysts, and while you may get away with it a number of times, the odds are that sooner or later your tank will suffer for it.
Brine Shrimp Direct mentions rinsing in fresh water before using the nauplii as food.
Also mentioned in the Artemia Reference Centre article posted on the UN site for live foods for Aquaculture.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=830196&referrerid=112003
For me though, the inverted pop bottles are VERY convenient so I'll stick with those.
For nutrition, they should be fed to the tanks as soon as possible after hatch out because the immediate value (fatty acids) is in the egg sack and they start to consume it upon hatch out because they have no mouth or anus to be able to feed until the second instar stage about a day after hatchout.
If protein is what you want to target feed, then you have to wait for the second instar stage and feed the spirulina but it takes about 24 hours to gut load nauplii. Because of the time element, it's best to gut load in a minimum of 2 stages, with a water change and new food each stage because the food breaks down and has the potential to pollute the water before the gut loading is completed.
RAISING BRINE SHRIMP TO ADULT
CLICK HERE AND SCROLL DOWN TO 4.0 FOR THE MOST COMPLETE INFORMATION ON ARTEMIA
For me though, the inverted pop bottles are VERY convenient so I'll stick with those.
For nutrition, they should be fed to the tanks as soon as possible after hatch out because the immediate value (fatty acids) is in the egg sack and they start to consume it upon hatch out because they have no mouth or anus to be able to feed until the second instar stage about a day after hatchout.
If protein is what you want to target feed, then you have to wait for the second instar stage and feed the spirulina but it takes about 24 hours to gut load nauplii. Because of the time element, it's best to gut load in a minimum of 2 stages, with a water change and new food each stage because the food breaks down and has the potential to pollute the water before the gut loading is completed.
RAISING BRINE SHRIMP TO ADULT
CLICK HERE AND SCROLL DOWN TO 4.0 FOR THE MOST COMPLETE INFORMATION ON ARTEMIA
If your looking for an easy way to hatch BBS, i would try Brine Shrimp Hatching trays from www.brineshrimpdirect.com They are SUPER EASY, just add eggs (dont even have to be decapped, but you can use decapped if you want). They eggs hatch in a day or so, and the tray seperates the shrimp from their shells. All you do is collect the shrimp, rinse them off and add to your tank. Also, the tray dosnt need any air pumps to run, just add water and eggs.
Doubtful if any would survive long enough to hatch as they will be eaten by the inhabitants in short order.
But that is the intention anyway, and they get the full nutrient value because the egg sack in intact and complete, unlike the hatched out nauplii that start to consume the sack immediately upon hatchout.
You can use the decapped cysts in an in tank hatchery, but I don't see the point as I've just mentioned.
Similar threads
