Keeping barnacles alive

[aleeee]

Hi there,

I got some live acorn barnacles yesterday from the ocean. I'm planning on bringing them to the classroom for my HS students to observe them and sketch them on Friday. I have kept them in a bucket with sea water, some algae, and an air pump.

What should I do to keep them alive for at least 5 days from today?

I'm thinking of replacing the water with new salt water (prepared with aquarium salt), provide some sort of food like algae from the pet store?

I'd appreciate the guidance from the knowledgeable people in this forum!!
~Ale

 

[griss]

Never tried to keep them myself but, I believe they like a hard surface to attach to. They’ll need clean water with good circulation, like a powerhead. They’ll are filter feeders so, you’ll need to provide them with a source of plankton.

 

[wvned]

If you can keep getting ocean water it will have stuff to eat in it. You can look at those with a microscope too.