baby brine shrimp

[hc8719]

i hatched some of these guys yesterday, but as the instructions were intended for immediate feeding to fish, i'd like to know a little bit more on how to raise them to a decent size.

i turned the airator off, they are in a non heat 1 gallon bowl. if i plan on keeping them in there for some time,
1. should I add some crushed coral or anything to keep the pH up?

2. when should i start feeding them, i know they have a yolk sac that last for a little bit, like i said there a day old

3. should i turn the airator on a few minutes a day, the current is a bit strong for the baby brines

4. feeding with crushed flakes are fine?

thanks

 

[Ziggy953]

I got mine to survive in about the same size tank but I fed them phyto a couple times a week. They only lived for a few weeks though....of course I was feeding them to my tank....hehe....

 

[MT79]

but as the instructions were intended for immediate feeding to fish,

AFAIK freshly hatched brine shrimp have more nutritional value than adults. Generally brine shrimp is a bit lacking when compared to mysid shrimp etc. as far as nutrition goes.

 

[hc8719]

just the same, any tips on raising them?

 

[rayjay]

Newly hatched brine (nauplii) should be fed to the tanks as soon as they hatch out because they immediately start to consume the egg sack that is responsible for the nutrient content. It's even better to use decapped cysts and put them straight into the tank as the egg sack is then intact.
The nauplii can be gut loaded after they molt into the second instar stage where they develop a mouth and anus, but it takes about 24 hours to fully gut load nauplii, unlike the hour it takes to load adults.
Growing them to adults is a PITA to do it in any meaningful quantities. It's much easier to buy them and gut load them.
RAISING BRINE SHRIMP TO ADULT

Brine shrimp have more nutrition than people are giving them credit for.
Tank raised Great Salt Lake brine adults have protein levels in the mid 50% range.
For the facts on Brine nutrition, see the information provided by the Artemia Reference Centre on the Live Foods for Aquaculture site.
CLICK HERE AND SCROLL DOWN TO SECTION 4.4.1 FOR BRINE NUTRITION

 

[Ziggy953]

Thanks for the information rayjay!!!

 

[hc8719]

ok i didn't mention this before, because i thought it would sound a bit odd, but i was hoping to use them as a clean up crew, as my clowns arent great at getting every bit of food, with the strong current and LR 'an all.

i lost a peppermint shrimp, and at $7 the brines just seem cheaper, narc snails are over rated i think too at being a clean up crew, or maybe my hermits made too much of a dent in the population...

 

[rayjay]

Unfortunately for your idea, the only "clean up" they'll do is to clean up greenwater in your tank if it ever develops, and only if you remove anything that will eat them first.
Brine shrimp are slow moving and the tank currents will blow them around the tank to be caught in anemones and some corals, but if there are any fish in the tank, they most likely won't last more than 5 minutes.

 

[hc8719]

thats why i plan to raise them until there a bit bigger, clowns wont eat anything that wont fit in their mouthes...

i've put in a few crushed flakes and a bit of emerald entree for them to eat

 

[rayjay]

It's obvious you haven't read the links in my first post. If you had read them you would know that there is no brine shrimp that grow large enough for your clowns not to be able to eat them.
You would also find that brine shrimp are not easy to grow in any meaningful numbers. It is very LABOUR intensive for higher density growing. They can be raised like you are doing, in a bowl with air, but there can't be any great numbers of them in the bowl or you'll be changing the water every day or two.
Flake food will only be of use if you crush it up very fine, and put it in a blender for a bit to micronize the size particles. I have never seen the emerald entre but suspect again, it is too large for brine to ingest.
The best food you can feed the nauplii and adults is phytoplankton which you can grow quite easy once you have a starter culture.
The next easiest is to use cryo pastes of algae like nano tetraselmis or a blend like Tahitian Blend from Brine Shrimp Direct.
BRINE SHRIMP DIRECT
You can also make a "ball" like the spirulina ball I mention on my Raising Brine Shrimp to Adult in the link above. This will fog your flake food small enough for the brine to be able to eat if you use a dense enough piece of cloth.
You do not have to stop aeration as the brine merely capture food as it passes by them while everything is in motion.
Because they do for the most part only eat micronized particles of food, they will not work as a clean up crew.
Check your local fish stores to find one that sells live adult brine shrimp and put them in your tank and you'll see just how good they will work as cleanup crew.
If no one sells them in your area, you can order from Live Brine Shrimp.com
LIVE BRINE SHIMP - click here and scroll down the page
While I have shrimp in my reef tanks, I do not have hermits and crabs at all, but I do have serpent stars which in my case are the greatest scavengers in my tanks.

 

[hc8719]

thanks for the links, my clowns are very small and wont be able to eat the adults for some time. i've seen brines grown in bio lab so i dont think it would be near impossible to grow them in dense numbers.

thanks for sticking with this thread though

 

[MT79]

i've seen brines grown in bio lab so i dont think it would be near impossible to grow them in dense numbers.

If they crash for any reason you'll be left with one heck of a mess. Also wouldn't you have to add phyto, flake food, etc. for them to eat? That will just increase the addition and amount of nutrients in the tank. It's an interesting idea, but I don't think it's plausible...

 

[hc8719]

you guys are even putting doubt in me, i'll let you know how it goes