Brine Shrimp Hatchery

[dawn]

I read the article on microfoods and the posts in this section...I never worked with brine shrimp, but if you're starting a new culture every three days or so and they seem simple to hatch, why can't you just hatch them in, say, an extra 5 gallon tank with an air bubbler? I'm thinking I must be missing some fundamental concept here. thanks

 

[jennifer]

I can think of 2 reasons that a tank wouldn't work as well. First, the shape of the hatching container matters. In a tank, the unhatched eggs would just settle to the bottom (in the corner away from the bubbler), and they wouldn't get the aggitation they need to hatch. In an inverted bottle, there is nowhere for them to settle, they keep getting stirred by the bubbles. Second, BBS have the most nutritional value during the first day or two right after they hatch. So while culture 1 is at that "perfect to feed" stage, the culture 2 is in the "working on hatching" stage. Two days later, culture 1 is "too old to feed", but now culture 2 is "perfect to feed" and it's time to get culture 3 started...

In this context, the word "culture" is kind of a misnomer. The BBS aren't growing, they just hatch, swim around for a few days, and then die.

 

[jennifer]

I know what the inevitable next question is going to be, so I'll answer that one too.

Why can't I feed the bbs and get them to grow longer? In theory, you can (see link below). But as a practical matter it isn't easy. The culture will usually foul if you try to add food.

http://www.sfbb.com/growingoutofbbs.html

 

[dawn]

Thanks! Actually, I wouldn't care about growing them. I just want something to eat for my surprise eggs if they manage to hatch. I just dread doing something that requires glue. Think Charlie Brown and a pen.

 

[jennifer]

I have a hatchery that didn't require any glue. If you can find a piece of rigid tubing that attaches to airline tubing, this makes the whole apparatus a lot easier to assemble: the rigid tube holds the tubing at the bottom perfectly. The other improvements in this model are that I marked 500 ml (about 2 cups) on the side of the bottle so I don't have to measure the water, and the bottle just sits in a plastic cube. I put some paper towels in the bottom of the cube to hold the bottle upright. If you scrounge around, I think you can find some kind of "something" that could be used to hold the bottle upright reasonably well; that's all that's required.

Here's my latest (or is that LAZIEST) effort:

 

[dawn]

HI Jenn,
Before I saw your creation, I tried this, and it's been going for about 36 hours.
I'm just experimenting right now, to be ready for the hatchlings I'm hoping I'll
have in another week or so. I'll see how that works, but I might try yours too.
But then first I'll have to drink another 2 Liter bottle of soda in one sitting!

 

[jennifer]

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>Quoting Dawn O. on Friday 27 April 2007 - 15:05 (#POST130309):</font>

But then first I'll have to drink another 2 Liter bottle of soda in one sitting! <!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>There are a few things I won't do for my newts; this would be one of them!

 

[dawn]

Well, my set-up seems to have been successful, there were lots and lots of shrimpies swimming about. I saw this when I checked on them today, though I also noticed that the bubbler wasn't bubbling; do they clog the bubbler sometimes? I didn't worry because if I was using them, I would have just used them and instead I just dumped what I made, since it was an experiment anyway. So I have one more food option when my babies hatch.

 

[kieron]

So if i have got this right you just have a bottle upside down and place the airpipe at the bottom (well the lid) so it bubbles u so all the eggs cant settle on the bottom.


Jennifer Macke On your last picture does it need to have the lid on the bottle, (the bottom bit replaced on the hacthery).

One more question how do you get the shrimp out without getting the eggs out at the same time ???

Thanks, sorry for taking over your tread

 

[paul]

Another idea for a pedestal to hold the inverted bottle upright is a gallon pickle jar or something similar. I use a lid like Jenn's to help minimize evaporation ( not a big problem ) and contain splash from the vigorous aeration. To harvest the bbs, remove the aeration from the vessel and wait 5 minutes. All the hatched shrimp should then be at the bottom of the vessel where you can siphon them out into a sieve, rinse with a bit of fresh water, and feed. The bbs die quickly in fresh water so be prepared to siphon out the uneaten ones on the bottom of the tank or throw in some small snails to clean up. I personnally prefer microworms because they live in fresh water for days on the bottom of the tank, right in the hatchlings " feeding zone".

 

[michael]

The inverted bottle is easier for collecting shrimp. I use a turkey baster. I have mine upside down much like Jennifers. Mine is sitting inside the cut off bottom of another 2 liter bottle filled with stones. 3 of these are sitting in a small rubbermade container with a submersible aquarium heater in it. The water is somewhere around high 70's F. Each container can give me 1 good hatch a day. Right now I'm hatching 1 bottle a day.