Freshly Hatched Brine Shrimp Question

[shaun]

I recently hatched some brine shrimp using prepared hatch mix. Can anyone reccomend a method of separating the eggshells and random debris from the shrimp?

 

[neil]

It's some years since I hatched any, but as I recall the shrimp are attracted to light, so darken the room and suspend a light or torch above the container and skim the shrimp out with a fine net

 

[michael]

the egg shells float. Most separation techniques involve getting the artemia from the bottom. I use a 2 litter soda bottle hatchery. Cover the top and shine a light at the bottom after turning aeration off. I suck up the artemia with a turkey baster and strain it through a brine shrimp net.

 

[matthew]

Are there any issues around salinity?

I plan to make this year of the newt for me, having enjoyed raising three species of newt last year... and I fancied using artemia / brine shrimp this time instead of Daphnia / Moinia.

But after straining them out, do they need rinsing?

They seem an unnatural food.

 

[michael]

salinity can be a problem. I usually rinse with fresh water, I just squirt a little in the net after straining ,with the net over the hatchery. With the axolotls a little salt doesn't hurt. I set up a new container every day. I only keep the newly hatched artemia up to a day and a half. Some can be frozen for emergency use. It's simple after you get a system going.

 

[alan]

I've never had a problem with salinity if the shrimps (napuli) are washed well with fresh water (e.g. in a fine mesh net) before use. They will live several hours in fresh water.
I HAVE had a problem with larvae swallowing empty shells or unhatched cysts, getting intestinal impactions and dying. Separating the napuli from the cysts is the thing to worry about! The best way to do this is use a piece of thin rigid tubing attached to a length of airline tubing to siphon napuli from the bottom of the hatching vessel, leaving cysts floating at the top. Take a look at this:

http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/food.html#3

 

[janice]

I have been using nauplii to feed my peacock gudgeon fry the last couple of months, and I have had reasonable success decapsulating the eggs before hatching them. It's not hard, and you get rid of most of the eggshells and don't have to worry about them floating around the hatchery or your fry or larvae tank. I found several websites with instructions, but here is the one I used:

"http://www.sfbb.com/technical_info/artemiadecapsulation.html

(There is an underline between technical and info...)

Hope this helps!