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Culturing Brine Shrimps


amphipod
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I have attempted hatching brine shrimp eggs & culturing the hatchlings to commercial size a number of times but only succeeded just once. Somehow, a whole batch will always crash after a few days or a week, whenever I change water & redose with phyto. Thought that maybe overdosed phyto but the same happens with light dosing of phyto. Can't imagine that same fresh seawater (buy from LFS) will crash a batch when it can hatch the eggs nicely before & keep the hatchlings alive n kicking for 4-6 days. What goes wrong with my process? :sick::sick::sick:

I normally use a 330ml pet bottle to bubble the eggs until hatchlings appear, separate live ones into an acrylic container (1L) with fresh seawater & dose with phyto to light green shade. Hatchlings will be active and grow until 1-3mm over 3-4 days. Change fresh seawater & dose phyto like before. Some shrimps will die (5-10%) but most will grow further. If unlucky, the batch gets wiped out within hours when I'm not checking. Sometimes they will be fine until another water change & all turn into deritus suddenly. I aerate throughout the process with & without airstone but results have not improved.

Tested fresh seawater for NH3 and NO2 ok before water changes but sudden crashes still happen. Phyto is DT but unsure if there is expiry date since can't find mfg date.

Though it's just $1-2 for a bag full of live stuff, I can't stand the failures so far! :angry:

Any critter culturing expert can advise?

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pH is also a factor but don't sound like in your case.

Try testing the water after a crash - should have high ammonia and lowered pH.

Sounds more like overcrowding. In 1 Ltr grow out - headcount of maybe 10-15 bbs as a culture will make it to adult. Which is 60 days and then they die.

Try starting from adults, a tablespoon of adult BS in 4 or 5 ltr should keep a ongoing culture- which you will find brineshrimp in all different sizes in different stages.

A dustbin or coralife pail would be more like it for keeping a culture.

try searching the web for: brineshrimp growout

u will find raceway designs and all sorts. But they are all bigger than 1 ltr.

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  • SRC Member
pH is also a factor but don't sound like in your case.

Try testing the water after a crash - should have high ammonia and lowered pH.

Sounds more like overcrowding. In 1 Ltr grow out - headcount of maybe 10-15 bbs as a culture will make it to adult. Which is 60 days and then they die.

Try starting from adults, a tablespoon of adult BS in 4 or 5 ltr should keep a ongoing culture- which you will find brineshrimp in all different sizes in different stages.

A dustbin or coralife pail would be more like it for keeping a culture.

try searching the web for: brineshrimp growout

u will find raceway designs and all sorts. But they are all bigger than 1 ltr.

This is the only way to get you to post huh?

Amphipod : Bawater is the resident expert on culturing.

;)

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