Teeny tiny brine shrimp?

coralgazer · Jul 5, 2013

I have one of those little San Francisco Bay brand brine shrimp hatcheries. I sent off for fresh eggs and followed the directions. Sure enough, within 36 hours, I had a bunch of those little guys squirming around in there. Problem is, that's as big as they get! Like almost microscopic! I tried letting them be to see if they would grow bigger, but each batch always dies within about 12 hours.

I had hoped to provide my fish with some nice fresh food, but this is ridiculous. It's like a snack for them, then they want the big stuff. So I feed them the frozen brine shrimp.

Anybody know what gives with this? If you buy live brine shrimp at the LFS they are nice and big and plump. Is there a different strain of eggs that I could buy that might give bigger results? Help... :frusty:

NanaReefer · Jul 5, 2013

Are you feeding them after they hatch? Their yolk sack only last for the first 12-24hrs, then you must feed them or they'll starve.
Actually it is only the newly hatched that are the best food for fish, it's the yolk sake. The adults have very little nutritious value unless gut loaded before feed to your fish.

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coralgazer · Jul 6, 2013

What do you feed brine shrimp?

wanlail · Jul 6, 2013

They're filter feeders, so may be fed anything liquid or powder that is small enough to fit through their mouths. I used to culture my own phytoplankton, but found its easier to use phyto from the LFS. You can also use the spirilinia powder or yeast, but they are both pretty messy and cause the culture to foam.