Housing Live Brine Shrimp

Discussion in 'Fish Food' started by Regf, Jun 26, 2011.

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  1. Regf

    Regf Coral Banded Shrimp

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2008
    Messages:
    350
    Location:
    Canada
    I was just curious as to how to keep live brine shrimp alive that you could buy from the LFS, I read that you can just keep them in the fridge in a container with holes in the lid, and they should last a week or so? I also read they lose their nutrition very fast after hatching. I was just thinking of harvesting my own, the DIY doesnt look too difficult for it, what are some ways everyone houses them?
     
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  3. jeff@zina.com

    [email protected] Flamingo Tongue

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2010
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    Location:
    Naples, Florida
    24 hours post hatching, brine shrimp have no food value. You'll need to feed them to maintain anything worthwhile, they can easily be fed on yeast. But they're still not very nutritious.

    For keeping them, a bucket with an airstone is all you need.

    Jeff
     
  4. rayjay

    rayjay Gigas Clam

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2004
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    886
    Location:
    London, ON, Canada
    Brine shrimp can be kept in any number of container types, depending on the level of labour you wish to put into this task.
    First of all, it depends on the stage of brine we're talking about as there is a difference from starting nauplii to juvenile to adults.
    Buying from LFS I would assume they are at least in the juvenile stage and can be kept alive short term in a refrigerator, or long term in a container with aeration and feeding provided. Density of shrimp in the water also has a bearing on it.
    Newborn nauplii have an nutrient sack of fatty acids that they feed off until they get to the Instar II stage where they have developed their digestive system and can eat. At this early stage I usually feed nannochloropsis to keep them alive and growing. If I need any of this size, I remove them, rinse them well, and enrich them in a separate container with new water and new enrichment for two 12 hour stages.
    As they grow to juvenile size, I feed them blended spirulina powder (2 min. in a blender with water) and use Dan's Feed from seahorsesource.com for enrichment. At this size, they can be enriched in roughly 12 hours.
    Still feeding them on spirulina powder blend, I grow them to adults and at this point they can be fully enriched in roughly 4 hours.
    Nutrition wise they ALWAYS have decent protein levels, but the fatty acid content (huffas) diminishes quite rapidly.
    Fortunately, brine can be fed any appropriately size particles of enrichments, be it more protein or to boost fatty acids, or they can be fed medicines or vitamins that have been emulsified if they are liquid.
    There are some links at the bottom of MY BRINE SHRIMP PAGE with probably a lot more info that what you are looking for, especially on the "live foods for aquaculture" link.