Brine shrimp

[LunaDay]

Do you guys go somewhere specific for brine shrimp eggs. I have ONE tadpole and two danio babies I'm trying to save and no one near me has brine shrimp. I am going to have to order them online but I need them fast!

Any ideas?

[flybyferns]

Hi Stacy,

You need 'newly hatched ' brine shrimp.
The ones sitting on a pet store shelf are too big.
They are very easy to culture. Purchase aquarium salt as well. ( it's part of the 'recipe')
You will also need a little cheap air pump and air stone. You don't need to purchase that bottle thing.
They will hatch in any container--- with lots of air bubbles.
Heads up--- If I recall correctly --- its take 5-7 days for them to hatch.

Brine Shrimp Eggs

Good luck !

[LunaDay]

Hi Stacy,

You need 'newly hatched ' brine shrimp.
The ones sitting on a pet store shelf are too big.
They are very easy to culture. Purchase aquarium salt as well. ( it's part of the 'recipe')
You will also need a little cheap air pump and air stone. You don't need to purchase that bottle thing.
They will hatch in any container--- with lots of air bubbles.
Heads up--- If I recall correctly --- its take 5-7 days for them to hatch.

Brine Shrimp Eggs

Good luck !

Thank you so much. Sadly, I do not have high hopes but I am doing my absolute best. I just read that putting some plants in will feed them adequately. Is this something you agree with? I have plenty java moss I can drop in there. I already have a small piece in there with them now.

[Sandy Bear]

Does your local LFS sell frozen brine shrimp or frozen baby brine shrimp? To tide you over until the eggs arrive and hatch?

Are there any fish clubs in your area? Chances are one of them will have eggs or at least a culture of them growing.

Did you post an ad on Craig's List? Did you check any of the ads on Craig's List to see if anyone is selling any?

Have you checked your local thrift stores? Some people donate fish aquariums and supplies, and I've seen them once in a while included in the package

If any of the stores in your area sell a kit for children called "Sea Monkeys", those are brine shrimp too.


Does it have to be brine shrimp? Have you looked into getting Microworms? White Worms? Grindal Worms? Vinegar Eels?
These are all small feeders and very easy to culture as well.

[LunaDay]

Wow! great information/places to look. Thank you I ordered some for the baby danios....the tadpole did not make it.

[LunaDay]

Well...I ordered some brine shrimp eggs but then found some "sea monkeys" at the local Walmart...they were not listed under brine shrimp eggs. They came with a packet of "growth food" for the sea monkeys...does anyone know what this is or if it would it be beneficial for fry? If brine shrimp can eat it....it would fit in their mouths. This is just in case the sea monkeys don't hatch. lol

[Sandy Bear]

It's probably just finely crushed up fish food. I had a Sea Monkey kit when I was little, but I don't remember exactly what it looked like

[Sandy Bear]

From Wikipedia:

"Growth Food", containing yeast and spirulina, is then added every few days.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea-Monkeys

[fish4all]

I have used decapsulated brine shrimp eggs with fir success for fry, specifically cory cat fry. they were tiny and did pretty good on them and vinegar eels.

As for the brine shrimp food being good for fry, maybe but it is going to extremely fine as the brine shrimp filter feed.

The neat thing about the de-capsulated brine shrimp eggs is you can "pop" them in the microwave, pretty much like popcorn. This makes them very light and easy for the fish fry to eat. I am not sure if it owuld work for tadpoles but I don't see why not.

Brine Shrimp Eggs

They have some very good fish food flakes as well. I had very good success with their foods when I bred guppies, cories, swords and platties.

[fish4all]

As for plants, they are great for feeding fry and tadpoles but they really need to be in the tank for a while. What happens is the plants provide a place for micro things to grow, algae, plankton, artemia and other things that fry and other hatchlings can feed on. Another option is a well seasoned sponge filter, doesn't sound like it would be beneficial but the surface area allows for the growth of massive amounts of small food items to grow to feed hatchlings. Just have to leave it alone even when it starts to look a little "nasty". Not the best choice but an option.

For a standby, put some fish food in a blender or small food chopper and turn it into a powder.