[Killietalk] Brine Shrimp re-visited, again, again

["Mike Jacobs" <mjacobs2 at tampabay_rr.com>]

Ok . . . I didn't go to "GOD " to find my answers about the BBrine cysts and 
evidently Jehmco is not definitive enough.  I thought Jehmco was highly 
recommended by all of the killie folks but Ok they only distribute!



I called Aquatic Lifeline Inc. 
(http://www.ali-artemia.com/noframes/aboutus.htm) on the shores of the Great 
Salt Lake.  Their business is harvesting and selling the BBrine shrimp 
cysts.  I spoke with an information person there and the response was this:



1)      store in freezer:  they have on-going experiments with cans of 
BBrine shrimp cysts that are 20 years old and they take cysts out to hatch 
every year from the same bunch of cans and the hatch has not varied to any 
significant degree in 20 years.

2)      If you are a modest user . . . 1-4-5 cans a year they recommend that 
you open the can (NOT FROZEN) and quickly take out what you are going to use 
for a week and put the can in the freezer with the plastic top on AND put 
the can in a plastic bag and tie it tightly.  Put the week supply in a zip 
lock baggie of sorts and use as needed.

3)      If you are a more frequent user (1 can a month or more) then you 
want to take the can out of the freezer the NIGHT BEFORE you are going to 
open it and do not open the can until the next day.  I quote the person: 
"If you open the can while it is still frozen the cysts WILL form a bit of 
water condensation on each egg (as Wright said) and the can will entirely 
deteriorate from that time on depending on how long it takes for you to use 
the entire can."

4)      If you fall into the #3 category then you can leave the can out in 
the room and there is no need to refrigerate after opening (but open the can 
initially AFTER it thaws out).  You need to use the can with a bit of haste 
but in a month they (Aquatic Lifeline Inc) have found very little 
deterioration of the cysts percentage of hatch in a month (avoid leaving the 
can in a fish room with a lot of humidity).



It would seem that Wright is more correct than wrong (I'll have to back and 
read what he said again)!  These people were VERY adamant that you NOT open 
a frozen can of cysts.  Even if you use a can a month as I am.  They 
indicated that the bottom 1/3 to ¼ of my cans should experience much poorer 
hatches then when opened even weeks earlier.  I have experienced this and 
some members of the SKS affiliate Killie club have had discussions as to why 
the bottom 1/3 or so is always worse that the top 2/3.



My saga of the BBrine cysts is just beginning . . . I also called the 
Sanders Company as well, to get the story from the "right hand". They had a 
recorder on and said they would return my call later today.  It was Bruce 
Sanders that said that . . . I hope I can speak to "the man".



I will give you the results of that discussion as well . . . but it looks as 
though Wright is right . . . I did that on purpose!



If you have questions you want me to ask Mr. Sanders e-mail me quickly and 
it will be done!



Mike

                   Mike Jacobs
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