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Re: New Brine Shrimp




> Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 22:30:39 -0700
> From: jeffdb at flash_net
> Subject: New Brine Shrimp
> 
> Hello All,
> 
> I just hatched my first batch.  I want to condition a pair of Apistos, but the
> Tetras should enjoy the treat also.  My questions are:

> 1.  What should I do to grow the BS?

Don't bother. It takes too much space for too little food, and the results
lack decent nutrition. If you must try, the technical notes at
www.brineshrimpdirect.com can fill you in. Adult BS are not good
conditioning food, IMHO, even if gut loaded.

Only the first-stage nauplii (under about 6 hrs old) have enough fatty acids
to be useful conditioning food. Once they molt, their nutritional value
drops dramatically.

> 2.  Do I move them out of the 2 liter bottle?  Into what?

Into a net. Rinse and put in fresh water. Feed immediately. 

Never skip the rinse, as the hatching solution is, by now, also a bacterial
soup that's not at all good for your tanks.

Use less eggs in more hatching bottles, if you get too much now, and stagger
their starts.

They will stay alive for a day or so if you have a bit of salt in your
tanks. One tsp. per G or less will do it.

> 3.  There are way more than the fish can eat in a few feedings.  How do I keep
> the rest alive in the meantime?

Transfer (after rinsing) to fresh icy weak salt water in a very shallow tray
in the refrigerator. You can delay that first molt for a day or so, I think. 

You can tell when it happens. The first stage nauplius is as wide as it is
long. "Instar 2" is when they are starting to feed and are longer than they
are wide. At that stage, they have used up most of the yolk energy and
aren't conditioning food.

> 4.  I've thought about freezing the surplus.  Any suggestions for this?

Cryo (flash) freezing, at dry-ice temps, works best. You may be able to
emulate that by pre-freezing a slab of aluminum. Place thin flat baggies of
bbs right on the cold aluminum and return it to the freezer. I'd be inclined
to have the bbs in nearly frozen tap water (not salt) first, to speed the
freezing.

Apparently, the quicker the freezing the less the cells rupture on thawing,
so the less nutrition you waste as "juice" in the tank.

That's my $0.02. If I have it wrong, I trust the pros to jump in and set me
straight.

Wright

-- 
Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679  huntleyone at home dot com

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