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Re: bleaching BBS eggs to increase hatch
> Anybody heard about bleaching brine shrimp eggs slightly in order to
> vastly increase hatch rates? I always get significantly higher hatches
> after cleaning my hatching containers and air tube with bleach and I
I get ~100% hatch rates (I can't find any unhatched eggs) now that I switched
to a different source of eggs. Originally I used eggs that came in a 2oz
bottle from the local fish store. Then I got a 1 lb can of eggs from Aquatic
Eco-Systems in Florida. With the fish store eggs I got about 80% to 90%
(not actually counted out :)) hatch rates. With the Aquatic Eco-Systems
I get no unhatched eggs left over so 100% hatch rates consistantly. I don't
clean my equipment and I use waste water from my salt water reef and fish tanks
for the hatching. I intentionally add some junk to the water to encourage
the growth of algae and other food for the brine shrimp. Most of the brine
shrimp I feed as 8hr to 3 day old babies to my fish and inverts. Some (1%?)
I grow to larger sizes for the fish to chase down and eat.
So, while I've heard a couple of people talking about cleanliness, I'm not
convinced it is necessary (or even a good idea :) ).
Cheers,
-Walter