# Baby Brine Shrimp -how do you tell when ready?



## King James (Jan 30, 2012)

How do you tell when the baby brine shrimp are ready to use while incubating? How long do they last? Do you keep them in salt water for a few days or what is procedure? Obviously, I have not raised them before.


----------



## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I raise them in pop bottles, inverted, with bubbles rising from the base. They start out dark brown, and lighten over the first day in salt water. When I expect them to be ready, I turn off the air, wait 5 minutes or so, and have a look. The cysts float up and the live shrimp drop down to form an orange mass on the bottom. I drain them off through a brine shrimp net. 
If the water is all orange, I've waited too long. 
I feed them over 24 hours - no more. Some raise them, I don't. They are at their most nutritious soon after hatching, but are still good food later. 

Your hatch rate is HIGHLY influenced by the storage of the eggs. I only buy when the weather is cold so they stay cool in shipping, and immediately put the cans of eggs in the freezer. I remove quantities as need to keep in a cool place. Egg/cyst storage is very important, and eggs kept too warm can drop to really low to no hatch rates very fast.


----------



## King James (Jan 30, 2012)

I started this batch 48 hrs ago almost exactly. I just turned off air bubbles and water does kind of look orange. I probably went too long will tell in a few minutes. What happens if you don't harvest them and use them within a couple of hrs of hatching? Do they die right away or are they usable for a certain length of time? Thanks Navigator for helping me out here!


----------



## King James (Jan 30, 2012)

I just checked them and yes, they hatched and they are swimming around so they are ok for feeding. Now how is best way to feed them to different tanks? I strain through brine shrimp net and then how do you do it from that point on? Thanks again!


----------



## King James (Jan 30, 2012)

I just checked them and yes, they hatched and they are swimming around so they are ok for feeding. Now how is best way to feed them to different tanks? I strain through brine shrimp net and then how do you do it from that point on? Thanks again!


----------



## Ranger (May 20, 2011)

Go to youtube mate theres loads of Vids about them on there.


----------

