# How do you collect new born Baby Brine Shrimp



## King James

I just hatched off first group of BBS and I purchased a brine shrimp net yesterday at LFS and when I siphoned off the babies they were in net and I rinsed them under faucet and most went through net and down drain I think. It seemed the net is not right for them or is that the cysts I saw and not the babies. It is a real brine shrimp net, says on package, is white in color and fine mesh. Am I doing this wrong? What is is simplest way? Thanks.
Jim


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## navigator black

Some of my answers to questions will probably cause pain on this forum, as I realize that the way I do things is NOT the way most people here do things. So with that warning, I collect my bbs in the brine shrimp net, and serve it up on the point of a dollar store steak knife. I do not rinse it, and some shells do get in.
I've never had a fish harmed by the shells, and if the bbs is of decent quality, they will be too few to matter - you can get them with a water change.

I use a heaping tablespoon of salt for 2 litres of water - not a lot, relatively. Very little of that salt goes into the tank. I've bred 40 different species or location of rainforest Apistogramma on a diet of bbs, and unrinsed bbs has done them no harm. I breed killies, and lots of fish that aren't salt tolerant.
I also do 25% water changes at least 50 weeks out of the year, only missing them for big events that make it impossible. 

I never test my water to see what it actually does - I haven't owned a test kit for anything but hardness and pH many years. From observation, I can comfortably say that rinsing gets rid of more bbs than is worth it.
You are also using the more (most?) expensive SF artemia, a smaller species prized for being tinier. It'll pass through nets. 

Run them through the net, take them out and feed them. Rinse the net after, and get ready for the next treat for your fish.


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## majerah1

I dont rinse mine either.I collect them via the tube at the bottom of my hatcher,running into a coffee filter,which is better than the mesh IMO.I have rinsed them in it.You take a cup of aquarium water,gather the top of the coffee filter,forming a type of pouch.Then dunk the filter in the up of water a few times,like when you steep hot tea.After that I use a plastic knife or something similiar to remove the bbs from the filter and add to the tank im feeding.


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## King James

navigator black said:


> You are also using the more (most?) expensive SF artemia, a smaller species prized for being tinier. It'll pass through nets.
> 
> 
> I had no idea they were different size BBS. By all means I would like to find a larger BBS as you are right, these SF bay ones pass right through net and I saw where someone said they use coffee filters which I can try until these SF Bay BBS are used up. I have quite a bunch though in freezer, will use them up and get the bigger ones.
> 
> Can you direct me as to where to get them? I think you said they were from Utah....Thanks,


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## King James

navigator black said:


> You are also using the more (most?) expensive SF artemia, a smaller species prized for being tinier. It'll pass through nets.
> 
> 
> I had no idea they were different size BBS. By all means I would like to find a larger BBS as you are right, these SF bay ones pass right through net and I saw where someone said they use coffee filters which I can try until these SF Bay BBS are used up. I have quite a bunch though in freezer, will use them up and get the bigger ones.
> 
> Can you direct me as to where to get them? I think you said they were from Utah....Thanks,


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