RECYCLED MATERIALS AT WORK,bottles and jars
CONTAINERS AT REST BEFORE SIPHONING AND CHANGING WATER
BRINE SHRIMP IN 5 gal BOTTLE
PLASTIC 5G WATER BOTTLES.
26g Garbage containers for Brine Rearing.
To date, I haven't found a simple way to raise Brine Shrimp in dense growing conditions in a short period of time, although I've seen many postings claiming to have simple methods that work. Low density growing is fairly I used to use a styrofoam container (LFS fish shipping cont.) as a water bath, heated with a 75 watt heater and circulated using an air supply. In the bath I placed three 2 litre inverted pop bottles (bottom cut off) and four 1 gallon jars tilted to allow a low point. 3/16" rigid air line tubing connected to the regular air line tubing is best to aerate the containers. To start, I placed 1/4 teaspoon of sterilized brine cysts (30 minutes soaked in 1 gal water with 17ml of 5% bleach) in each 2 litre container, letting it sit that way for 1 to 1 1/2 hours to hydrate before adding the rigid air line for VIGOROUS circulation. (Soak time stops the cysts from being raised above the water line as much, where they don't hatch) Use only an open ended airline. DO NOT USE AIR STONES as small bubbles will kill the brine shrimp. After 2 days, I let the container sit for a few hours and the unhatched cysts sink to the bottom and the empty cysts raise to the top. I siphoned off the hatched nauplii from in between the cysts, filtered the shrimp out with the shrimp net, and placed them in the container of new water to start the feeding and growing cycle. I THROW OUT THE CONTAMINATED HATCHING WATER. After another 3 to 4 days, (doesn't have to be exact but watch for water deterioration) I change the water again and move the shrimp to the one gallon containers and start new cultures in the 2L containers. Once in the gallon containers, I change the water twice a week. After a week growing in the one gallon jugs, I would add the brine shrimp to one of the 5 gallon grow out containers if there is room, or, return them to the one gallon grow out container if not. This 5 gallon grow out is a water bottle, inverted, with the bottom cut out, and a ball valve plumbed into the mouth of the bottle. I change the water now in these containers about every three or four days depending on how heavy I feed. I "had" progressed to weekly water changes. The secret to these prolonged water change periods seemed to be the very light feedings, as opposed to the heavier ones I was led to believe was necessary. I barely coloured the water with what ever food I was using, and fed twice daily.
However, Unhappy with the yields I experienced, I have now returned to doing water changes about every four days unless something indicates a problem at an earlier point. For feeding the shrimp, I used to use spirulina flake which I crushed up in it's bag, and placed some in the center of a piece of densely woven cloth, folding the edges up and securing with an elastic. The resultant spirulina "ball" that was formed.As mentioned previously, lighter, multiple feedings will work best. This method worked great for lower density growing, but I looked for a simpler feeding method and began using "pastes". Brine Shrimp Direct's Tahitian Blend worked out to be very simple and convenient and I used this for a long time until I decided to try live phytoplankton. Using ReefCrew's nannochloropsis as a starter culture, I grow live phyto to feed the brine.
It can be grown quite easy in pop bottles, gallon containers, or as I now do it, in 5g salt pails. After the brine shrimp have reached mid size, I then switch to using Tahitian Blend cryopaste for feeding as I haven't enough live phyto to feed them for all stages of growth at this time. It would definitely be cheaper if I could though. Once the shrimp have reached adult size, (about 4 weeks depending on density of the cutlture) I use a regular fish net to remove some adult brine shrimp and rinse them in fresh water before placing them in the "gut loading container". (2 litre pop bottle) I leave the shrimp in this Selco feeding container for a minimum of 1 1/2 hours, before feeding them to my fish.(young brine need a minimum of 24 hours to gut load, preferably in two 12 hour stints where the water and food is changed for the 2nd stage) Using a regular fish net to catch the adults, leaves the young live born (or added nauplii) to remain and grow themselves to be adults, as most of these smaller nauplii pass through the net. Adult shrimp produce live born young when conditions are right, and produce resting cysts when conditions deteriorate. If you find you are using more than what self propagation provides, you can either add another container to your process or just decapp and hatch out more cysts. I tried using a product called ClorAm-X to nullify the effects of ammonia in the rearing containers but it turns out, I've found, that brine shrimp are reasonably tolerant of the higher ammonia levels in their water. I do water changes sooner if the water goes brownish. To decap the cysts, I put 2 cups of water in an inverted pop bottle and add a tablespoon of cysts and let sit for about 1/2 hour. I then aerate it for an hour. This hydrates the cysts to be able to decap them.
I then add 1/2 cup of standard bleach with no perfumes or additives, and aerate for 7 minutes. (use a timer) I then IMMEDIATELY stop aeration and rinse the cysts under the cold water tap in the laundry room for a MINIMUM of four minutes to stop the bleaching process from killing the naupli in the cyst. If you find an easier, proven way to grow adult brine shrimp,(in dense cultures here in the Northern Hemisphere) that is) I would appreciate hearing about it. (Thanks)
BECAUSE THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME CONFUSION ON JUST HOW MUCH TO AERATE THE BRINE SHIMP WATER, I'M ADDING THIS NOTE TO SAY, YOU CAN AERATE TOO MUCH AND YOU CAN AERATE TOO LITTLE. It takes some practice to get so that there is enough circulation to oxygenate the water, and yet not be too heavy to blow the adult brine shrimp apart.
Even after all these years, I still occasionally crash a container by not enough aeration, or, kill the shrimp off by having too much. ____________________________________________________________________________________ I no longer recycle the water and instead make my own homemade salt water.
I have gone cheaper and mix up 10 parts by weight of Crystal Plus water softener salt and add one part of epsom salts, and dilute to a specific gravity of 1.017. I think that's basically all I've changed but if I think of any more, I'll alter this at a later date. rayjay
Some links for reading:
Tank Produced Brine
Northeast Brine Shrimp
Presently, I'm feeding blended spirulina powder in water because of costs since paste is too expensive now after 9/11 shipping cost increases.
EDIT: XXXXX Now, I'm only growing brine shrimp in the 26g garbage pails and keeping the temperatures cool, around 68° to 72° but in summer I will try in the mid 70's.
Cooler temperatures mean a lot longer to reach adult, but yields are a lot higher, I'm assuming at this point because of bacterial interferences at the 80° plus that I was heating the container to previously to get adults in four weeks.
I start by decapping a heaping tablespoon of cysts in bleach and hatching out in a pop bottle. After 24 hours, I siphon off the live nauplii and place in the 26 g garbage pail.
For about 16-17 days, I feed phyto but start adding a little spirulina powder blended with water at about 2 weeks. I then do a water change and from then on, I only use blended powdered spirulina, feeding small amounts 3 times a day. Every 10 to 15 days I do a water change and as the brine grow, I increase the amount of blended spirulina that I feed each time.
I gut load for an hour and a half before feeding them to my horses, using Algamac Protein Plus or Algamac 3050.
A heaping tablespoon of cysts yeilds about 3/4 full brine shrimp net, the standard brown handle 3" by 4".