How to Hatch Brine Shrimp for Fish Food

Brine Shrimp hatching instructions

The following is an excerpt from Guide to the Brine Shrimp Artemia, © 1987-San Francisco Bay Brand, Inc. without their permission (the phone number printed in the guide does not work).

The Ingredients:

1. High quality San Francisco or Great Salt Lake cysts.
2. Aquarium or rock salt.
3. Epsom salt.
4. A cone hatchery. (We recommend the San Francisco Bay Brand Hatchery, hatching cone kit item #1000WO) [of course!]
5. A small airpump.
6. A light source.

Necessities for a Good Hatch:

1. CLEAN HATCHING CONE. Start with a well washed and rinsed hatching container...SCRUB IT!!! THE SINGLE BIGGEST REASON FOR POOR HATCH RESULTS ARE DUE TO A DIRTY HATCHING CONE.
2. CORRECT TEMPERATURE. The water should be kept between 75F to 86F (24C to 30C) and the cysts should hatch in 24 to 36 hours. The higher the temperature, the shorter the hatch time. Temperatures in excess of 90F (32C) cause the hatch to stop (arrest) and will not proceed until the temperature is brought within the correct parameters.
3. QUANTITY OF CYSTS IN PROPORTION TO WATER. The maximum should be no more than 5 grams of cysts per liter of water (roughly one teaspoon per quart).
4. PROCEDURE!!!
   • a. Place one liter of tapwater in hatching container and turn on air supply.
   • b. Add correct amount of cysts for you needs. [I use about 1/2 tsp]
   • c. Direct a strong light towards the hatching cone. It is extremely important to illuminate cysts during one to two hour rehydration period in fresh water. Full illumination during the entire hatching period is fine. A 100 watt bulb about 8 inches away is sufficient.
   • d. pH should be above 7.5. Low pH will adversely affect the hatch. If necessary, add 1 gram (1/4 tsp) of sodium bicarbonate per liter of water to buffer water to pH 8-9.
   • e. After one to two hour rehydration period, add about 5 grams of salt per liter and 1.5 grams epsom salt per liter. This is approximately one teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon epsom salt.
   • f. Keep all cysts in suspension by aeration.
   • g. After desired hatching time is reached, turn off air supply and direct a light towards the bottom of the hatching container. Nauplii of all commercially available strains are phototactic and will congregate towards the light where they can be siphoned off.
   • h. Maximum energetic and caloric content of the nauplii is utilized when harvested prior to moulting into the second and third instars (to meet this criteria, nauplii should be harvested within 6 hours of hatching). At 30C (86F) most cysts, provided other criteria are met, should be harvested at 24 hours. If maximum yield is desired without regard to energy content, harvesting should take place between 36-48 hours.
   • i. To collect the nauplii, turn off the air and let them settle for 5-10 minutes; by that time the neck of the cone should be full of nauplii. The hatched empty cysts will float to the surface of the water.
   • j. Remove the airline tube connected to the air pump and drain nauplii and water into a fine mesh net.
   • k. Wash both net and nauplii free of salt by placing under a gentle flow of fresh cold water from the faucet. Be sure to wash all parts of net free of salt. This washing will collect the nauplii at the bottom of the net and you may then feed them to your fish. You might find that an eyedropper will be very helpful in feeding your newly hatched nauplii.
   • l. The nauplii will not survive more than a few hours in freshwater, so do not feed more at one time than the young fish fry will consume in that period.
   • m. The salt water mix used to hatch the cysts should not be used again. Scrub the hatching cone with a sponge and detergent, RINSE WELL, and now you're ready to set up a new hatch.
5. STORING ARTEMIA CYSTS. When properly care for, cysts have remained viable for many years! They should be kept cool and dry and if possible not subjected to high humid conditions. They are kept best in a tightly closed, dry and clean container. Refrigeration of open containers is also a good method for storage, as long as it is remembered to allow the cysts to return to room temperature slowly (2-3 days) before you try to hatch them. San Francisco Bay Brand, Inc. guarantees that its cysts remain viable for at least two years if properly stored in their original, unopened container.

(end of excerpt)

The amount of brine shrimp I get in one hatching is usually way too much for one feeding. So, to preserve the energy content of the food, I use an eyedropper to put the shrimp into compartments of an ice cube tray (or similar thing) and then fill each compartment with fresh water. Then, to feed the fry, just drop a cube into the tank. The frozen shrimp will slowly melt and fall through the tank, feeding the fish in the process.

Back up to the Breeding page