|
Step-by-Step Brine Shrimp Hatchery cont....
(*BBS=Baby Brine Shrimp)
|
|
Operation and
harvesting tips:
See below for determining when your
BBS is ready to collect
Setup
1) Always
turn on the air 1st, then add your water to the 1 liter fill line
(this will allow the bubbles to start easier, especially if using a
linear air pump). The air flow need not be violently vigorous, but a
good steady stream or slight boil at the surface will work. Add 1
tablespoon salt, if your water is soft, a pinch of baking soda might
help (experiment here). Wait for the salt to completely dissolve
(about 2-3 minutes with aeration), then add not more than 1/4 TBS of
BBS eggs. Some hobbyist disagree slightly over the proportions, but you can
bet a "safe" universal recipe is: 1/4 TBS of eggs to 1TBS salt to 1 liter of water,
this ratio always works
like a charm every time |
|
|
2)
Position your light: this is the tricky part and will take some
experimenting. to get it right: to give you an idea; in my
situation, my ambient air temperature in mid-summer is about 76F, so
a 40W bulb about 4-6" away from the surface heats my water to about
80-84, and my shrimp hatch in 20-24 hrs. In Winter, my ambient room
air temperature is 64F, so I use a warmer/brighter 60W bulb and
position it about 3-4" away. Definitely experiment with different
bulb wattages and distances, the extra effort is worth that piece of
knowledge as timing the harvest to within 4hrs post-hatch is
paramount to get maximum nutrition (the naupalii are most nutritious
during "instar stage 1", or before their 1st molt)
3) Turn
off or swing the light away: Brine shrimp a phototrophic (attracted
to light), without light they "usually" will simply settle towards
the bottom for easy harvesting (and likewise, usually the hatched
cyst will float. In about 10-30 minutes (if that long), most or all
of the naupalii will create a bright orange "zone" in the neck of
your hatchery.
4) Strain
and collect your naupalli using any of the below methods. Take care
to stop the flow just short of the hatched cyst entering your
airline |
|
Harvesting methods To the right are two
commercially available types of Brine shrimp strainers. Each has
it's pro's and cons. Most "Brine Shrimp" nets will indeed fail to
strain a good percentage of naupalii (just hold a container of waste
water up to the light afterwards). The "sock" type cost a little
more (about $5) and performs a little better, but is not perfect
either. Ultimately you may have to buy a good net like the type sold
here or simply use a few layers of fine woven handkerchief. |
  |
|
A 2nd method is to fabricate a "collection container.
A taped up shoebox or BLACK dishpan works well. Basically you shine
a masked light source over or through the darkened container such
that the light forms a tight beam or spot where the shrimp will
collect for easy removal with a turkey-baster. This method is more
efficient (in terms of waste), but is likewise more time consuming |
When to harvest?
Below are some snaps taken at 4hrs post wetting (left
& top right). The picture in the center
represents a stage when it is easy to prematurely harvest the BBS.
With experience, you can usually discern the difference between when
the water is dark orange "near hatching" and when you've reached the
optimal fully hatched bright orange water. This color usually
indicate the maximum hatch percentage of your eggs. The picture on
the bottom right is after 24hrs post wetting (@ 82F). As you can
see, the naupalii have turned the water BRIGHT orange. |
4 Hours
The water should start to darken to a light pink
by now (or likely forgot to add salt) |
 18
hoursnear harvest (few cyst have hatched) |
 24+
hours ready for harvest (all cyst have hatched) |
