ARTEMIA NAUPLII: Breeding and administration of Brine Shrimp

22 Jun ARTEMIA NAUPLII: Breeding and administration of Brine Shrimp

The Artemia Nauplii also known as “sea monkeys” are small seawater crustaceans belonging to the Artemiidae family. They are cosmopolitan and have developed extreme living conditions that allow them to colonize hostile environments such as salt pans, characterized by high salinity and periodic evaporation of water. The drying of the ponds in which it lives is overcome by the deposition of eggs, which can remain in a retirement state for long periods of time until conditions favorable to their development occur again.

These microscopic crustaceans are, as soon as they are browned, one of the primary sources of nutrition for the fry or all those carnivorous fish that will require live feed; The Artemia eggs in a state of retirement are usually purchased in special cans, the methods for bringing them up are very similar to each other and can be carried out with special kits or “homemade” with the help of bottles, small tanks, movement pumps and other materials. Let’s see now the process and the phases (valid for who have a kit purchased or for those who want to create a homemade kit) that you will have to follow for egg incubation, hatching, growing Nauplii and withdrawal for the administration of adul or fry fish.

1 – Bottle with hole on the cap connected to a tube and with small hole on the bottom, tap the small hole on the bottom and fill it with 3% saline solution or 30gr of sea salt or artemia salt dissolved in 1 liter. colse everything.

2 – Enter the artemia eggs, turn the bottle over and connect the cap tube to a pneumatic air pump to create constant movement (remember to apply a non-return valve or place the pump highest then bottle).

3 – Wait eggs hatching with the help of a lamp, 24/36 hours at a temperature of 25°  Celsius or 48 hours at 20° Celsius.

4 – After hatching, turn off the air pump, tap the small hole for the air and flip the bottle back, wait for the separation of the living Brine Shrimps from their shells that will deposit on the bottom, at least 5 minutes.

5 – Put the liquid with only the Sea Monkeys into a new tank, in which there must be a mixture of water and salt at 3%, connect a movement system in this case as well.

6 – After 2 days we can start feeding the Artemies with special liquid food and then with solid food or brewer’s yeast (always wait for the complete disappearance of turbid water before re-administer).

7 – After about 1 week, pick up the Artemia Nauplii with the help of specific net and administer them to the fry, or wait for their growth to give them to adult fish.