Brine Shrimp Hatching Kits

[ppurcell]

Has anyone used a brine shrimp hatching kit in their sump? Is this a worthwhile means of supplementing the feeding for a reef?

[MISTERFIXIT]

Don't use the hatchery thingy.
I bought the small tube of brine shrimp eggs,I think it says approx 3,000,000!
Yes thats correct,and if you run no filter pads,just an overflow,skimmer and sump or fuge they hatch fast.Just sprinkle some in the sump and let your return pump send them everywhere.I have hundreds in my 90 gal and yes they are forage,my clowns love them!!I got the tube of eggs at Feeders supply.

Marc

[rayjay]

Just beware, that puting brine cysts in contact with tank water can be hazardous to your tanks health.
The cysts often harbour bad bacteria that have the "potential" to do big damage to your system. The cysts have also been known to get lodged in the digestive tract of fish/inverts, causing problems and sometimes death.

[dave00gt]

Just beware, that puting brine cysts in contact with tank water can be hazardous to your tanks health.
The cysts often harbour bad bacteria that have the "potential" to do big damage to your system. The cysts have also been known to get lodged in the digestive tract of fish/inverts, causing problems and sometimes death.

i have heard of this also, thats why im weary about this.

[ppurcell]

I guess I need a little clarification. Is the message 1, 2 or 3?

1. Do not use live brine at all because the risk of introducing a pathogen is too great.
2. It's ok to use a hatching kit which only the shrimp would be able to swim out leaving the cyst shells behind. Does this work in a marine environment or only freshwater? Are the bacteria you referred to isolated to the cysts or do they affect the shrimp too?
3. Shrimp should be hatched in a seperate vessel.

If #3, what is the best means of feeding the newly hatched shrimp so they don't starve before being put into the display tank? Also, if #3, is this of any significant advantage over using frozen brine shrimp?

Thanks!

[rayjay]

I would never put the cysts nor the hatch water in contact with my tank water.
Even the hatched nauplii get rinsed in fresh water before placing them in the grow containers, or feeding them to the mysids.
You haven't mentioned what you wish to accomplish with adding brine to the tank.
Many fish won't be bothered with the small nauplii, but some corals in inverts might to a degree.
Cyclopeeze would be a better choice for feeding the corals and inverts though, and the frozen brine can be a part of the feeding program of the fish.
As for the brine, as soon as the brine hatches, after about 12 hours at 80f with a light source, the nauplii degrade, nutrient wise, as they feed off the egg sack. Somewhere in the 18 to 24 hour range, they develop a mouth and anus, and can be gut loaded to increase the nutrient level, but it takes about another 24 hours to complete the gut loading at that age. It is best to do it in 12 hour sections with a water change and new food for a second 12 hour period after which they should be directly fed to the intended recipient(s).
Knowing what particle size the intended recipients need dictates how long to grow the brine shrimp, whether to maybe a week old, or to full grown. As the brine grow, the gut load time decreases to the point that adult brine can be gut loaded in about an hour and a half.
If you really want to know any more about brine shrimp as a food you can go to this site:
CLICK HERE AND SCROLL DOWN TO 4.0

and if you take an interest in growing them, my experiences may help you decide on how to approach the task.
RAISING BRINE SHRIMP