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Interesting facts about rearing and keeping Artemia salina

Artemia salinaalso brine shrimp or brine crabs called, are among the most popular sources of live food in aquaristics.

They are just as suitable for rearing fry as they are for providing a varied diet for adult fish.

In general, the handling of artemia eggs and nauplii is not particularly complicated and no complex technology is required.

Nevertheless, a few factors must be considered so that the breeding of the small crabs is successful.

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Breeding Artemia

Getting the little brown eggs to hatch isn’t too difficult. The following is required:

Artemia © bajita111122

In general, it is important to ensure that all utensils used are as clean as possible. The breeding container and measuring spoon should be rinsed with hot water beforehand to reduce bacterial contamination.

About 30 g of salt and 1 g of eggs are used for one liter of water. The eggs are carefully stirred into the brine.

The first larvae, called nauplii, hatch after just 24 hours and can be fed directly.

To do this, you lure the animals into a corner with a light source, suck them up with a syringe and separate them from the salt water using a coffee filter or Artemia sieve. Hatching should be complete after 72 hours.

Again and again one reads about bad hatching rates. This is due to several causes:

According to various tests, the best results were achieved with sea salt or artemia salt on demineralized water. It is advisable to aim for a concentration between 20 and 30 g/L.

equipment in detail

Salt

Both high-quality table salt and sea salt from aquaristics are suitable. Whether or not iodine harms the nauplii is a matter of constant debate. The pro argument here is the fact that seawater invertebrates need iodine to molt. The extent to which this thesis can be applied to brine shrimp remains questionable. It is important that the salt used should be free of chemical additives, so-called anti-caking agents. Experiments with dishwasher salt were also successful. On the other hand, road salt, such as that used for the roads in winter, proved to be unsuitable.

artemia sieves

Artemia sieves have proven their worth for separating the nauplii. The mesh is fine enough to allow safe rinsing under tap water without loss. However, these become clogged over time and must be cleaned. A vinegar bath and subsequent brushing with a disused toothbrush helps. Alternatively, the sieves can also be placed in the aquarium. Experience has shown that shrimp and sucker catfish do a good job.

Possible rearing containers

Any container that can hold at least half a liter of water is generally suitable for the short-term preparation of nauplii. Additional ventilation is not essential, but can help hatch rates. Good success has been achieved with self-made reactors made from a 1.5 L PET bottle and an air hose with a connected membrane pump, although removing the nauplii can be somewhat cumbersome.

An inexpensive alternative to building your own is the breeding bowl from Hobby. It is a multi-chambered, flat bowl. The edge is darkened with a lid. In the middle is a bright center with an integrated screen. The bowl is filled with water and the eggs and salt are stirred into the outer chamber. Then the lid is put on. Since the nauplii have an affinity for light, they swim to the middle of the shell after hatching, while the egg shells remain on the outside. The animals are removed simply by lifting the sieve out of the bowl.

The Artemia Reactor

The professional version is the JBL Artemio Set. It consists of a pointed vessel with a tap at the bottom and a matching stand. Due to the special shape, the nauplii separate from the egg shells and can then be easily drained through the tap. An air pump, a sieve and a suitable collection container are already included in the set. However, the reactor is not suitable for keeping or breeding Artemia on a permanent basis.

Some time ago a device called “Naupli Star” was available on the market. This was a construction that made it possible to breed nauplii directly in the aquarium. Thanks to the sophisticated system, there was no mixing of fresh and salt water. However, the «Naupli Star» does not seem to have caught on as it is no longer available.

It also works without annoying bubbling

If you only need small amounts of nauplii, you can do without ventilation. The breeding vessel used should then have as large a surface as possible. A shallow bowl works best.

What role does oxygen play?

Since the air pump ensures movement in the water, it is automatically enriched with oxygen. The eggshells also break more easily and the hatching rate is improved as a result. If a long-term breeding approach is pursued, a permanent supply of oxygen is obligatory, otherwise the crabs will suffocate.

Separate the nauplii

Artemia eggs are naturally surrounded by a hard shell. This prevents drying out and is the reason for the long shelf life. Under no circumstances should eggshells or unhatched eggs be fed. These can clog the intestines of the fish and lead to death. Salt water should also not end up in the aquarium if possible, as it can affect the water quality. Therefore, it is necessary to separate the hatched nauplii. Depending on the vessel used, this task can turn out to be a bit tricky.

Basically, the shells float on the surface while the eggs sink to the bottom.

The larvae are usually somewhere in between. Using a flashlight or other light source, the animals can be collected at a specific point and then separated with a syringe or hose. When using the Hobby rearing dish, the shells are collected in the outer ring and the nauplii are taken from the middle. This effect can also be easily simulated in the home-made approach using a PET bottle. The bottle is darkened with cardboard at the top and bottom. A narrow strip remains in the middle, where the nauplii gradually collect and can then be sucked off.

What are the benefits of decapsulated artemia eggs?

As the name suggests, decapsulated eggs have had their hard shells removed. To do this, the eggs are rinsed with sodium hydroxide solution, then bathed in vinegar, rinsed and dried. The unhatched nauplii remain.

The decapsulated eggs can be hatched as normal. Whether the hatch rate is higher than normal eggs is not clearly documented. The big advantage is that no eggshells are left over. In addition, the nauplii have to exert less effort and therefore have a higher nutrient content.

If you want to feed the decapsulated artemia eggs directly, they should be soaked in aquarium water beforehand. This prevents the eggs from swelling in the fish stomach. This can cause problems, especially with young fish.

The feeding

Nauplii are best fed fresh after hatching. Due to their small size, they are also wonderful for fry. It is important to ensure that you do not feed any eggshells or unhatched eggs and to rinse the nauplii well with tap water.

The nutritional value

Decapsulated eggs and newly hatched nauplii are considered particularly rich in nutrients. The older the nauplii are when they are fed, the more the nutrient content drops. By feeding them spirulina powder, nettle powder or dry yeast, the larvae can be «stuffed» and thus the loss of nutrients can be somewhat prevented.

The durability

Artemia eggs in their original packaging will last for decades. If the packaging has been opened, it is important to store the unused eggs in an airtight, dark and cool place. Otherwise, the hatch rate will deteriorate rapidly until the eggs are completely spoiled. Good results have been achieved with a vacuum sealer and permanent storage in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.

The nauplii survive for about three to four days without feeding. Then their supply of food from the egg is used up and they die. Dead nauplii should not be fed, as the decomposition process sets in very quickly and can harm the fish.

The enduring attitude

If you like the small crabs, you can raise them in a separate tank and keep them permanently. A few liters of water are sufficient. The first generation must be fed. If the pool runs longer and enough algae form, these serve as a permanent source of food for the crabs. Important here is a sufficiently large water surface, gentle ventilation and sunlight or an aquarium lamp. Sea salt is preferable to table salt for long-term storage. The concentration should be between 20 and 35 g/L. Small stones and sand can freshen up the aquarium optically, but they must be cleaned well before being introduced.

Raise the little crabs yourself

Growing the tiny nauplii into full-grown crabs is sometimes difficult. It often takes several attempts with different parameters (salinity, light, temperature) before it works. However, as soon as the animals are fully grown and find good conditions, they prove to be very robust. Diet is probably one of the most important factors until enough algae have formed in the tank. The layer of sludge that accumulates on the ground over time should only be partially vacuumed off, as it also serves as a source of food.
Alternatively, the pool can be prepared and retracted without animals. If you want to save yourself the trouble of raising the nauplii, you can also use live animals from the pet shop. The acclimatization takes place in the same way as with aquarium fish.

The Breeding Approach

If you want to run a self-running breeding approach, you will need the following:

The air pump supplies the nauplii with oxygen. At the same time, he supports her in freeing herself from the egg. It is essential to ensure that the water movement is not too strong, as the sensitive nauplii…