Trouble Hatching Coop's Brine Shrimp

[HeyJC]

I ordered two cans of the brine shrimp eggs and have had almost 0 success hatching them out.  I've never had problems before with other brands and am confused why I'm having zero success.

The eggs are rich and colorful which impressed me.  I really like that they all float to the surface which has always been a pain separating the eggs from the shrimp with other brands.  I have a Ziss hatchery from here which is great and ranks right up there with a Python as far as great products.  I keep the eggs in a refrigerator and they're only a few weeks from having ordered them.    

My water conditions are soft mountain water with low GH and KH.  Neutral PH.  Even with these conditions I haven't had problems before.  I have a light shining on the hatchery and temperature is about 80.  Used one scoop of eggs per test.

1. Kosher Salt with some added baking soda and Epsom salt - Checked at 24 hours 36 and 48 hours - Most shrimp I saw were about 50.

2. Marine Salt - Added some Epsom salt - Better maybe a couple hundred shrimp hatched out.

3. Marine Salt with Chloram-X - wondered if maybe chloramines in water were causing a problem so I tried with Chloram-X.  Maybe couple hundred after 36 hours.

Did I get a bad batch or is there something special about these eggs that I've missed?   Anyone else having a similar problem?  I really want to like these eggs because of the good separation, but if there's no shrimp it's kind of irrelevant.

 

 

 

 

[CT_]

I saw one of @Zenzo's videos where he said he had a problem with the chloramine in his tap water.  I think the solution was to use "seasoned" tank water + salt and baking soda.

 

Also you probably are, but you didn't explicitly say so I have to ask: do you have air going in the hatchery too?

[Zenzo]

On 8/3/2021 at 4:40 PM, CT_ said:

I saw one of @Zenzo's videos where he said he had a problem with the chloramine in his tap water.  I think the solution was to use "seasoned" tank water + salt and baking soda.

 

Also you probably are, but you didn't explicitly say so I have to ask: do you have air going in the hatchery too?

Since that video, I now use tap water.

This is what I do when I hatch BBS (I have nasty chloramine in my tap water):

- Fill hatchery with tap water almost to the top (about 1/2" from the line near the top). I try to make it lukewarm.

- Two tablespoons of reef salt (or two tablespoons of regular aquarium salt and 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda).

- One squirt of Fritz Complete (dechlorinator).

- One or two teaspoons of BBS eggs.

- Insert my airline (no airstone, and I run the line to the very bottom). The air should not be too turbulent. Just enough to tumble the eggs. I keep my airline set permanently and never have to adjust it or turn it off (central pump). If it is too turbulent, the BBS will crash around and could be damaged.

- Place LED light next to the hatchery, shining into the hatchery.

- Wait 24 to 36 hours and harvest the BBS from the bottom using a light to draw the swimmers near the bottom. 

- If I wait longer than 48 hours, most of the BBS seem to die off. For me, the sweet spot has been 24-36 hours. 

I hope this helps.

[Zenzo]

I should add that my fishroom is heated. Where the hatchery is located is usually between 78-80 degrees. 

[Lowells Fish Lab]

On 8/3/2021 at 4:20 PM, HeyJC said:

2. Marine Salt - Added some Epsom salt - Better maybe a couple hundred shrimp hatched out.

How much salt per liter? 

[Guppysnail]

On 8/3/2021 at 10:00 PM, Lowells Fish Lab said:

How much salt per liter? 

I have only been doing brine shrimp in ziss for a month or two but as long as I am over 8 ph and over 79 lower than 85 degrees I have had success. I use 2 heaping tablespoons aquarium salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 1-2 tsp eggs. Fill 2 inches below line with 83-85 degree conditioned tap water. Adjust baking soda to get ph for your water. Not an expert pretty new to them but this works consistently for me 24-30 hours. 

[StevesFishTanks]

when I used the coop eggs it seemed like they worked best at 36hrs for me. 

I used chloramine water with and without treatment (seachem safe)

Best hatches were using tank water and wrapping a heating mat around the hatchery

[HeyJC]

Thanks for all the comments. 

I'll try using aged water from an aquarium.  In answer to people's questsions:

1. I have watched the video a couple of times.  That's the kind of hatch rate I'm looking for.  

2. I will try aged aquarium water next.  

3. I do have air going enough to move the eggs around but not a rolling boil.

4. I've used two tablespoons salt in the ziss.

5. I've modified the air line like Cory did.  So obvious, I kick myself for not thinking of it.  

6. I'm going to compare the same process to another brand and see the result.  

Thanks,

James