Brine Shrimp Culture

[AllFishNoBrakes]

What up everyone? I hope you’re well. 
 

I’ve had some QT tanks running for several years now. Currently, I have no plans of bringing in any new fish and I’m hot hatching anything (as I also use those QT tanks as grow out tanks when I’m breeding). As of right now I have 1 empty tank, and one tank with just a few fish in. Those fish can easily be moved at any time should I need a QT or grow out tank, so having this empty tank has me wanting to try something completely new. I want to hatch out my own baby brine shrimp, and then try to grow those out to create a brine shrimp tank/brine shrimp culture that I can harvest and feed from at least a couple of times per week. 
 

I think I have a pretty good plan, and I don’t mind failing. I think failing, and then having to tweak the process, or figure out what went wrong can be very beneficial and one of the ways that we truly learn something. That being said, I also don’t love to completely crash and burn either, lol. 
 

I’m curious if anyone else has done this, and what your experience was like. Any tips or tricks? Little things that you found that make it that much easier to have success?

I think the biggest challenge will be feeding the culture. I’ve read things like yeast, mixed baby foods with water, powdered and hydrated spirulina flake to essentially make your own “green water”, green water, etc. What foods did you feed that worked for you?

Also, is saltwater or brackish beneficial bacteria different from the freshwater bacteria? I would assume it probably is, especially considering things like Fritz TurboStart comes in both a freshwater and saltwater version. But maybe that’s just a genius marketing strategy?  Then, I also think about the fact that freshwater tanks can take salt and not have a complete crash, so maybe it’s not any different?

Essentially, should I turn that tank into a saltwater tank, and then cycle it? Or will the freshwater bacteria survive and adapt? Or, perhaps the saltwater bacteria will start to establish as the salinity increases, maybe even with the dying freshwater bacteria feeding the establishing saltwater bacteria? Should I gradually add salt, just to see what happens? Or should I just instantly make it a saltwater tank, and see what happens? Idk, both ways sound fun and interesting lol  

These are just some roadblocks/things I’ve thought about before starting the project. I have a tendency to think things through for a long time, and then I decide it’s game on and jump in head first. I’m looking forward to playing with something new and learning along the way. However, if you’ve successfully done this yourself I’d love to hear what your experience was like. 
 

I’m in no rush to get this going, but I think I want to try it. Maybe I’ll start a new journal when I actually make the attempt. At bare minimum, it will absolutely be in my normal journal if anybody wants to follow along when this project starts. 
 

Thanks in advance for any personal experience you’ve had with this that you’d like to share. Looking forward to the fun new journey!

Edited July 20 by AllFishNoBrakes

[gardenman]

In the good old days (1960s-70s), nearly every fish store had a San Francisco Bay Brine Shrimp countertop tank where they'd grow brine shrimp and then use a faucet at the bottom to bag and sell the shrimp. Smarter shoppers would buy the shrimp when the tank was crowded and avoid it while the tank was less crowded. Busier stores would often have multiple tanks in various stages of growth. Less busy stores would try to have a full tank ready for the weekends. There are commercially available brine shrimp foods that are used to grow brine shrimp to adulthood and lots of DIY recipes. I think Selcon is one brand of commercial brine shrimp food. There's tons of info on growing brine shrimp to adulthood online, including retailers specializing in the process. Like every fish tank, you want good water parameters. This is especially true if you're going for a long-term culture. Just be forewarned that adult brine shrimp will prey on juvenile brine shrimp so it can be challenging to create a self-sustaining culture over time. The adults will eat the kids and you end up with no kids but fat adults. Water circulation is the challenge in a tank-type setup. The old San Fran Bay tanks were similar to an inverted five-gallon water jug, sloping to a point at the bottom where the faucet was. A single air stone at the bottom could keep the water/shrimp circulating in that shape of a grow-out tank. Getting adequate circulation in a more rectangular tank can be challenging. People find ways to make it work though.

 

[johnnyxxl]

Remember Sea monkeys, thinking of growing out the brine shrimp reminds me of those kits.

[Jeff]

What about using the tank as one big brine shrimp hatchery? Buy the Co-Op brine shrimp eggs and salt - and go that route?

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 7/20/2024 at 6:40 PM, Jeff said:

What about using the tank as one big brine shrimp hatchery?

Not a bad idea. My only thought or hesitance is I don’t necessarily want the eggs left in the tank, or to have to scoop them out of the tank. 
 

I plan to hatch the bbs in the Ziss Hatchery, and then harvest like I normally would, and then move them to the tank. 

[johnnyxxl]

Raise a different live food like any of the worms or rotifer?

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 7/21/2024 at 2:34 AM, johnnyxxl said:

Raise a different live food like any of the worms or rotifer?

Totally could, but I’m not sure my lady will appreciate the Tupperware of worms around the house, lol. She’s already let me fill all the flat surfaces with tanks. 
 

I’m also looking forward to the potential challenge of the Brine Shrimp. Seems fun. 

[johnnyxxl]

On 7/21/2024 at 11:05 AM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

Totally could, but I’m not sure my lady will appreciate the Tupperware of worms around the house, lol. She’s already let me fill all the flat surfaces with tanks. 
 

I’m also looking forward to the potential challenge of the Brine Shrimp. Seems fun. 

Lots of waterborne critters like the rotifer like the brine shrimp