Culture of fish food organisms

Unit 8 - Brine Shrimp or Artemia

8.4.4.Ideal conditions for hatching Artemia cysts
The optimal conditions for hatching Artemia are:

• temperature above 25^oC with 28^oC being optimum;
• salinity of 5 ppt (1.030 density);
• heavy, continuous aeration;
• constant illumination (example: two 40- watt fluorescent bulbs for a series of four 1-liter hatching cones); and
• a pH of about 8.

Stocking density is set by adding no more than 5 grams of cysts per liter of water. Good circulation is needed to keep the cysts in suspension. A container that is V-shaped or cone-shaped is best (2-liter bottles work well; glue a valve on the bottle cap and invert it). The best container is a separation column, found in any lab supply, although it is more expensive. Unhatched cysts, empty shells and hatched nauplii can be easily removed separately. The hatching percentage and density are usually a function of water quality, circulation, and the origin of the cysts.