Does decapsulating brine shrimp eggs work?

[Harris3005]

I was worried about doing it myself so I started using Waterlife Artemia Shelless eggs. They are handy for unexpected fry too as they don't need to be hatched, you can feed the eggs to fish safely.

 

[Bengals888]

My last batch I hatched in June were still alive a few weeks ago when I fed them to my fish as a snack so they lived 6 months. They also will reproduce. I’d say they can grow to 1/2 inch long easily. At that size, my clownfish would bite onto one and a 1/3 of the shrimp would be wiggling out of his mouth.

I hatch them just for fun. Also if I have a sick fish or a finiky eater who refuses pellets, they will attack the brine shrimp most of the time.

I hatch them for fun as well, to learn and curious. I did fairy shrimp for awhile, that was difficult.

Will they grow that large on just spirulina?
Have you tried yeast?

The decapsulated eggs successfully hatched, I would say over 90% hatched.

 

[Bengals888]

I was worried about doing it myself so I started using Waterlife Artemia Shelless eggs. They are handy for unexpected fry too as they don't need to be hatched, you can feed the eggs to fish safely.

Never heard that brand. The decap ones that can hatch is very expensive. It is trial and error.

The main thing I think is using ice cubes so the bleach chemical process does not cook the yolk.

I also read over and over few sites. If you use straight bleach solution, it should be under 10mins. If diluted with water, that takes about one hour.

I will try straight bleach solution next time.

 

[lapin]

I too have found it easier to buy them already decapped. I hatch a cone a week. 100 ml lasts me about 6 months. I feed them phyto after a few days so they last the week.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

I tried decapsulating for a while to feed newly born seahorses, I always had better luck with using a hatcher so they'd swim and leave the shells behind, saved the extra work.

Followed the same procedure as above except we used RO (not sure why since we were adding bleach anyway) & bleach for an hour, RO rinse, then put in saltwater (~1.018) and 12-24 hours later they were good to go.

Considering white blood cells produce something almost identical to bleach in order to kill bacteria, viruses and other pathogens....I'd not feel comfortable using bleach on an egg of any kind.

The bleach does not penetrate the egg of the healthy brine shrimp. From my understanding most institutions decapsulate because the shells can clog up digestive tracts in small/new born fish.

 

[Clownfish2]

I hatch them for fun as well, to learn and curious. I did fairy shrimp for awhile, that was difficult.

Will they grow that large on just spirulina?
Have you tried yeast?

The decapsulated eggs successfully hatched, I would say over 90% hatched.

Congrats on your baby brine shrimp births!

I have never used yeast. Yeast may pollute the water quicker than other micronized foods. A good read is the Plankton Culture Manual sold by Florida Aqua Farms. They recommend spiralina powder to brine shrimp. They also sell phytoplankton and micronized feed for zooplankton.

 

[jackiemon]

We do this at work. Just like you say, eggs and water for about an hour. Then add bleach, bubble for about 10-15 minutes, until you see the colour change.
We cool the container with tap water during the bath with bleach. Otherwise the temperature will go up.

After that, rinse the eggs well under tap water until you don't smell bleach anymore.

Then we put the eggs in saltwater with high salinity, over 50 ppt, in a small bucket and place it in the refrigerator.

To hatch them we take a spoonful of eggs from that bucket, rinse in tap water for a couple of minutes. Then add them a container together with newly mixed saltwater and an air line. 48 hours later we separate eggs from the water, and put the eggs in new saltwater. Then use them to feed jellyfish and other filter feeders.

Let me know if you want a more details

Yes, and even after 6-7 years of this routine, we still fail with a batch now and then

It's been a while but your comment has been the most informative and covered all important parts!

Thank you