In a message of 10 Jul 97 Elizabeth Kahn wrote to All:
 EK> I've been trying to raise brine shrimp.  I would like to have a tank
 EK> with a constantly renewing population.  I.e. I want the brine shrimp to
 EK> grow to maturity and reproduce.
 EK> I've followed all the information and advice I've gotten on the subject
 EK> but the shrimp die within a day of hatching.
 EK> I tried it first in a 30 gallan tank which I filled with tap water and
 EK> added 4 tablespoons of kosher salt.  The water was heated to 80 degrees
 EK> and filtered with an undergravel filter and there was an aerater as
 EK> well.  I fed them bakers yeast.  They all died within a day or two.
 EK> Then a friend said the tap water could be to blame and to use distilled
 EK> water. I filled a 5 gallon tank with 3 gallons of distilled water and 1
 EK> gallon of spring water to which I added 4 tablespoons per gallon of ice
 EK> cream salt.  Once again I used an undergravel filter and this time I fed
 EK> them Advaanced Vertebrate 1 Formula.  Again they all died.
 EK> The instructions with the eggs say to use an air stone and keep the
 EK> water moving.  I've wondered if the water movement after they hatch is a
 EK> problem and turned off the filter after a bunch died.  The rest died
 EK> anyway.
 EK> Anybody know what I'm doing wrong?
The first thing I would do is get rid of the undergravel filter and any 
substrate. There should be no filtration of any kind as it will filter out 
the baby shrimp. An airstone or 2 is all that is needed. They will clog and 
will need to be replaced.
The level of salt sounds too low. The specific gravity (measured with a 
hydrometer) should be at least that of a marine tank - preferably a bit 
higher.
Aged tap water (let it sit for 24 hours) is fine. The temperature is also OK. 
The yeast suspension is the right food,but only use enough to lightly cloud 
the water. Too much will pollute the water. If you can encourage algae to 
grow in the tank,the shrimp will also feed on it.
I've tried raising shrimp before and did have reasonable success,but the 
amount produced wasn't worth the time involved. Feeding 30+ tanks was just 
not feasible. Since a local store carries live adult shrimp all the time and 
the portions are good,I buy it there. I still hatch shrimp eggs to have baby 
shrimp to feed all the killie,cichlid,and wild type livebearer fry.
--- Spot 1.3a Unregistered
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