Hatching and growing your own brineshrimp is very easy. Existing customers are using newly hatched brine shrimp alongside the ZM fry feeds to encourage an active feeding response and to provide a variety in diet.

Once you have the basic equipment you can order Premium Grade cysts and hatch your own brineshrimp whenever you need them. If you wish to grow larger shrimp we have both the food and equipment to do this; your fish will have food as fresh as possible and you'll save money on prepared alternatives.

With newly hatched brine shrimp it is critical to collect and feed them to the fish as soon as possible (within 6-8hrs) before too much of the yolk sac is used. Most fishkeepers can get away without 'enriching' of newly hatched brineshrimp but for marine species such as clownfish and seahorses HUFA enrichment is essential for healthy fry development.

For those requiring smaller livefeed we can now offer both freshwater and marine strains of rotifer cysts to start up cultures. For best results the rotifers should be fed with live algae that you have cultured in advance; alternatively use the algae/yeast based liquid invert feed also available through our online catalogue.

ZM Brineshrimp Cysts

All our Premium Grade brine shrimp (Artemia salina) stocks are sourced from the Great Salt Lakes, Utah, U.S. Brineshrimp cysts are approximately 200 micron in diameter and newly hatched brine shrimp measure approximately 500 microns.

Our 500g (17.6oz) packs are 10+% larger than 15 and 16oz tins currently available and a discount is currently available on a case of 6 x 500g packs.

For many years Utah has been the principle source for brineshrimp cysts and the quality of the cysts, collection techniques, processing, and packaging procedures are well established. Over the last ten years the market prices of brine shrimp cysts has fluctuated due to large demand and environmental factors such as excessive salinity affecting breeding. To protect future stocks from overfishing the twice-annual harvest is closely monitored and closed early if necessary.

2 litre hatcher - essential fishroom equipment

This hatcher design is based on much larger systems used in aquaculture where efficient incubation and quick harvesting procedures are vital. Your fish will benefit from cleaner hatched shrimp and fewer egg cases that can kill young fry if ingested.

The principle features are the tapered cone for efficient aeration of the water column and the collection valve in the base to drain off the newly hatched brineshrimp. The hatcher comes complete with stand, cover lid, rigid and flexible airtube, air control valve, and collection beaker. The other items required are an air pump, a quality synthetic marine salt such as our ZM Marine Salt, and a small 25w thermostatically controlled heater with mountingfeet to heat the water to 26-28 deg. C.