Information on Brine Shrimp Eggs

Brine shrimp eggs can be purchased from pet stores for aquarium hobbyists to hatch into live animals to feed to their fish. They can also be purchased in kits as "instant pets." Brine shrimp eggs naturally dry out and can remain in a dormant state for months or even years, and yet, when exposed to water will hatch in a matter of hours. They are nature's ultimate dehydrated product, and like commercially dehydrated products, rehydrating them means little more than adding water and stirring. But when brine shrimp are reconstituted, they don't make tasteless soup. They make living creatures.

  1. Not Really Shrimp

    • Under a magnifying glass or microscope, the brine shrimp's segmented body and multiple legs make it look like a tiny, flattened version of a shrimp. Like shrimp, the creatures we call brine shrimp are crustaceans but are more properly called "Artemia" and belong to a class much more primitive than other shrimp.

    A Lonely Existence

    • Aquarium fish are not alone in their taste for Artemia. In fact, Artemia are so desirable to predators that in most bodies of water Artemia are quickly consumed before they get a chance to grow significant populations. It is only in the water too salty for predators, such as Utah's Great Salt Lake, that Artemia populations can effectively grow. These bodies of water harbor almost no other life, save a few species of algae on which Artemia feed.

    Live Birth or Cysts

    • The Artemia female that wants offspring has a choice. It can mate with a male, or it can self-fertilize through a process called parthenogenesis. Once it is pregnant, it will consider the environmental conditions before making another choice. If conditions are amenable to the babies, called nauplii, it will give birth to them live. If, however, temperatures or other environmental conditions would threaten the nauplii's survival, the female will instead produce "cysts," eggs surrounded by a protective case. These cysts, which are collected as brine shrimp eggs, can survive extreme environmental conditions. They are often washed up on shore and dry out, remaining dormant for months until rain washes them again into the brine where, if conditions are right, they will hatch in a matter of hours.

    Hatching Shrimp for Fish Food

    • Brine shrimp eggs should be stored in a completely dry and cool environment. Before hatching, they can be refrigerated for up to four weeks. To store them for a month or longer, stick them in the freezer. If you have frozen your brine shrimp eggs, pull them out to warm up one day prior to hatching them. Mix up a batch of salt water using 1 2/3 tbsp. salt per quart of water. Adjust the solution's pH to 8.0 or higher, adding 1/2 tsp. Epsom salts or magnesium sulfate per quart of water.

      To fully hatch brine shrimp within 24 hours, water temperature should be 80 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Brine shrimp will hatch in cooler temperatures, but the process will take longer. A cone-shaped hatching container should be kept in the light and should be constantly aerated. Use 1/2 level tsp. of cysts per quart of water.

    Brine Shrimp as Pets

    • You can order kits for growing brine shrimp as pets. Follow the instructions included with the kit. Aerate the water every few days and feed the shrimp the food included with the kit. Given proper aeration, regular feeding and warm temperatures, brine shrimp will mate and produce offspring. They can reportedly live for up to two years, though such life spans are rare.

    Artemia in Space

    • Because of its rapid reproduction, short life span, and the easy storage of cysts, genetic researchers and biologists of all types use Artemia for research. Artemia cysts were even chosen as early test subjects in space experiments and were carried aboard both the U.S. Apollo and Soviet Cosmos spacecraft to study the effects of ultraviolet radiation on living cells.