How to Frame Brine Shrimp

Brine shrimp are small, easy to hatch and quick to mature shrimp that can be used for a variety of purposes. They are usually used as fish food because they hatch in around 24 hours, making them quick and easy to harvest. Hatching brine shrimp requires framing them in separate hatching containers. Simply dumping the shrimp in water and hoping for the best won̵7;t make them hatch. Instead, you must spread out the hatching cones in a wooden frame that holds them over a simple heat lamp which helps them hatch.

Things You'll Need

  • Several 2-liter bottles of soda
  • Knife
  • 10-foot-square particle board
  • Pencil
  • Jigsaw
  • 16 feet of wooden dowels
  • Electric hand drill
  • 1-inch screws
  • 20-gallon jug
  • Table salt
  • Tablespoon
  • Wooden spoon
  • Heat lamps
  • Thermometer
  • Air hoses
  • Air pump
  • Electric tape
  • Brine shrimp eggs
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Cut the bottom off the 2-liter bottles of soda with your knife. Keep the bottle cap on the other side of the bottle.

    • 2

      Draw a series of circles on the board that are just a quarter inch narrower than the circumference of the widest end of the pop bottle. Keep it narrower to help hold the bottles in place. Space them out evenly on the board and cut them out using your jig saw.

    • 3

      Cut your wooden dowel into four 4-foot-long pieces. Place one dowel at each corner of the particle board frame. Screw them into place using the drill and screws.

    • 4

      Fill your jug with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt for each gallon of water you add. Stir your water with your long wooden spoon to mix the salt and the water completely.

    • 5

      Push one 2-liter bottle into each of the wooden circles. Pour water into the jug until it is about three-fourths full. Place your heat lamps underneath your bottles. Use 40- to 60-watt bulbs.

    • 6

      Put your thermometer into the water to test its temperature until it is at about 82 degrees F. Don̵7;t let it go below 82 or above 90 degrees F. Keep the heat lamps about a foot to a foot and a half away from the bottom of the bottles.

    • 7

      Hook your air pump up to your hoses and run one hose into each of the bottles. Run it at a slow pace to keep the water moving and well oxygenated. Tape the sides of the hoses to the bottles to hold them in place.

    • 8

      Place 2 grams of brine shrimp eggs into each of the plastic bottles. Let them sit for 24 hours, regularly checking the temperature to make sure it isn̵7;t getting too hot. Place the frame in a well lit area.