How to Set up a Habitat for a Brine Shrimp

Brine shrimp, also known as Sea Monkeys, are a great first pet or first science experiment for your children. Children can learn about the life cycles of aquatic animals and see their pets hatch from their eggs within a day. Raising brine shrimp can also be useful in teaching a child about the responsibility of owning a pet. And, with just a bit of wheat flour or soybean powder, brine shrimp can also offer a self-sustaining food source for your larger fish.

Things You'll Need

  • Clear 2-liter bottle
  • Scissors
  • Large porous rock (lava rock)
  • Small porous rock (crushed lava rock)
  • Small air pump
  • Air Stone
  • Tap water
  • Teaspoon of sea salt
  • Small aquatic saltwater tolerant plant
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut the clear 2-liter bottle a little more than a third of the way, but less than half, up from the base with the scissors. The bottom section will be a stand for the top portion where the brine shrimp will live.

    • 2

      Make sure the cap is screwed on to the top, then turn the top portion upside down and slide it into the bottom section cap first.

    • 3

      Create a 2-inch layer of large porous rock in the bottom of the top portion of the habitat. Next, make a 3-inch layer with the small porous rock over the top of the large layer. Place the air stone on top of these layers and tubing for air pump beneath the air rock.

    • 4

      Premix the water for the habitat by dissolving ¼ teaspoon of sea salt for every 40 ml of lukewarm water. If in doubt, it is better to have a little too much sea salt than a little too little.

    • 5

      Pour the saline mixture into the habitat so that the top portion of the bottle is filled up to an inch from the top with the water.

    • 6

      Plant the small aquatic saltwater tolerant plant in the habitat. Cover its roots lightly with small porous rock.

    • 7

      Turn on the air pump on.

    • 8

      Add the teaspoon of brine shrimp eggs into the habitat. Depending on the type of eggs, you should see your brine shrimp hatch anywhere from 10 hours after they are put in the habitat to a little over a day after.

    • 9

      Place the habitat in a warm location. Be careful the chosen location does not receive direct sun at any time throughout the day because this will kill the brine shrimp.

    • 10

      Begin to feed the brine shrimp 24 hours after they have hatched. Since brine shrimp are filter feeders, they will eat most things that dissolve in water, but wheat flour or soybean powders are the best choices.

    • 11

      Change the water in the habitat by releasing half of the water out of the bottom of the habitat slowly but unscrewing the bottle cap. Then add some dissolved sea salt and water solution into the habitat. Only change half the water in the habitat at a time because changing it all can be stressful for the brine shrimp.