How to Kill Brine Shrimp

Brine shrimp are tiny organisms that serve as a food source for fish raised in home aquariums and laboratories. They measure only a centimeter in length and have 11 pairs of limbs that make them look like shrimp. Most brine shrimp are female and can produce eggs without the male. They can be purchased at pet stores. Brine shrimp can sometimes cause problems in fish tanks, such as parasites in fish, and need to be eliminated. Brine shrimp can be killed using several techniques.

Things You'll Need

  • Airstone
  • Baking soda
  • Hydrochloric acid
  • Yeast
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the airstone in the tank. The brine shrimp will ingest the bubbles and die.

    • 2

      Change the pH of the water to less than 5 or greater than 10. Brine shrimp need a pH between 5 and 10 to survive. Use baking soda to increase the pH. Use hydrochloric acid to decrease the pH.

    • 3

      Add yeast to the tank. Brine shrimp will eat the yeast, causing them to produce hemoglobin and lay resting cysts. This will lead to elimination of the brine shrimp population.

    • 4

      Change the salt concentration of the water by adding excessive amounts of fresh water to the tank. Rapid changes in salt concentration will likely kill brine shrimp, especially baby brine shrimp.

    • 5

      Avoid cleaning the tank or moving the brine shrimp to a clean environment every few days, as you normally would. Bacteria will grow in the tank from brine shrimp body waste. High bacteria levels kill brine shrimp.