How to Grow Shrimp at Home in an Aquarium

Brine shrimp, also known as zooplankton, aren't hard to grow at home in an aquarium. Once you've grown the shrimp, you will be able to either sell them for profit or feed them to your own pets. This is a great money-saving adventure if you have pets that require brine shrimp for food, such as exotic fish or reptiles. Growing brine shrimp can also be a fun, educational tool for classrooms or parent-child experiments.

Things You'll Need

  • 10-gallon glass aquarium
  • Thin sheet of acrylic or formica, slightly bigger than the base of the tank
  • Silicone
  • Water aerator or filter
  • 60-watt light
  • Tank thermometer
  • Dehydrated brine shrimp cysts
  • Flashlight
  • Egg yolk, wheat powder, whey powder or soybean powder
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Instructions

    • 1

      Line the bottom of the aquarium with the sheet of acrylic or formica, making a concave surface. Seal the seams with the silicone. Eliminate the corners of the tank so the eggs won't get trapped in the corners.

    • 2

      Set up the aeration system according to the instructions. Make sure it is working properly all the time to create proper circulation for the water, which will keep the shrimp growing correctly.

    • 3

      Place the 60-watt light above the tank. This will ensure the water remains warm. Check the water temperature regularly with the thermometer. The temperature should be between 77 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. If the 60-watt light is not keeping the water warm enough, you can move up to a 100-watt light bulb at the highest. You do not want to go higher, as the shrimp will expend their energy trying to reach the light source, as they are attracted to light.

    • 4

      Empty the cyst package into the water. After being in the proper water temperature for 15 to 20 hours, the embryos that have been dormant in the cyst package will begin developing again. The cysts will burst and the embryos will hang below the cysts as it grows.

      These will grow into the shrimp's next stage; nauplii̵2;a free-swimming young shrimp. It will not feed at this time. Once it sheds the yolk, which is a brownish color, it will begin to feed.

    • 5

      Put the egg yolk, wheat powder, whey powder or soybean powder (it does not matter which you choose, all are adequate food sources) into the water. The shrimp will need the protein from any of these sources to grow properly and eventually reproduce. Place small amounts several times a day into the tank, making sure to not overfeed, which will cause clouding and will be dangerous to the shrimps' health.

    • 6

      Harvest the shrimp. It is important to harvest the nauplii so that the tank doesn't get too full. You can use them as a feeding source, for sale or for relocation into another tank. The nauplii are attracted to light, so hold the flashlight in one corner of the tank. Scoop them out with a paper cup. The adults can be harvested with an aquarium fish net with very small holes.