Can anyone give me some tips on how hatch BBS, These are San Francisco Brine Shrimp in the pkt's, It says to add 1 pkt to 1 ltr of water, so I have added 1/2 a pkt to 1/2 a ltr of water, and this is in a 1 ltr container with a lid, I have put a hole in the lid for the airline to go thru which has a airstone attached to the end of it, I have then lowered this into the tank to keep it warm,it has only been lowered to the water level inside the container that I am using to hatch these BBS in, it does say the PH should be 8 or higher, could this be the problem? Any ideas what the problem is would be great.

My poor little fry must be hungry by now, have been using baby flake food but they don't seen very interested in it.

Lynda

Hi Lyndy, how long have they been in there? Depending on temperature they can take between 24-36hrs to hatch. Given that you have them in tank water though it should only be 24 hrs. I'd recommend if you haven't already turning off the air supply and letting it settle for 10mins. Take a flashlight then shine it in, you should see tiny moving creatures aka nauplii (BBS)

Did you add salt?

Hey Lynda,

Just PMed this to you, but may as well post so ohters might read and benefit. Hi Lynda,

You're right, with the packets you won't need salt. pH is not the prob, as we have a pH down here from the tap of around 6.8 and mine hatch just fine. So what exactly are you using to hatch them in? You realize that there should be constant water agitation from air bubbles, right? My punctuation drawing isn't the best, but here's my setup...

| |

| |

\ / - half a coke bottle

||

L - air hose through cap

This provides a constant flow of bubbles and has a second function as a handy syphon hose as well when you unhook the hose and use it as a drain. Tun off air (shut off valves are handy here) and set some place dark for about 5-10 minutes. Siphon through a hanky and pour back when done.

With the packets, I suppose you should just add half a pack to half a litre of water (pre-measure before pouring the first time and mark the level on the bottle for future fills) and toss all the water after you've seived and start over.

Good luck!

Are you sure they haven't hatched? They are very hard to see if you do not have 20/20 vision. Just a shimmer in the water.

Yiippee, Yes I do have some BBS, my gudness was getting abit worried there, but then again I didn't really know what I was meant to be looking for lol. :lol: :lol:

Thanks Luke for the idea to use a torch, soo much easier to see these little critters.

No more hungry fry. :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Thanks Guys

Lynda

mmmm.My hatchery isnt working anymore. I was doing the same thing and the eggs didnt hatch. Could it be my eggs have turned to poop?

hi again, glad you sorted it with the BBS. Yes, the airline goes through the lid, but no airstone is needed and it won't drain properly if you have one. The hardest part of this setup is drillingthe right size hole through the lid and making sure it NEVER tips into your tank (if you're keeping it warm in the same tank you have fish). A teaspoon of salt will only harm the most delicate fish (elephant fish, for instance), but you'll never get the hatched eggs out of your tank!

Be sure and chuck some snails in the tank with the fry to clean up left over BBS. They tend to die and foul the water.

Devon - were you hatching successfully and now it doesn't work? If so, your water may have gone foul. Give it a nosey and see if it smells off. If you're just getting them started for the first time, follw instructions above and you can't go wrong.

P.S. - If you have a warm enough spot, you can put the half bottle inside another (reight side up) half bottle for a stand. You'll need to cut a hole in the side for the airline though. I'm sure there's a how-to online somewhere...