fins Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 Has anyone done this? I saw an artical about doing it with vinegar, bleach and a few other products. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 Works fine... Why Decapsulate Artemia Cysts? There are several advantages to decapsulating or removing the thick outer shell (corion) of the artemia (brine shrimp) cyst. 1.For starters, the strong chlorine or oxidizing solution completely sanitizes the artemia cysts, reducing introduction of bacteria and diseases to your aquarium. 2.Harvesting brine shrimp nauplii from decapsulated artemia cysts means that no separation of the shells is necessary. Just pour everything into a mesh net, rinse, and feed to your fish! 3.Even the unhatched artemia cysts are edible! An unhatched decapsulated artemia cyst is left with a thin "hatching membrane" which is easily digested by young fish and invertebrates. An unhatched brine shrimp embryo also contains more energy than a hatched, swimming brine shrimp nauplii. 4.The brine shrimp embryo also requires less energy to break through a hatching membrane than a thick outer shell. This can increase your hatch rate another 10% over undecapsulated artemia cysts! What you will need... One pint or 16 fl oz. of fresh water 2 oz. of liquid chlorine bleach 1 tablespoon of white vinegar 1 teaspoon of artemia cysts Instructions: Begin by adding 3 oz. of chilled fresh water and one teaspoon of artemia cysts to a glass container. Using an air stone, gently aerate the artemia cysts for approximately one hour at room temperature. This will fully hydrate the eggs in preparation for the decapsulation process. After one hour, pour in 2 oz. of liquid bleach. Increase the aeration of stir continuously for the next 5-10 minutes (until decapsulation is complete). The artemia cysts will change from brown to gray to white, and finally to ora nge in color. When almost all of the artemia cysts are orange, stop the reaction by pouring the solution into a fine mesh net and rinse immediately with fresh water. Continue rinsing until the smell of the chlorine bleach is gone. Mix 1 cup of cold water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a container and soak the net mesh with the artemia cysts for about one minute. This will remove or neutralize the residual chlorine bleach. Rinse the artemia cysts one more time with fresh water. Your artemia cysts are now ready for hatching! Forgot where I obtained this from, so can't give credits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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