Decapsulated Brine Shrimp Cysts VS Baby Brine Shrimp

[blueguppies]

I have been doing a bit of reading and all the websites talk about is baby brine shrimps, and that to achieve maximum growth and wellbeing of fry then that is what to feed them. I have not yet seen an article refering to Decap...

Is that because Decap is new? Or is there another reason and should I try once again to get a decent amount of brine shrimps hatching :-?

[alanmin4304]

There are two types of decap. The one we get here is hatched brine shrimp nuplii that have been freeze dried but you can also decap the cysts and store them in brine before hatching them and the advantage is that it is all brine shrimp nuplii with no rubish. I don't know anyone who does the latter. Live nuplii is moving and encourages the fry to eat it. decap goes to the bottom and often gets missed by other than botton feeders. You should soak freeze dried decap before feeding to rehydrate it.

[blueguppies]

There are two types of decap. The one we get here is hatched brine shrimp nuplii that have been freeze dried but you can also decap the cysts and store them in brine before hatching them and the advantage is that it is all brine shrimp nuplii with no rubish. I don't know anyone who does the latter. Live nuplii is moving and encourages the fry to eat it. decap goes to the bottom and often gets missed by other than botton feeders. You should soak freeze dried decap before feeding to rehydrate it.

Thanks alot for that, I notice a bit of decap on the bottom and only a few of my fry have the technology to eat from there, I will start trying to hatch brine shrimp again. Cheers

[ryanjury]

I use decap with all of my guppy and african fry and none goes to waste it is IMO the best food and they fry eat it from day one and grow fast on it. IMO you are wasting your time hatching it for guppies they are only their most nutritious when they freshly hatched so why not just feed the right amount so there is none on the bottom? I should add that I don't soak mine just feed a little and the fish eat it off the surface.

[Guest]

Do you keep yours in the fridge or just beside the tank?

[alanmin4304]

I keep my cysts in the fridge and hatch them each day. Fry will survive and grow on decap but there is nothing like a live one to make them feel hungry. Their natural instinct is to snap at things that are moving and are bite sized. Decap is the next best thing and is less hassle. I am usually feeding fry and fire bellies as well so I am hatching every day anyway.

[BikBok]

i use the non hatching decaps for guppy and platy fry . They love it and it's light so doesn't all sink to the bottom. My whiptail and kuhli clean up the rest. Brings them out of hiding every time.

I soak the decaps for just a few minutes before feeding to fry, 3-4 times day for the first week and then I scale it back and start substituting with crushed flakes. By 3 weeks they just get the crushed flakes with the occasional decaps.

[raewyna]

Blueguppies. You seem to be having a problem getting the brine shrimp going. I just use a jug or drink bottle hanging in the tank (tall skinny jug with open bottom handle to hang over the side is very practical) and put an air hose into it so that the hose reaches the bottom. Add a spoon of tonic salt (amount according to water volume) and the brine shrimp cysts. They'll be hatching in 24 hours give or take depending on temperature. When I just have a few babies I just run one culture at a time, but can do up to four at a time when needed (eg when I had baby angels - man those guys can EAT). Sometimes a culture might fail if something happens - like the air hose has blocked with salt and they lost aeration. That's only occasional though.

When I harvest them, I put some warm fresh water in a clear jug. I poor the brine shrimp into a 'net' that is made of fabric tight enough that they don't go through, then put them into the fresh water. Let them settle with a light at the bottom (eg torch or tank light). The shells and unhatched cysts will either float or sink right to the bottom and you can siphon off the live shrimps with a meat baster. They're the bright orange mass near the bottom close to the light. You might see some at the top opposite the light too - they have gone to the reflected light instead. Don't leave them sitting for too long - they suffocate quite quickly once the aeration has gone.

There are lots of other set ups too. Once you get going you'll be fine and it's worth it. If you are doing something like that and not getting a good hatch rate, maybe wait a bit longer in case they are slower for some reason (they're still fine at 48 hours - just not quite so nutritious), or else look at whether your cysts might have gone off. They're very vulnerable to temperature and moisture. I have a big tin and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge and just have a few table spoons at a time in the 'everyday' container. Does that help? Good luck.

[phoenix44]

I usually hatch my own brine shrimp as its more fun that way :lol:

if you are having trouble hatching the eggs, use sea water instead.

[blueguppies]

hey thanks for the tips on hatching brine shrimp, and more discussion on decap. I have a bag of brine shrimp eggs so I will give it one more try :-)