# brine shrimp - which adult fish will still eat nauplii?



## superguppy (Jul 2, 2010)

I'm thinking about buying a brine shrimp hatchery kit (see below), but I see that it's only for hatching eggs and not for growing the brine shrimp further. I don't have fry anymore, but I have a some platies, neon tetras, black neons, rasboras, dwarf gourami, and SAEs. Would any of these fish eat the nauplii or are they too small for adult sized fish?


http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4445


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## funkyfish (Mar 16, 2009)

It's actually pretty easy to grow brine shrimp from nauplii to adult. You can transfer them to a simple cup once they hatch and feed them there. 
Here is a little article that should help you. 
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Berg_Growing_Shrimp.html


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## DaveK (Jul 10, 2010)

Raising up brine shrimp to adult can be done, but adult brine shrimp isn't that good a food for fish. It's also a considerable amount of work. Even newly hatched brine shrimp, unless you get it right away isn't a great food.

I think you'd get much better results, with a lot less work, if you set up some white work cultures. You can grow them in plastic shoe boxes, dirt and oatmeal for food. You could also consider micro worms, or wingless fruit flies.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

I thought the OP was asking whether or not baby brine shrimp (nauplii) are still suitable for adult fish to eat.


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## funkyfish (Mar 16, 2009)

Darkblade48 said:


> I thought the OP was asking whether or not baby brine shrimp (nauplii) are still suitable for adult fish to eat.


Back to that question :hihi: 

IMO I think the neon tetras and rasboras would enjoy some baby brine shrimp, and I really don't see why other fish wouldn't.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

I was under the impression that you could also feed baby brine shrimp to adult fish with no problems. They will definitely eat more though, so it is not a viable option for the long term.


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## ReefkprZ (Aug 21, 2010)

brine shrimp lose most of their nutritional value in the first 12hours of life. after that they are "popcorn" nothing more. 

As for feeding baby brine to adult fish, any smaller predatory fish with eyesite good enough to spot them will definatly eat them. most of the fish on your list should definitely consider the nauplii a great snack.


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## DaveK (Jul 10, 2010)

DaveK said:


> Raising up brine shrimp to adult can be done, but adult brine shrimp isn't that good a food for fish. It's also a considerable amount of work. Even newly hatched brine shrimp, unless you get it right away isn't a great food.
> 
> I think you'd get much better results, with a lot less work, if you set up some white work cultures. You can grow them in plastic shoe boxes, dirt and oatmeal for food. You could also consider micro worms, or wingless fruit flies.





Darkblade48 said:


> I thought the OP was asking whether or not baby brine shrimp (nauplii) are still suitable for adult fish to eat.


I suppose we each interpret the question differently.

IMHO, the OP was considering getting a a brine shrimp hatchery kit, and asking if his fish would eat the nauplii.

You saw this as a simple question of would the fish eat it.

I saw it from the standpoint of the purchase of a piece of equipment, which means spending some money, to raise brine shrimp, which doesn't have much nutritional value. 

So I answered the implied question about raising brine shrimp, and offered possible, better alternatives.


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## superguppy (Jul 2, 2010)

Thanks for all your replies. You guys are both right regarding what I was asking. For anyone interested, that kit doesn't require aeration, but the hatching efficiency is only about 2-3% based on one fairly in depth review I read.

In any case, I did some reading about raising brine shrimps to adults and it seems like a pain, so I'll just stick with the microworms I have now.


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## Booger (May 17, 2004)

Having bred a few fish in my time, I can hatch brine shrimp eggs in my sleep . I feed BBS for a couple reasons (live blackworms are my other favorite to feed).

1) It's fun! Even the shy fish spastically dart around until they have bulging, pink bellies. Shortly after, many will engage in displaying or other interesting social behaviors.

2) If your tank contains fish that readily breed and has enough cover, you might be feeding fry you didn't know existed. Makes for a much more active display, IMO.


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## jetajockey (Aug 23, 2010)

I feed all of my leftover BBS to my adult celestial pearl danios, fireline danios, and glowlight danios


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## Jimmyblues (Dec 16, 2010)

*Baby Brine Shrimp Is Good For Adult Fish And My Rasbora Harlequins Really Enjoy Them*



superguppy said:


> I'm thinking about buying a brine shrimp hatchery kit (see below), but I see that it's only for hatching eggs and not for growing the brine shrimp further. I don't have fry anymore, but I have a some platies, neon tetras, black neons, rasboras, dwarf gourami, and SAEs. Would any of these fish eat the nauplii or are they too small for adult sized fish?
> 
> 
> http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4445


 

I have a San Francisco Bay Shrimpery BBS hatchery that runs all the time.

I have fancy guppies who have fry from time to time that benefit, and I feed my Harlequin Rasboras and fancy guppies, baby brine shrimp almost daily, as part of a diet regimen.

Every few days I add about a 1/4 of a teaspoon of brine shrimp eggs to the Shrimpery and within 18 - 36 hours they have begun to hatch. I overlap by adding new BBS eggs while the previously added BBS eggs are hatching, this way I always have a ready supply of BBS for my adult fish, and any fry that suddenly show up as new residents of my aquariums.

Hatching BBS is very easy, however, growing them to adulthood is more difficult and very time consuming. Besides, with smaller fish like the Rasbora, a full size brine shrimp is really too large for them to consume in one bite, while they can easily swallow BBS.

And they do seem to be alot more active since I have been feeding them BBS everyday, along with a good quality flake food and several kinds of freeze dried foods (which I alternate from day to day).


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I made my own, just a 1 quart food storage container and the smallest air bubbler. I clipped it inside my brackish water tank to keep it warm. Any splashes of the salt water from the hatchery just fell into the brackish water tank.


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## tommyr (Feb 6, 2007)

I bought some frozen Brine shrimp and the White Cloud minnows seem to like them, also my Red Cap Oranda seems to like them fine, not as main food though, added to flakes.


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## Green_Flash (Apr 15, 2012)

Sure, they would love a live food treat.


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## Aganor (Oct 6, 2013)

I wanted to buy the JBL Artemio full kit, but for the price they ask, its just oo much when a DIY version is so easy and effective to make,

But i had this same question, my main fauna will be (besides or RCS) neon tetra innessi, ottos and a 2 Ramirezi, so, to me, seemed logical that even adult fish would eat BBS, since its food and size doesnt really matter when their bellies are asking for food, as they always are if we dont overdose food to them,

A diet based on high quality flakes and BBS should be neough for a healty fish diet?
I dont have much time left to raise other live food and i dont rally like bugs at all :/


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## twentypoundtabby (Dec 7, 2013)

All my fish ravenously eat BBS, but my biggest fish are bettas. 
I just use the easy to make DIY version from two liter bottles and an airpump.
I have successfully raised them to adulthood but after a while it seemed easier to just hatch and feed the babies since the adult fish have no trouble finding them


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## Aganor (Oct 6, 2013)

after some thought, doesnt seem that expensive and hard to raise artemia,

think about it,

we make the breeding bottles, then if we have a space tank, say, 5 liters cube, we use it with a spare heater, spare lamp and a spare filter,
All things that even new would cost little,

The breeding kit we just made, could be use to feed the fry or even adult, 

the cube would be used to raise the artemia, giving it condicitons to breed and from time to time give adult artemia and BBA to our fish,

Its more of a hobby inside our hobby, and besides doing small WC to it, i dont see much mainteance to not give it a try


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