Easier To Grow?

[saz326]

I have grown and used Brine shrimp as fish food a few times, but have always been annoyed at having to organise the salt water & arrange airation of the "growing tank". I would like to try a freshwater alternative. This would have the added advantage that I could grow some of the shrimp to larger size (so they wouldnt be food for my tetra) and they would then breed and produce eddible shrimpletts.

I would guess that nutritionally they should match up with Brine shrimp.


Has anyone ever raised fairy shrimp (freshwater) as a replacement to Brine shrimp?

And does anyone know if there are uk retailers that I could buy the eggs from?

 

[Colin_T]

Fairy shrimp can be reared the same as brineshrimp. A tank of green water will usually be sufficient to feed them.
The nutritional value or fairy & brine shrimp depends on what they have been fed. If they are well fed on good quality algae, then they are a better food than those fed on poorer quality algae.

Eggs can be obtained online from some specialist aquaculture stores or places that sell kits with shrimp for kids to keep, (sea monkey kits). Try doing a search for Fairy shrimp eggs and see what you get. Otherwise try Florida Aqua Farms, they sell various shrimp & rotifer cysts/ eggs.

Daphnia are an alternative to fairy shrimp and easier to grow. They can be kept outdoors in tubs of green water and will breed readily. The adult and young daphnia can be fed to various size fishes but are smaller than most varieties of fairy shrimp.