Very exciting !
Guess you might get better tips for "green water" and how to keep it alive in the marine section. But having spoken to a marine trade expert - "with great difficulty" is the short answer.
And as you see - that's where I failed
You can only buy the phytoplankton from a marine shop and needs to be kept in the fridge. Once the bottle is opened (with the started culture) it only lasts for a month. The bottle in the fridge needs to be gently shaken just enough to stop all the green stuff congealing in the bottom.
The trick is to keep it lit (with as much fluorescent light) 24 hours a day - or else the culture and the zoes will die. The other trick is to aerate it enough to get full circulation - without so much that it churns the zoes to a pulp.
So all easier said than done.
And then not to mention making sure the water is mixed with the appropriate salt (Kent marine is what I used) and you will need to have the equipment to ensure it's at 35ppt.
From my experience (and what I've read through the www) the green water ideally needs to be mature and already set up and running for at least a couple of weeks before the zoes go in there. Now that's a catch 22 situation. And unless you have shrimp carrying eggs all the time, you'll just never know when to have it ready - and it's hard work to keep an eye on the salinity, evaporation and green water - that's for sure.
They also say to keep several cultures going - so that when it looks like one culture is "dieing" you can transfer over to a new culture.
This I find a near impossible concept, as they water is green - and practically impossible to clearly see the zoes - never mind transfer them over to a new culture !
Oh, you will also need a small heater - unfortunately the salt will cause some damage to the outer casing which is unavoidable.
Best of luck
