Your method for cleaning BBS hatchery

[gwand56 173]

What is your method for cleaning a baby brine shrimp hatchery? Do you use just warm water? A diluted bleach solution? A solution of hydrogen peroxide? Other methods?

 

[Tomsfish15 14]

I just rinsed with water every time I harvested. Usually used a small scrubby pad to get the bottle clean of 'slime'.
I used 2-liter bottles so easy enough to replace when needed.

 

[gwand56 173]

I just rinsed with water every time I harvested. Usually used a small scrubby pad to get the bottle clean of 'slime'. Of
I used 2-liter bottles so easy enough to replace when needed.

Thanks. Another question. I have been harvesting the baby brine shrimp five days a week for a month. But during the incubation yesterday, a great deal of white frothy foam developed at the top of the tank. I had never seen foam before. Thinking it was some type of contamination I threw the batch of shrimp out. Then I rinsed everything in a mild bleach solution. Have you ever seen the formation of frothy foam during an incubation?

 

[Tomsfish15 14]

No for the most part I kept the bottles just under half full and never had much issue.
I will say being lazy and having a 120g reef tank with a sump I took all my water from the sump.
I never mixed water just for hatching. Depending how you make up your water it seems wise to dispose of questionable results.

 

[GaryE17 15]

I rinse with warm water, and have a bottle brush hanging from the same rack as the bottles. About once every month, I use a mild bleach solution on the 2 bottles I use.
I mix up fresh water daily, by dropping a heaping teaspoon of salt into aerated water. I have seen foaming, and consider it to happen when I wait too long to harvest, and the nauplii are dying.

You learn to sniff the bbs as well. You'll learn the subtle differences in when it's ready and when it's overdue. We tend to put more eggs in the water than it should probably have, so things can go south quickly.

 

[gwand56 173]

I rinse with warm water, and have a bottle brush hanging from the same rack as the bottles. About once every month, I use a mild bleach solution on the 2 bottles I use.
I mix up fresh water daily, by dropping a heaping teaspoon of salt into aerated water. I have seen foaming, and consider it to happen when I wait too long to harvest, and the nauplii are dying.

You learn to sniff the bbs as well. You'll learn the subtle differences in when it's ready and when it's overdue. We tend to put more eggs in the water than it should probably have, so things can go south quickly.

I harvested at 22 hours. I usually go 24 hours. Maybe I added too many eggs. My recipe calls for 1 tsp per 2 liters brine solution made from tap water and 3.3 tablespoons of salt.

 

[Back in the fold13 10]

I rinse it good every time , wipe it out with a damp rag and rinse again . Never have bleached them . What you’re doing is cleaning off the slime which you can feel . Let it go with just a quick rinse a couple times and let the slime build up if you’ve never felt it .
The more you do this the better a feel for it you’ll have . It ain’t rocket science . You’ll develop your own routine soon enough .
I premix my salt water and keep it in gallon milk jugs . 7 tablespoons per gallon .

 

[GaryE17 15]

It really depends on the source. That's a lot of salt, IMHO, but the supplier should know. I'm using Chinese cysts, and they hatch well with less salt. I think with Utah ones, I used a heaping tablespoon per litre. It's been a long time since they were available here.

Really high hatch rate ones go for about $60 USD per pound in our market.

I change my hatchery bottles about once a year or so.

 

[Back in the fold13 10]

It really depends on the source. That's a lot of salt, IMHO, but the supplier should know. I'm using Chinese cysts, and they hatch well with less salt. I think with Utah ones, I used a heaping tablespoon per litre. It's been a long time since they were available here.

Really high hatch rate ones go for about $60 USD per pound in our market.

I change my hatchery bottles about once a year or so.

Everybody has their own method that works for them . The amount of salt debate is apparently raging on . I finally got mine to where it works for me but I have to wonder if everyone has a different amount that works for them because of their own water . I wish I could speak brine shrimp and ask the little buggers what they like .
Now . . . . would you please stop calling them cysts ? It sounds like a pestilence .

 

[Tomsfish15 14]

I always hatched an amount equal to the small end of the double plastic scoop for fertilizer.
I believe it was 1/4 teaspoon. Came with bulk fish med or maybe Safe.
I had 3 hatchers going 24/7 and fed many tanks.
22-24 hour hatch time seemed consistent.
I used the high grade BrineShrimpDirect type.
1lb might have lasted me a 10 months.
They always charged shipping so I would try to order 2 lbs.
Liked the sieves also for harvesting.

 

[Jennet36 94]

So, in theory, could I just set up a 2 litre bottle with aqua salt and brine shrimp off Amazon UK and a heat mat I have from my snake days and do this once a week?

I have a 2 outlet air pump that I can pull one of from my aquarium, and take some aquarium water when I do water change and go with that?? Obviously need to look into the whole breeding bit and make myself some notes up on that. Is it generally cheaper in the long run than buying store bought each week? Thanks.

 

[gwand56 173]

Everybody has their own method that works for them . The amount of salt debate is apparently raging on . I finally got mine to where it works for me but I have to wonder if everyone has a different amount that works for them because of their own water . I wish I could speak brine shrimp and ask the little buggers what they like .
Now . . . . would you please stop calling them cysts ? It sounds like a pestilence .

I’m following the directions that came with BBS eggs from Brine Shrimp Direct. That includes salt concentration, pH, temperature, incubation time and the amount of premium eggs.

 

[gwand56 173]

What is the story about BBS cysts without the shell? Any advantages?

 

[Tomsfish15 14]

What is the story about BBS cysts without the shell? Any advantages?

The ones I got I fed unhatched.
I am pretty sure they were not hatch able.
Here's what I used;

Ken's Decapsulated Brine Shrimp Eggs

Non hatching decapsulated eggs are fed directly, without the necessity and downtime of hatching. Decapsulated eggs have a higher energy and nutritional value than a live brine shrimp nauplii. Since these eggs are non-hatching, no energy is consumed in the hatching process and lipids, amino...

kensfish.com

I liked Kens for bulk foods.