[fish keeper 2013]

I just hatched my first baby brine shrimp batch and have questions on harvesting. I turned of the air pump and most of the eggs floated to the top. I sucked most of these out with a turkey baster. My problem is that there are eggs floating everywhere, I can't suck out any of the brine shrimp without sucking out a ton of eggs.

What are these eggs? I thought they were either supposed to float to the top (hatched eggs) or stick to the sides (unmatched eggs), not float in the water column. What do I do?

Thanks in advance!

Edit: oh yeah, how long after they hatch will the shrimps still have their nutritious egg sack?

 

[Byron]

It has been many years since I last hatched shrimp when I was breeding Apistogramma and angelfish, so I'm not the best person to answer you, but until someone more knowledgeable comes along...

It takes them 12-24 hours (normally) to hatch, this time can vary due to temperature and salinity. Wait until after 24 hours so most of the eggs will have hatched. Feed the newly hatched artemia soon, within 24-48 hours of hatching; they absorb the yolk sac after 24 hours and will require food from then on or they will become less nutritional as food. You can siphon them out with a piece of airline tubing which may help if there are eggs floating around, or pur out into a fine mesh net. Rinse in fresh water.

Byron.