Non Hatching BBS

[steve b]

Seems my BBS eggs are off!! got 400g of them so instead of throwing them away do you think decapsulating them to feed would work if anything left in the egg shell?

I hate throwing things away.... you should see the contents of my loft.

[brewmaster15]

Seems my BBS eggs are off!! got 400g of them so instead of throwing them away do you think decapsulating them to feed would work if anything left in the egg shell?

I hate throwing things away.... you should see the contents of my loft.
Steve I wouldnt bother. Metabolically the cysts are dead. At best you could probably get some very good plant fertilizer out of them

[steve b]

Thanks....

[steve b]

Got new eggs and have good hatch at 24hrs but even better after 48hrs. 26c

[brewmaster15]

Got new eggs and have good hatch at 24hrs but even better after 48hrs. 26c
Having a window of 24-48 hours isnt typical Steve. That makes it very hard to know how nutritious the bbs are as they use up their yolk sack in the first 12 24 hours and molt. Usually the majority of cysts in a graded can will hatch around the same time under the came conditions.

Are you storing the cysts in the refrigerator or freezer?

[Charlyc11]

Best is to keep the bulk in the freezer and a small working amount in the refrigerator. Keeping in the freezer and opening the can every day degrades the cysts.

[brewmaster15]

Best is to keep the bulk in the freezer and a small working amount in the refrigerator. Keeping in the freezer and opening the can every day degrades the cysts.
Right. But it also puts the cysts in a more metabolically dormant state. Brineshrimpdirect.com recommends long term storage in the freezer, short term in the refrigerator. They recommend letting the cysts stored in the freezer to be put in the refrigerator 1 day in advance of use. Im wondering if Steve has his stored in the freezer which would explain the big hatching window he is seeing.
The other thing that can affect hatching is the age of the cysts and storage conditions.

[steve b]

The eggs I am using are in a fridge, the main bulk of eggs in a fridge at 4c. The supplier said not to store in freezer but at 4c? Iv'e seem both recommended. I harvest at 24hrs with hardly any left swimming in the bottle then again 12/24 later the second harvest.

[brewmaster15]

Theres alot of resellers of brine shrimp cysts out there. Only a few actually specialize in this product. Brineshrimpdirect.com has been doing this a very longtime. I believe that their advice is sound and have followed it for years. Long term storage in the feeezer will extend the life of the cysts. I have unopenned cans I found in my chest freezer that are 6 plus years old and hatch perfectly fine.

Did you buy them in a metal sealed 16 oz can?

[steve b]

No not a can this time, I think they may bulk buy and divide up into saleable lots, came in sealed plastic tub. I will put the spare eggs in the freezer and keep my fingers crossed. Thanks.

[brewmaster15]

Just take out what you need for a few weeks at a time.

As some unsolicitated advice.... Resellers that repackage the product into smaller containers generally lack the facilities to store it properly. Its no guarantee that 16 oz cans will have been stored properly but I have known alot of hobbyists that bought the repackaged product and got very poor hatch rates and shelf life. You really have no idea what the hatch rates actually are with these or how they have been stored.

[steve b]

True, I take it Brineshrimpdirect.com is US based? Just checked it is, very good price on those tins....

[brewmaster15]

Yes ..US based and direct access to the Great Salt Lake Supply system.

[Charlyc11]

Brine shrimp Direct are a very reputable seller and warranty their product 100%. I had bought the decapsulated hatchable BBS and could not get good results so they replaced the product. I still had issues so the refunded the whole thing. Their is a very nice and smart lady that is in customer service that is very knowledgeable.

[brewmaster15]

Brine shrimp Direct are a very reputable seller and warranty their product 100%. I had bought the decapsulated hatchable BBS and could not get good results so they replaced the product. I still had issues so the refunded the whole thing. Their is a very nice and smart lady that is in customer service that is very knowledgeable.

I agree Chuck. They are great to work with.
That lady is most likely Victoria. :)

[coralbandit]

Brine shrimp direct was the only place I would buy BBS eggs.
Many would tell me that while trying to raise fry that BBS were too big for first food.
Any that I was able to convince to try Brine Shrimp Direct changed their tune immediately after the first hatch.
For me being able to feed BBS as a first food was the total game changer in raising fry.

[steve b]

Talking Hatching brine shrimp..... Does anyone use plastic pop bottles? do you find the nice new plastic is clear but after a week they go opaque?

[brewmaster15]

Talking Hatching brine shrimp..... Does anyone use plastic pop bottles? do you find the nice new plastic is clear but after a week they go opaque?

Steve I have been using the same plastic soda bottle for years. They are still clear.


Theres so many kinds of plastic out there I wonder if your are not resistent to salt.. maybe something like soy based plastic?

[steve b]

Just added a 6% solution of acid to the BBS bottles and the white film dissolve in a mass of bubbles (calcium) so got nice clean bottles again.

[jwcarlson]

Steve, I had good hatches for awhile and then they started going to pot. I was simply rinsing my hatcher out aggressively with hot water. It was suggested to me that I wasn't cleaning the hatcher enough. So I started scrubbing it out with a nylon bottle brush and have not had a single issue since in over a year. There's some layer of crud that builds up. I never bleach or use any chemicals, just use a brush to clean/rinse well.

[brewmaster15]

Jacob I do similar.. after each batch I wipe real good with a paper towel.. you can feel the biofilm come off. Then I rinse with hot water and set it all up again.

[steve b]

When I wash the bottles out I don't feel slime but a roughness as the Calcium build up has stuck to the plastic. Always give it a good scrub with a plastic pad but this build up takes a lot of effort to get rid that's why I tried the acid, worked a dream.

[brewmaster15]

When I wash the bottles out I don't feel slime but a roughness as the Calcium build up has stuck to the plastic. Always give it a good scrub with a plastic pad but this build up takes a lot of effort to get rid that's why I tried the acid, worked a dream.


Calcium shouldnt be precipitating like that in 24 hours. Are you adding baking soda? Maybe too much?

[steve b]

Yes, 15ml Salt 5ml Epson salts 5ml Bicabonate of Soda. Gives me 8.3 Ph

[Charlyc11]

I found that when I used Instant Ocean Sea Salt I was getting a white film on the bottle and since I had two I would transfer some mild acid mix to the other when I switched bottles. But now I only use API aquarium salt with no issues it cleans very easily.

[brewmaster15]

I just use plain table salt and a maybe 1/4 tsp baking soda...

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