Bresser Junior Biotar 300x-1200x Mode D'emploi page 15

Saltwater brine shrimps
Accessories:
1. Brine shrimp eggs (20d)
2. Sea salt (20c)
3. Hatchery (23)
4. Yeast (20a)
CAREFUL!
These eggs are not fit for human
consumption.
Winter eggs of Artemia salina
Artemia salina are species of brine shrimp typi-
cally found in salt lakes — bodies of water with
a higher salinity than even the ocean. During a
drought, a salt lake can become a hostile habitat
for organisms, and entire populations of Artemia
salina sometimes die off. During drought condi-
tions, to ensure that the species will repopulate
the salt lake when the drought ends, Artemia sali-
na lay thick-shelled eggs called winter eggs that
can survive for up to ten years in a dormant state.
Winter eggs can withstand heat, cold and chem-
icals. These eggs hatch when favourable con-
ditions return to their ambient environment. The
eggs provided (20d) are of this type.
Hatching winter eggs
To hatch the brine shrimps, create a solution with
an appropriate salinity and temperature. First,
fill two containers with a half litre of freshwater
each, and let them both stand for about thirty
hours. Next, pour half of the provided salt (20c)
into one container and stir the solution until the
salt dissolves. Pour some of this solution into the
hatchery (21). Place a few eggs close to the lid.
Position the hatchery somewhere with plenty of
light but not in direct sunlight. The ambient tem-
perature should ideally hover around 25 °C. As
water in the hatchery evaporates, gradually add
freshwater from the second container. After two
to three days, the eggs will hatch brine shrimp lar-
vae, called nauplii.
Observing Artemia salina under a microscope
Using the pipette, move some larvae from the
container to a microscope slide for examination.
When viewing the larvae, you'll notice that they
swim through the solution using hairlike limbs!
Each day, examine a few more. You can even view
the entire hatchery under the microscope if you
remove its lid. The larvae will mature in six to ten
weeks, depending on the temperature of the water.
Soon, you will have an entire generation of saltwa-
ter brine shrimps that reproduce frequently!
Feeding your Artemia salina
Feed your brine shrimps often to keep them alive.
The best food is dry powdered yeast (20a). Give
them some every other day. Be careful not to
overfeed them, as doing so can cause the water
to stagnate and poison the brine shrimps. If the
water does begin to stagnate (you'll see it darken-
ing), transfer the brine shrimps to the fresh saline
solution you have prepared earlier.
EN
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