Trouble hatching artemia

LobsterOfJustice · 09/03/2007, 09:36 AM

Hey all,

I have a jar of INVE decapsulated artemia cysts. I have tried putting some in a container with saltwater and aerating it for 24-48 hours but nothing happens, I look in with a flashlight and there are still just a bunch of round eggs floating around. Am I missing something? Can you not hatch them after they have been decapsulated?

Thanks

JetCat USA · 09/03/2007, 12:53 PM

I'm pretty sure the decapulationing has something to do with it.

justinl · 09/03/2007, 01:02 PM

decapsulation helps greatly but not everyone does it. you're missing two parts of the equation there. light and heat. its really quite easy to be honest. just get a bucket, add the cysts (however much you want), throw in a heater, put a light on top (light quality doesnt really matter) and let it sit for 24 hours... that should do it. you'll have to figure out yourself how you want to separate the artemia from teh egg shells and unhatched eggs.

JetCat USA · 09/03/2007, 06:03 PM

the whole point of decapsulating in the first place is to keep from hatching them and just feed AS/IS.........

i used to think the heater was necessary but it's not, I've had the cysts I've got now for over 3 yrs in the freezer, i keep my home at 70 degree and hatch them in a gallon jug in less then 24 hrs, only light i use is ambient sun but yes without light they will not hatch.

LobsterOfJustice · 09/03/2007, 06:49 PM

Shoud the light be constant for the 24 hours?

JetCat USA · 09/03/2007, 07:17 PM

no

rayjay · 09/06/2007, 09:54 AM

With respect to decapped cysts, some are sold as NON hatching while others are sold to be hatched.
Decapped hatchers have a relatively short span where they can still hatch. (I believe usually about 2-3 months) However, when that point has been reached, there are plenty of uses for the non hatching ones so it's not a total loss.
Decapping sterilizes the cysts as well as removes the hard outer membrane that can sometimes lodge in the digestive tract of some fish.

michaeldaly · 09/06/2007, 10:51 AM

I have hatched them best with the light on for 24 hours. The light is mainly there to keep the water warm.

Tennsquire · 09/06/2007, 12:48 PM

I can get them to hatch no problem. I cannot, for the life of me, get them to play with the ball or frolic around the castle like they show on the package.....

Snowboarda42 · 09/06/2007, 01:44 PM

^
lol.

Depending on what was used to decapsulate the cysts, they can be "hatchable" or "unhatchable".

Personally, I get unhatched cysts 80% hatch rate from Brine shrimp direct dot com, use bleach to decapsulate the cysts, strain and rinse, and then hatch like you normally would. Although this decreases the hatch rate by appx 10-15%, the unhatched ones still have some nutritional value, and I don't have the danger of fish eating the shells since they "dissolve" with the decapsulating process.

justinl · 09/06/2007, 02:36 PM

i use nondecapsulated artemia and decapsulate them myself. if i do it right i can have an almost 100% hatch rate, whereas if i dont decapsulate i find a lot of shells that i dont want to deal with and a much worse hatch rate.

when i hatch them, i let the light stay on for 24 hours, but some procedure may differ per person. i find it actually helps my hatch rate... by the end i have very little unhatched artemia which will vary according to how well i decapsulate. jme

09/03/2007, 09:36 AM	#1
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	Trouble hatching artemia Hey all, I have a jar of INVE decapsulated artemia cysts. I have tried putting some in a container with saltwater and aerating it for 24-48 hours but nothing happens, I look in with a flashlight and there are still just a bunch of round eggs floating around. Am I missing something? Can you not hatch them after they have been decapsulated? Thanks __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles

09/03/2007, 06:49 PM	#5
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	Shoud the light be constant for the 24 hours? __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles

09/06/2007, 09:54 AM	#7
rayjay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,969	With respect to decapped cysts, some are sold as NON hatching while others are sold to be hatched. Decapped hatchers have a relatively short span where they can still hatch. (I believe usually about 2-3 months) However, when that point has been reached, there are plenty of uses for the non hatching ones so it's not a total loss. Decapping sterilizes the cysts as well as removes the hard outer membrane that can sometimes lodge in the digestive tract of some fish. __________________ Seahorses. Culture nanno, rotifers and brine shrimp. Current Tank Info: Seahorses

09/06/2007, 12:48 PM	#9
Tennsquire Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1,399	I can get them to hatch no problem. I cannot, for the life of me, get them to play with the ball or frolic around the castle like they show on the package..... __________________ Nothin' left to do but smile, smile, smile.... Current Tank Info: 75 reef (2x 250 ReefOptix IIIs, AB 10k bulbs w/ 330 watt VHO, EuroReef RC135 skimmer, multicontrolled Tunze 6095's X2); 40 sps prop tank (Outer Orbit Pro 150, Euroreef CS6-1+ skimmer); 20 softie prop tank

09/06/2007, 01:44 PM	#10
Snowboarda42 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Warshington Posts: 1,094	^ lol. Depending on what was used to decapsulate the cysts, they can be "hatchable" or "unhatchable". Personally, I get unhatched cysts 80% hatch rate from Brine shrimp direct dot com, use bleach to decapsulate the cysts, strain and rinse, and then hatch like you normally would. Although this decreases the hatch rate by appx 10-15%, the unhatched ones still have some nutritional value, and I don't have the danger of fish eating the shells since they "dissolve" with the decapsulating process. __________________ 40B Mixed Reef 100% Captive Grown Corals See, that's the trouble with the world today. Not enough danger to kill off stupid people before they get old enough to breed. Bring back lawn darts! -PrivateJoker64 Current Tank Info: 40B, 20L Sump/Fuge, Mag 9.5 Return, 2x Hydor Koralia #2's, 150W 14K HQI, 139W T-5, Euro-Reef RS-80P Mesh Modded, 40LB LR, 80LB LS, 54x Turnover, Mostly SPS, Some Softys Too.

09/03/2007, 12:53 PM	#2
JetCat USA Moved On Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 2,847	I'm pretty sure the decapulationing has something to do with it.

09/03/2007, 01:02 PM	#3
justinl Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 2,118	decapsulation helps greatly but not everyone does it. you're missing two parts of the equation there. light and heat. its really quite easy to be honest. just get a bucket, add the cysts (however much you want), throw in a heater, put a light on top (light quality doesnt really matter) and let it sit for 24 hours... that should do it. you'll have to figure out yourself how you want to separate the artemia from teh egg shells and unhatched eggs.

09/03/2007, 06:03 PM	#4
JetCat USA Moved On Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 2,847	the whole point of decapsulating in the first place is to keep from hatching them and just feed AS/IS......... i used to think the heater was necessary but it's not, I've had the cysts I've got now for over 3 yrs in the freezer, i keep my home at 70 degree and hatch them in a gallon jug in less then 24 hrs, only light i use is ambient sun but yes without light they will not hatch.

09/03/2007, 07:17 PM	#6
JetCat USA Moved On Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 2,847	no

09/06/2007, 10:51 AM	#8
michaeldaly Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 2,009	I have hatched them best with the light on for 24 hours. The light is mainly there to keep the water warm.

09/06/2007, 02:36 PM	#11
justinl Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 2,118	i use nondecapsulated artemia and decapsulate them myself. if i do it right i can have an almost 100% hatch rate, whereas if i dont decapsulate i find a lot of shells that i dont want to deal with and a much worse hatch rate. when i hatch them, i let the light stay on for 24 hours, but some procedure may differ per person. i find it actually helps my hatch rate... by the end i have very little unhatched artemia which will vary according to how well i decapsulate. jme