bartoli

Hi,

I've just discovered something very interesting about "San Francisco Bay Brand Shrimpery":

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...cobayshrimpery

With that kit, one is supposed to fill the collection bottle with regular tap water (with no salt added). After the hatched brine shrimps got into the collection bottle, one is supposed to pour the fresh water (with no salt) from the collection bottle directly into a tank to feed the fish.

The package even includes the following footnote:

"only the Brine Shrimp swim up through the hole and are washed free of salt. the saltwater being heavier than the fresh water in the collection bottle stays behind."

So, right before pouring the collection bottle (filled with hatched brine shrimps) into a tank, I dipped into the bottle the probe of a Pinpoint Conductivity Monitor:

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_Aquari...formation.html

To my surprise, I got the reading "1" - meaning that the measurement was way off the scale of the monitor (it can display up to 20,000 microSiemens).

For comparison, I had a cup of tap water that had been sitting alongside while waiting for the brine shrimps to hatch. The Pinpoint probe's reading of that water was only 129 microSiemens.

I guess if I want to use the San Francisco Bay Brand Shrimpery, I have to do frequent tank water changes. Otherwise, the salt build up will kill the fish.

Brilliant

I used brine shrimp all the time until someone showed me Golden Pearls. Holy cow thats a time saver!

Now I only need live brine for very finicky fish. I always use a brine shrimp net and rinse them off in tank water before feeding.

mikaila31

I use frozen BBS. But I guess thats cheating isn't it.

suaojan

I don't buy the argument from San Francisco Bay that salt water will stay in the bottom because it is "heavier". As far as I know, salt water can mix with fresh water in any ratio. If the argument is true, the surface of the sea would be covered by fresh water after the rain which never is the case.

bartoli

If I understand correctly, "Continuous Hatch'n Feeder" relies on the same principle. See:

http://www.aquacave.com/continuous-h...feeder-91.html