• Skip to main content
AlgaeBarn

AlgaeBarn

Marine Aquariums Made Easy!

  • Sign In
  • Cart
    • Shop See All
      • Ultimate Packs See All
      • Ultimate Refugium Starter
      • Clam Keeper Kits
      • Ultimate Ecopack
      • Mandarin Feeder Kit
      • Hair Algae Killer Kit
      • See All Ultimate Packs
      • Live Foods See All
      • Copepods
        • Ecopods
        • 5280 Pods
        • Galaxy Pods
        • Poseidon's Feast
        • Tisbe Pods
        • Tig Pods
      • Food Combos
        • Ecopods & Phyto
        • Galaxy Pods & Phyto
        • Poseidon's & Phyto
        • Tig Pods & Phyto
        • Tisbe Pods & Phyto
      • Phytoplankton
        • Oceanmagik
      • Brine Shrimp
        • Simple Brine
        • Nano Brine Shrimp
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Galaxy Pods 5 Species Copepod Blend

          Galaxy Pods

          $66 – $139
          Shop Now
        • Ecopods 4 Pack Special

          $99
          Shop Now
        • Galaxy Pods & Phyto Combo

          $80
          Shop Now
        • 5280 Pods

          $45
          Shop Now
      • Macroalgae See All
      • Clean Macro Series
        • Clean Chaeto
        • Clean Sea Lettuce
        • Clean Green Ogo
        • Clean Mocha Ogo
        • Clean Mocha Spike Sphere
        • Pom Pom
        • Red Ogo
        • Red Spike Sphere
        • Red Spaghetti
        • Red Mangrove
      • Premium Rare Macro
        • Leafy Ogo
        • Blue Hypnea
        • Dragon's Tongue
        • Thick Ogo
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Clean Chaeto

          $40 – $125
          Shop Now
        • Clean Sea Lettuce

          $30 – $95
          Notify Me When in Stock
        • Red Ogo

          $30 – $80
          Notify Me When in Stock
        • Red Mangrove

          $13
          Shop Now
      • Captive Bred Fish See All
      • Gobies
        • Green Mandarin
        • Court Jester Goby
        • Watchman Goby
        • White Spotted Goby
      • AngelFish
        • Biota Coral Beauty
        • Maculosus Angel
        • Majestic Angel
        • Swallowtail Angel
      • Tangs
        • Yellow Tang
        • Blue Tang
      • More Species
        • Grammas
        • FileFish
        • Blennies
        • Damsel
        • ClownFish
        • RabbitFish
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Blue Mandarin

          BIOTA Green Mandarin

          $99
          Notify Me When in Stock
        • ORA Neon Goby

          $35
          Shop Now
        • Captive Bred Yellow Tangs by BIOTA

          BIOTA Yellow Tang

          $239
          Notify Me When in Stock
        • ORA Premium Picasso

          $145 – $300
          Shop Now
      • Captive Bred Invertebrates See All
      • Clams
        • Ora Derasa Clam
        • Squamosa Clam
        • Ora Gigas Clam
        • Ora Maxima Clam
        • Ora Hippopus Clam
      • Shrimp
        • Ora Peppermint Shrimp
        • Harlequin Shrimp
      • Snails
        • Cerith Snails
        • Trochus Snail
        • Nassarius Snails
      • Urchins
        • Ora Tuxedo Urchin
        • Ora Pincushion Urchin
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Animated gif of peppermint shrimp

          Peppermint Shrimp

          $49 – $119
          Shop Now
        • 10 Cerith Snails

          Cerith Snail

          $25 – $39
          Shop Now
        • pincushion urchin lytechinus variegatus reef safe and captive bred by ora for sale at algaebarn

          Pincushion Urchin

          $29 – $55
          Shop Now
        • Gold Maxima Clam Bed

          ORA Maxima Clam

          $80 – $150
          Shop Now
      • Corals See All
      • LPS Corals
        • Biota Pearl Bubble
        • ORA Pearl Bubble
        • ORA Marshall Island Goniopora
        • ORA Marshall Island Hammer
      • SPS Corals
        • ORA Pearlberry Acropora
        • ORA Micronesian Imperial Acropora
        • ORA Turquoise Acropora
        • ORA Micronesian Yellow Porites
      • Soft Corals
        • BIOTA White Polyp Toadstool
        • ORA Long Polyp Leather Coral
        • ORA Silver Xenia
        • ORA Pulsing Xenia
      • Frag Packs
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Biota Pearl Bubble Coral

          $65
          Shop Now
        • ORA Pearlberry Acropora

          $290
          Notify Me When in Stock
        • BIOTA White Polyp Toadstool

          $65
          Notify Me When in Stock
      • Additives & Bacteria See All
      • Live Cultures & Bacteria
        • Turbostart 900 Saltwater
        • Aquarium Cycle Kit
        • Coralline Algae
        • PNS Yellosno
        • PNS Probio™
      • Additives & Chemicals
        • Nitrocycle
        • Clarifier
        • Fritz A.C.C.R
        • Fritz RPM Salt
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Mandarin Feeder Kit by Algaebarn

          Mandarin Feeder Kit

          $66
          Shop Now
        • MarinePure 10 Cubes

          2″ Cubes

          $5 – $99
          Shop Now
        • Coralline Algae in a Bottle, In Pink or Purple!

          Coralline Algae

          $22 – $44
          Shop Now
        • Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack

          $120 – $450
          Shop Now
      • Aquarium Supplies See All
      • Fuge Lighting
        • AI Fuge 16HD Light
        • Kessil A360X Fuge Light
        • Kessil H160
        • Kessil H80
        • Chaetomax
      • Biomedia
        • Marinepure Gems
        • Marinepure Rocks
        • Marinepure Plate
        • Marinepure Cubes
        • Marinepure Spheres
      • Foods
        • Dragon Roe
        • Simple Brine
        • Can'O Cyclops
        • Benereef™
        • Fresco Cyclops
      • Rock & Sand
        • Dry Rock
        • Clam Rocks
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • Mandarin Feeder Kit by Algaebarn

          Mandarin Feeder Kit

          $66
          Shop Now
        • MarinePure 10 Cubes

          2″ Cubes

          $5 – $99
          Shop Now
        • Coralline Algae in a Bottle, In Pink or Purple!

          Coralline Algae

          $22 – $44
          Shop Now
        • Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack

          $120 – $450
          Shop Now
      • CADE Aquariums See All
      • Reef Series
        • CADE REEF 500 S2
        • CADE REEF 600 S2
        • CADE REEF 900 S2
        • CADE REEF 1200 S2
        • CADE REEF 1500 S2
        • CADE REEF 1800 S2
        • CADE REEF 2100 S2
      • Frag Series
        • CADE Frag 600 S2/F
        • CADE Frag 900 S2/F
        • CADE Frag 1200 S2/F
        • CADE Frag 1500 S2/F
      • Peninsula Series
        • CADE Peninsula 1200 S2/P
        • CADE Peninsula 1500 S2/P
        • CADE Peninsula 1800 S2/P
      • Most Popular Products See All
        • CADE REEF 2100 S2

          $7,225
          Shop Now
        • CADE Peninsula 1500 S2/P

          $5,525
          Shop Now
        • CADE REEF 1200 S2

          $4,125
          Shop Now
        • CADE Frag 900 S2/F

          $3,275
          Shop Now
    • Contests Win Free Aquarium Supplies!
      No Purchase Necessary*
    • Top Deals Huge Savings!
    • AlgaeBarn Heroes Discount for Military,
      First Responders and more!
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shipping
You are here: Home / Captive Bred Fish / Enhancing the Diet of Captive Marine Animals with Live Brine Shrimp

Enhancing the Diet of Captive Marine Animals with Live Brine Shrimp

by Sean Tadjeran

The marine aquarium hobby looks little like it did when it first became popularized decades ago. Nowadays, it might seem as though a new fad emerges every month. Yet, a few things seem to never change. One such undying custom is the use of brine shrimp (Artemia sp.) as a food for aquarium fish—freshwater and brackish as well as saltwater. As reef aquarium keeping becomes more commonplace, these hardy little crustaceans are increasingly being used as a diet for filter-feeding zooplanktivorous invertebrates (e.g. many corals). To this day, brine shrimp are used to grow out the majority (over 85% according to some sources) of cultured marine species. Given their substantial importance in the aquarium hobby/industry, it is of advantage to any aquarist to know a little about their natural history.

What are Brine Shrimp?

First of all, brine shrimp are not shrimp at all. They belong to the class Branchiopoda and the order Anostraca. Artemia is the only genus in the family Artemiidae. It remains mainly unchanged since the Triassic period. Though not particularly abundant in the wild, they are distributed worldwide.

The underside of live brine shrimp.

Artemia could easily survive in a relatively comfortable habitat such as a coral reef or open ocean. However, because they are terribly slow swimmers, they would be quickly preyed to oblivion by the many deft zooplanktivores that also live there. Consequently, brine shrimp have adapted to life in the harsh (but comparatively predator-free) environment of inland salt lakes. Populations of brine shrimp can persist in these sometimes unlivable places owing to the animal’s ability to produce durable, dormant eggs (i.e. cysts). Because of its tough outer capsule, a cyst can survive punishing extremes of temperature and salinity.

[LiveFoods]

The Bread and Butter of Captive Fish

Brine shrimp have been harvested for use as a feed for aquatic animals since the 1920s. The annual Artemia harvest has been steadily increasing over time. Each year, over a 1,000 metric tons of brine shrimp are harvested from sites in the U.S., Canada and France, most of which is immediately frozen as a prepared food for the pet and aquaculture trades. To be sure, this business appears to be growing still. You could indeed almost say that feeding brine shrimp (whether live or frozen) has become standard practice amongst marine aquarium hobbyists. And there are certainly some very good reasons for its widespread use. Just a few of these include:

– They have a rather broad larvae-to-adult size range, making them useful as feed for a wide variety of fish and invertebrates.
– Their chitinous exoskeletons act as dietary roughage, thereby promoting digestive tract health in diverse animal groups.
– They have a protein content that is high enough to support normal growth and development in most marine species.

Live Artemia are tolerant of a variety of environmental conditions, and so can (1) ship easily with minimal mortality and (2) survive in any kind of aquarium for a long enough amount of time to be found and consumed. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are some reasons to select live brine shrimp products over frozen alternatives. These include:

– Live Artemia swim in a motion that is irresistible to most fish, and so can be used to elicit a feeding response from recently imported or especially finicky specimens.
– Because they are slow swimmers, they are easily captured by slow-swimming fish such as seahorses.
– Live products have a generally broader and richer nutritional content than frozen products.
– Live products are less likely to foul the aquarium water than frozen products.

Alright, so when it comes to brine shrimp, live is best. So are all live shrimp products the same? The answer simply is no. There are a few important differences between different live brine shrimp feeds. Most notably:

– Captive-hatched is preferable to wild-hatched.
– Young individuals are preferable to adults.
– Newly hatched feed should be obtained from decapsulated cysts.

When packaged in a clean, bio-secure environment, captive-hatched live products are far less likely to introduce contaminants, parasites or fouling organisms into an aquarium than their wild counterparts. Also, captive-hatched products can be obtained at younger ages. This is especially important, since very young individuals (i.e. nauplii) are overall more wholesome. This is due mainly to their comparatively high fat content, which ranges from 12-32% of the dry weight. However, fat content drops rapidly after hatching—down to 16.5% by the time individuals reach 2.5mm in length. This is mainly why it is best to obtain freshly hatched product.

decapsulated brine shrimp eggsNutritional value will be somewhat higher in product that has been hatched from decapsulated cysts. This is because each young individual has used up less of its endogenous energy reserve (i.e. yolk sac) while breaking out of its shell. Decapsulation additionally makes the product safer, as the shell fragments from untreated cysts (which are indigestible) can clog the guts of some animals. Moreover, the decapsulation process completely sterilizes the cysts, making them completely disease-free. Untreated Artemia cysts are, for example, a known source of bacterial infection (e.g. Vibrio). If properly decapsulated, even the unhatched cysts can serve as a safe and nourishing food source.

Because Only a Premium Live Brine Shrimp Product Will Do

Any aquarist can benefit from making live brine shrimp a major part of their captive animals’ diets. With all of the above considerations in mind, most will fare best using a quality live product such as Nano Brine or the new Simple Brine!. For one, the cysts used to produce Nano Brine are carefully decapsulated and thus (1) exhibit the highest hatch rates, (2) are free of pathogens, (3) are maximally nutritious and (4) are safe for all species to eat. Best of all, packaging of the cysts used in Nano Brine is timed such that the product hatches just before arrival at your door, guaranteeing a nutritionally optimal feed. Now that Nano Brine is readily available through subscription, aquarists need not suffer the messes made or time consumed decapsulating, hatching and harvesting their own Artemia week after week. Individuals that are more than a couple of days old (post hatch) should be nutritionally enriched with OceanMagik™  just before you offer them to your fish. It’s really as simple as pouring a bag of delicious, healthful goodness into your reef!

[LiveFoods]

References

[1] Hoff, Frank H. and Terry W. Snell. Plankton Culture Manual. 6th ed. Dade City, FL: Florida Aqua Farms, Inc., 1987.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

A Beginner’s Guide: How Reef Fish Balance the Ecosystem

Reef fish, whether they are predators or grazers, play a huge part in maintaining the balance of the coral reef ecosystem. Coral reefs that are healthy

Read More about A Beginner’s Guide: How Reef Fish Balance the Ecosystem

The Chalk Bass – A Commonly Overlooked Charmer

The Caribbean Chalk Bass is one of the smallest bass in their family and is often overlooked in the reef keeping hobby. The orange-colored body has a

Read More about The Chalk Bass – A Commonly Overlooked Charmer

Keeping the Azure Damselfish

Small fishes rule the marine aquarium world. If you only have space or cash for a small tank, they’re a godsend. Have a huge tank? Well, even then, they’re

Read More about Keeping the Azure Damselfish

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Browse the AlgaeLab by Category

  • Advanced Education
  • Beginners Education
  • CADE Aquariums
  • Captive Bred Fish
  • Clean Up Crew
  • Company News
  • Copepods
  • Corals
  • Freshwater
  • Freshwater Aquariums
  • Intermediate Education
  • Invertebrates
  • Live foods
  • Macroalgae
  • Our Oceans
  • Phytoplankton
  • Product Info
  • Refugium Education
  • Rock and Substrate
  • Saltwater Aquariums
  • Wholesale

Company

  • About Us
  • The AlgaeLab Blog
  • Our Team
  • Careers
  • FAQ

Get in Touch

  • Contact Us
  • AOA Claim Form
  • Press Inquiries
  • Call Us: 772-444-7637

Policies

  • Legendary AOA Guarantee
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Other

  • Store Locator
  • Wholesale & B2B inquired
  • Business Location

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join our mission to build a more sustainable aquarium hobby, one tank at a time!

Copyright 2023, AlgaeBarn LLC - Live Copepods and Phytoplankton

0

Your Cart is Empty

adroll_adv_id = "RWFLKG57L5GR7KGYSOEUOK"; adroll_pix_id = "CH2QRUFHXZELLLCMHAB5GI"; adroll_version = "2.0"; adroll_current_page = "other"; adroll_currency = "USD"; adroll_language = "en_US";