ARTEMIA CULTURE CONDITIONS

From : john bodmanwishbug@dingoblue.net.au
To: Brine-l@listserv.uga.edu
Sent: 27 September 2001

QUESTION:

I have been experimenting with some different salt mixtures for raising Artemia and have obtained some interesting results. The first salt mixture is a proprietary reef-salt by Aquasonic called Ocean Nature. The second is what I refer to as simple-salt mixture consisting of 12 parts sodium-chloride, 2 parts magnesium-sulphate and 1 part sodium bicarbonate. Both mixtures were made to 22 ppt salinity. My experience is that the simple salt is more effective (adults reach maturity) but the aquasonic brand has been a consistent failure. The pH in the aquasonic is between 7 and 8 and over 9 for the simple salt solution. Apart from this difference, there are no other variables. The deaths in the aquasonic brand appear to be bacterial or fungal in nature. Any ideas on these observations?

John Bodman

e-mail: bodmanwishbug@dingoblue.net.au

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COMMENTS 1 :

Since Artemia exist in a very diverse series of saline environments I would doubt that the salt mix is the culprit. I have collected them in potassium dominant, sulfate lakes etc. I would more closely look at the following: what are you feeding? What are the nitrogenous waste product levels, ie. NH₃, NO₂ specifically?

Howard W. Newman
e-mail: bshrimp@aol.com

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COMMENTS 2:

I feed a combination of rice-flour and Spirulina. I haven’t checked NH₃, NO₂ but both tests were treated the same, so why would these levels be different?

What are Artemia’s upper tolerances for NH₃, NO₂?

John Bodman

e-mail: bodmanwishbug@dingoblue.net.au

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COMMENTS 3:

I was under the impression that all your attempts ended up the same way, crashing. I have used de-fatted rice bran, Dunaliella to raise Artemia nauplii to adults but I have never used Spirulina or Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) other than to enrich. I don’t think either would be good as a mono-diet.

I don’t know of the limits of NO₂, NO₃ that Artemia can tolerate, but I believe that it is the nitrite that they are most sensitive to. Ammonia toxicity is pH dependent and there are some good charts that can correlate this for you.

Howard W. Newman
e-mail: bshrimp@aol.com

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QUESTION:

I would like the best recipe for optimum biomass within the first week of Artemia development. It needs to be a dry mixture cornflour/yeast? Spirulina/yeast? Rice-bran/flour/Spirulina? Whey/Spirulina? Maybe all of these combined? What are the best recipes for the fastest growth?

John Bodman

e-mail: bodmanwishbug@dingoblue.net.au

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COMMENTS 1:

Rice bran, when properly milled (10-20 microns) makes an excellent diet by itself. Adding some algae (Isochrysis or Tetraselmis) makes it as good as pure algal diet.

Yoram Hoffman
Ardag LTD
POB 1742, Eilat
88116
Israel
Tel: 972-7-6335111
Fax: 972-7-6377901
e-mail: yorhof@hotmail.com

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COMMENTS 2 :

You can use FRIPPAK CAR 1 that is available from INVE Aquaculture, Inc. in Grantsville, UT.-435-884-3406. This product works very well for feeding newly hatched Artemia nauplii and it has good water stability. If you have the patience, you can also produce algae for feeding them a living good.

Howard W. Newman
e-mail: bshrimp@aol.com

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COMMENTS 3:

I can get micronized rice-flour but not rice-bran; is this the same, or is the rice-bran a more nutritious item? Can you buy powdered Tetraselmis somewhere?

John Bodman

e-mail: bodmanwishbug@dingoblue.net.au

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COMMENTS 4:

Tetraselmis or Isochrysis you can buy from Reed Mariculture in the US (look for web page), or you can grow some yourself. Don’t know about rice flour, but unless it is whole rice you are talking about, it will not do, I think. Keep the water at 90 ppt, salt will help to prevent bacterial contamination.

Yoram Hoffman

e-mail: yorhof@hotmail.com

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QUESTION :

I would like to inquire as to the methods to raise brine shrimp to adulthood. I’m located in Florida and would like to culture them outside in quantity to feed my fish. I raise Daphnia in quantity and I would like to try my luck with brine shrimp now.

David Sanchez

e-mail: apistogrammasetc@yahoo.com

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COMMENTS 1 :

I believe there is a gentleman raising Artemia somewhere near Homestead in outdoor ponds. These ponds are shallow and are fertilized to encourage primary productivity. When I saw them ten years ago they had a Dunaliella bloom that was the primary food.

This place was supplying some live Artemia biomass to the East Coast Aquarium trade.

Howard W. Newman
e-mail: bshrimp@aol.com

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Comments 2:

You can buy powdered Tetraselmis at http://www.seafarm.com

We are producers and distributors of live adult Artemia in Israel and I would like to know if live adult Artemia are being sold in the pet shops in Florida.

Haim Urbach
Urbach Agencies
P.O.Box 3111 Eilat 88000 Israel
New Industrial Park
Tel: 972-8-6377120
Fax: 972-8-6331399
e-mail: urb77@isdn.net.il
            orb777@bezeqint.net

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COMMENTS 3 :

Yes, they are produced here in the U.S.A. for the pet trade. I was hoping to get better information regarding raising brine shrimp to adulthood. I want to start from scratch.

David Sanchez

e-mail: apistogrammasetc@yahoo.com

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