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Brine Shrimp
Brine shrimp should be stored in a cool place in the unopened bag they are sold in, It is advisable to use as soon as possible but brine shrimp should keep for a few days if kept cool and out of sunlight. Once opened, if not all used in one feed, they need to be kept in the water they were supplied in - do not replace this with fresh water. The best way to store the opened bag is to place it upright in a tall glass. If feeding brine shrimp to freshwater fish strain the contents of the bag through a net with a mesh size no larger than 500 microns (0.5mm) and add just the shrimp to the aquarium from the net. This avoids adding salt water to the fresh water environment. For marine aquariums it's OK to add the entire contents to the aquarium, or if preferred, you can filter through a net as above. One bag of brine shrimp is about the right quantity for a single feed for aquariums over 24 inches, although this is obviously dependent on the amount and type of fish. The bulk of the brine shrimp introduced into an aquarium should be consumed within 15-20 minutes. Don't worry if there are a few odd ones left after this time as they will live for up to 5 hours in fresh water and your fish will hunt them down and eat them.
Daphnia
Daphnia should be stored, like brine shrimp, in a cool place or refrigerated in the unopened bag they are sold in. It is advisable to use as soon as possible but daphnia should keep for up to a week if stored properly.
Feed daphnia only to fresh water fish - they will quickly die if introduced to a marine environment and may contaminate the water. They can be added to the aquarium complete with the water they are supplied in or you can filter them through a net and add just the animals. Ensure the net size is sufficiently small not to let the daphnia through - you will need a mesh of no larger than 400 microns (0.4mm) for this.
As with brine shrimp, a bag of daphnia contains enough animals for one feed for an aquarium larger than 24 inches. This is only a guide though as it depends on the number, type and size of fish so make sure you only add enough so that the fish will eat the bulk of them in 15 minutes.
Bloodworm
Blood worm can be stored in the water they are supplied in like brine shrimp and daphnia, or can be drained through a net and stored in newspaper folded over to make a small envelope (they take up much less space in the fridge like this). Either way, it's crucial blood worm is kept refrigerated as it is very susceptible to hot temperatures and will die quickly if it gets too warm.
To feed, drain through a net and add as much as your fish will eat in 5 - 10 minutes. Any not used can be stored in the fridge wrapped in newspaper.
Hatch in the bag
Hatch in the bag contains brine shrimp cysts that have had the outer casing removed through a process of decapsulation. We decapsulate the cysts ourselves at Yorkshire Brine Shrimp so that you get the best possible outcome. The decapsulation process ensures there is no chance of the outer casing becoming stuck in fish intestinal tracts and leads to a high hatch rate of over 90%.
To store, hatch and feed hatch in the bag nauplii:
Keep refrigerated until ready to use
Remove from fridge and keep at room temperature for 20-24 hours
Feed as soon at the majority of cysts have hatched and you can see plenty of movement when the bag is held still and viewed against a light
If feeding to salt water fish the contents can be emptied straight into the tank - the water is relatively low salinity of around 15ppt
For freshwater fish strain through a fine mesh net of 200 microns
River shrimp
River shrimp keep best if kept cold. Store them in the water they are supplied in and keep it the refrigerator until use. They should survive in a marine or salt water aquarium for a few hours which will give enough time for your fish to hunt them down and devour them. If you drain the bag through a net and keep the water you can feed just a few river shrimp at time, putting the unused ones back in the water they came in
If kept in cool conditions out of the sun they should keep for up to a week without the need to feed them.
Marine copepods
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