Artemia - breeding at home.

Experienced aquarists know that a tiny shrimp artemia for fry is an excellent live food. Food qualities of brine shrimp ensure a high degree of survival of fry and their rapid growth.

This shrimp adaptable enough to artificial conditions and therefore the breeding of Artemia is possible even for novice aquarium fish breeders. Eggs of artemia can be transported for long distances, and maintenance of the Artemia population will not be difficult. Many aquarists buy artemia eggs in stores and people specializing in their production. Eggs are available for sale both conventional and decapsulated. If you purchased the second option, do not think that such eggs contain dead embryos, quite the opposite, - of them a full-fledged crayfish may well hatch. But there is one nuance - such decapsulated eggs, due to the deprivation of the natural protective shell, are more demanding for storage conditions. Therefore, to incubate eggs from a bag that has been lying on the shelf of a pet store for a long time is an unpromising and unnecessary occupation. But there are pluses here too - you can feed fry eggs with such eggs, it is only necessary to soak them for a short time in fresh water, and a nutritious food rich in microelements and protein is ready for fish fish.

The development of artemia begins when the water temperature in which it lives, will reach +10 degrees and above. Although the ideal temperature conditions for the development of culture is the water temperature from +25 to +32 degrees. In this case, the minimum salinity of the aqueous medium should be 25-30% o, and the maximum - 280%. It is in such an environment that Artemia should live. The breeding of these crustaceans has its own peculiarities - in natural conditions they live in saline reservoirs in the South of Russia, therefore, when growing them, it is advisable to maximally approximate the artificial conditions for their dwelling to the environment in which Artemia is most comfortable.

Cultivation of brine shrimp is not an easy matter if you know some rules. The embryos of these crustaceans have a sufficiently high immunity to external factors, such as pressure, moisture, high or low temperature, mechanical damage, long storage time. Artemia embryos are able to remain in a state of rest for quite a long period of time - "hibernation". Once you put them in the water, Artemia, the breeding of which you have started, will begin its development. The water in the tank, where you plan to grow crustaceans, must meet certain parameters: per liter of water should account for 50 grams of Na2SO4. Cystam (artemia eggs) it is desirable to provide poor illumination and easy aeration of water so that they do not settle on the bottom of the aquarium. After 25 hours, the embryos will begin to actively peck. Further, under normal conditions of containment, within 18 days, the cancers will go through several stages of their development and will reach maturity. Now the brine shrimp can lay down cysts themselves under favorable conditions. Here is an interesting creature - artemia, the breeding of which is rather grateful, since this crustacean is an excellent food for fish.

Artemia feed on microalgae, small protozoa, freshwater and sea chlorella, yeast and bacteria. Do not disdain these coryza and dung.

Artemia shrimp grows up to 20 mm in length and weighs an adult of about 12 mg. The color of artemia can be different, from reddish to milky shade, the color of the body of brine shrimp directly depends on the conditions of the contents and the type of food.

Artemias are dioecious, that is, they can lay eggs only in their sexually mature age. Up to this age, artemia is often not surviving, the breeding of which is primarily due to its nutritional value for aquarium fish.