Step by step - How to breed Artemia?
In the following, we have compiled a hatching protocol that has proven to be successful and reliable based on our many years of experience in marine aquaculture. The protocol also refers to the findings of Lavens & Sorgeloos 1996.
1. prepare salt water
Incubate Artemia eggs in freshly prepared salt water. The water should be sterilised beforehand and contain 15 to 30 g/l salt. It is best to prepare the saltwater solution with boiled tap water or osmosis water and salt. It is best to use special Artemia salt from a specialist. If in doubt, you can also try table salt. Certain sea salt mixtures from specialised retailers, no matter how expensive they may be, can contain traces of heavy metals and have a very negative effect on hatching success.
2. container and ventilation
The container should be tapered at the bottom. An aeration tube is placed at the end of the lower cone or in the centre of the container. This should have a diameter of 6 to 8 mm and provide relatively coarse bubbles and intensive aeration. It is very important that the Artemia eggs remain evenly mixed and cannot sediment anywhere, as otherwise the hatching rate will be significantly reduced. The oxygen concentration should be 5mg/l and never fall below 2mg/l. If, on the other hand, too fine bubbles are set with a wooden diffuser, the eggs may be skimmed off and the newly hatched nauplii discharged. Make absolutely sure that you do not use any aluminium parts in your Artemia culture. These have a toxic effect on Artemia in combination with seawater.
3. dosing of the eggs
For high-quality eggs (hatching yield > 200,000 nauplii/gram), it is sufficient to dose 1 gram of eggs per litre. For eggs of medium quality, a dosage of up to 2.5g/litre is fine. This value should not be exceeded, as otherwise the oxygen concentration can drop very quickly.
4. temperature
The optimum hatching temperature for most Artemia species is between 25°C-28°C. Below 25°C the hatching process is significantly slowed down and above 33°C the nauplii are killed during the hatching process.
5. pH value
The optimum pH value should be between 8.0 and 8.3. Freshly prepared seawater normally has a pH value of 8.2 at 30 g/l. The pH value can be readjusted or stabilised by adding sodium hydrogen carbonate (known as bicarbonate or Kaiser Natron). However, a dosage of 1 g/l should not be exceeded.
6. lighting
The brightest possible lighting during the entire hatching process is very important for triggering the hatching process. We recommend an illuminance of 2000 lux at the water surface.
7. duration of incubation
Hatching takes place between 24h and 32h after the start of incubation. Most nauplii hatch in this time range. The time it takes for the first Artemia nauplii to hatch depends on the lighting, the temperature and the Artemia species.
8. feeding
The freshly hatched nauplii should be fed as quickly as possible or kept in a cool place at 10°C. After 24 hours at 25°C, the nauplii have already lost most of their nutritional value. Alternatively, the nauplii can be enriched with microalgae to increase the nutritional value and the content of essential omega-3 fatty acids.
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Sources
Lavens, P. & Sorgeloos, P. (1996) Manual on the Production and Use of Live Food for Aquaculture. FAO Technical Paper No.361. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
