I have used decapsulated Brine Shrimps ( DBS ) when I ran out of live Baby Brine Shrimps ( BBS ). They are a good source of food for newly hatched free swimming fry ( be careful though that the fry are big enough or else you have to feed smaller food such as microworms or similar food ). I personally like the live BBS the one we hatch. It is important to feed BBS as soon as they hatch for the fry to have most of them. I love seeing the small fry running after the BBS to feed and having their bellies orange.
What are decapsulated brine shrimp eggs?
What are decapsulated brine shrimp eggs?
The hard shell, or chorion,
that encysts the dormant brine shrimp embryo can be completely removed
by short-term exposure to a strong hypochlorite solution. This
procedure is called decapsulation. Decapsulated cysts offer a number of advantages compared to non-decapsulated cysts.
Advantages of Using Decapsulated Brine Shrimp Cysts
For one, cyst shells are not introduced into the culture tanks. When
hatching normal cysts, the complete separation of brine shrimp nauplii
from their shells is not always possible. Unhatched cysts and empty
shells can cause mortalities in fish fry, as pieces of the shell or
chorion can be lodged in the digestive tract of the fish.
In some cases, improved hatching percentages (by as much
as 10%) can also be achieved from using decapsulated cysts. This is
because less energy is required for the embryo to "burst" through the
thin hatching membrane surrounding the embryo.
The decapsulated eggs are also thoroughly disinfected,
thereby reducing the bacterial load of the hatching medium during
incubation.
Lastly, the unhatched cysts (following incubation) are
still edible and easily digestible by your fish. In fact, the energy
content found in unhatched brine shrimp cysts is higher than that of a
hatched, live baby brine shrimp. This is a very valuable course of
action when brine shrimp cyst hatching quality is poor.
brineshrimpdirect.com/What-are-decapsulated-brine-shrimp-eggs
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