BBS eggs not hatching.

[DBlauj]

Lately I have been having problems with my bbs eggs not hatching. I use two tbs of non-iodized table salt, a two liter bottle with about 3/4 of it filled with warm water and about half a tsp of brine shrimp eggs. I do not use a heat source. The eggs are from Brine Shrimp Direct and were producing great batches for my fish but the last three have been really bad. Does anyone know why this might be? Could it be I need to change out the two liter bottle? I've got a good batch of newly hatched eggs that I need to feed wigglers soon so any info would help greatly. Thanks.

 

[Mike Wise]

I use the same eggs and basically the same system. I don't have any problems (usually). I do change out the water after 3 uses and thoroughly clean the bottle to avoid hydra, which might eat the BBS. I use synthetic sea salt (got it cheap) or kosher salt + Epsom Salt in a 3:1 ratio. I also dechlorinate the water. I also keep only a small bottle of eggs out and keep the rest in an air-tight bag in a container in the freezer. How do you set up your system?

 

[slimbolen99]

Is the solution warm enough? I believe they will need a light source as well; a desk lamp works well for me.

 

[viejo]

Keep the cysts in the freezer & see if it helps.

 

[DBlauj]

Keep the cysts in the freezer & see if it helps.

When not in use I've got them in my fridge freezer.

 

[uberape]

your best keeping them around 25 deg c and there is a better hatch rate with a light source. I put a pinch of bicarbonate soda in with mine for ph i guess. I cant afford maintaining a desk light 24hours a day so i put the upended bottle in a small bucket of water and heat the bucket with a 100watt aquarium heater. It works ok but i got a much better result using a lamp to heat the bottle. The cysts may have spoiled, you may need more.

 

[Mike Wise]

I just have my bottles on the side of a tank stand in my fish room - which is heated to 79°F/26°C; no problems.

 

[danbb]

I found Hydra in my tank. In the beginning I have not cleaned very good the bottle after every series, could that be the reason?

 

[gerald]

No. Baby BS will feed Hydra and make them multiply in a fish tank, but Hydra do not live in hyper-saline lakes where BS eggs are harvested. There's no Hydra "eggs" in the can of BS eggs. Washing the BS hatching bottle will improve the BS hatching and survival, but it wont make any difference to Hydra. The Hydra came from somewhere else, usually on plants, wet driftwood, or in water with fish or with live foods. Flubendazole is pretty good for killing Hydra and it's safe for newborn fish.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I found Hydra in my tank.

The Hydra are entirely freshwater, so they don't come with the Brine Shrimp, they just multiply alarmingly when you feed small live food items (even micro-worms). "Panacur" (Fenbendazole) will kill (Hydra and Planaria). Dosing rate here: <http://www.planetinverts.com/killing_planaria_and_hydra.html>.

cheers Darrel

 

[danbb]

I see, so there is no connection between appearance of Hydra and BBS.
I think I will try with one 6 V battery. Is really working and do no harm for the fish, even fry?

 

[danbb]

I have tried a 6V battery for about 8-10 hours in a 240 litters tank with no result. To have some positive results, I must increase the exposure time or add couple of volts? The tank is free of fish for the moment.

 

[Mike Wise]

If there are no fish in the tank, I'd just clean it out with a medication designed to get rid of hydra, one of the organophospates as others suggested. The problem is that the hydra will reappear eventually. Their spores are in the air everywhere. None of this helps explain why your eggs aren't hatching, however.

 

[danbb]

I know that has nothing to do with BBS, sorry. Yesterday I had to introduce the fish so for the moment I will leave the hydra and see what happens... Thanks.

 

[gerald]

Really? I can understand Hydra eggs dried in the leaf litter of a dried-up temporary pond blowing across the ground along with bits of leaves and dry silt , but I hadn't heard of them remaining suspended in air (except perhaps in a tornado). Have live Hydra eggs actually been found in relatively still air (non-storm conditions) ?

quote="Mike Wise, post: 85239, member: 701"] The problem is that the hydra will reappear eventually. Their spores are in the air everywhere. [/quote]

 

[Mike Wise]

I and other hobbyists can't explain any other way that hydra appear in tanks spontaneously without changes for months, other than overfeeding bbs. All you need is one egg to fall into a tank and it will then reproduce asexually into a colony.