How to Hatch Brine Shrimp Artemia for Fish Fry – DIY Guide

If you’re into fishkeeping—whether it’s raising tiny fry, keeping bettas, or running a full-blown breeding setup—brine shrimp (also known as sea monkeys or artemia) are one of the best live foods you can offer.

Brine shrimp are tiny aquatic crustaceans that have been around for millions of years. When hatched as nauplii, they’re incredibly rich in protein, full of movement (which fish love), and small enough for just about any fry to eat. They’re also super easy to hatch at home—no fancy equipment needed.

There are even different types of brine shrimp eggs depending on where they’re harvested—like Tibetan Red, Bohai Bay, and Great Salt Lake. Each has its own quirks, hatch times, and even size differences. Curious? Check out our post Brine Shrimp Eggs Types Explained: Bohai Bay vs Salt Lake vs Red Tibet.

What You’ll Need

• Brine shrimp eggs
  Artemia cysts – whatever type you decide is best for your needs. For the purposes of this guide, we will be working with the Bohai Bay strain that requires a heat source - such as a heater or a lamp. You can also suspend the hatching container inside your aquarium which will increase the internal temperature of the water in the container to required levels. Since most fish tanks operate in the 24-26°C range, this is enough for the eggs to hatch but may take a little longer than the 24h expected.
• Salt
  Any kind of salt is fine - you don’t need some special “aquatic” salt, most pure kitchen salts are safe to use. Artemia hatches best at 25ppt of salt - which means 25g (about 1 and ⅔  of a tablespoon) of salt per litre of water.
• Hatching container
  A simple soda bottle cut in half or plastic jug work great.
• Air pump (optional, but highly recommended)
  Lack of aeration will greatly decrease your hatch rates but the nauplii will still hatch, so while an air pump is essential, it is not an absolute must. You can use an airstone or tubing by itself with a weight attached to it to keep it at the base of the container and prevent the airline from floating.
• Bicarbonate soda (optional)
  Artemia hatch best in the pH range of 8.0–8.5, which mimics the natural conditions of salt lakes. You can increase the pH by adding 1.5g (about ⅓ teaspoon) of baking soda to the water.
• Small aquarium heater (optional)
  Helps maintain required optimal temperature.
  

How to Hatch Them

1. Hatching Container

In my setup, I’ll be using a plastic jug. You can also use a large fizzy drink bottle cut in half with the neck inserted into the base of the bottle. DIY’ers will often feed the airline through the plastic bottle cap and collect the hatched brine shrimp through the airline tubing itself. While the idea is great, I have explored it before and found it easier to separate the nauplii from the egg shells by rinsing them through a set of fine nets.

My jug does hold 1L of water, however once we introduce the air supply I don’t want the water to be spewing out of the jug onto my carpet, so we are only going to use 750ml of water and adjust the salt amount accordingly.

2. Water Setup

To reach the required salinity level of 25ppt we will add 19g of salt to the 750ml of water.

750ml ÷ 1000ml × 25g = 19g

We’re also going to add a small teaspoon of bicarbonate soda to the water to help raise the pH level.

No dechlorinator is needed—tap water is fine, and the chlorine found in the water supply actually helps soften the egg shells.

2. Add the Eggs

Drop in 1–2g of brine shrimp eggs per litre. You don’t need to be exact, but avoid overcrowding to keep hatch rates high.

3. Keep It Warm

For optimal hatch rates keep the temperature around 28°C (room temp works for some types like Tibetan Red). I am working with a small aquatic heater which is set to 26°C.

4. Keep It Lit (Optional)

Brine shrimp generally benefit from light exposure during the hatching process, although it’s not strictly necessary. Light can help stimulate the hatching mechanism, and also provide additional heat. If using a halogen lightbulb, you may find that a heater is not required – just be careful not to melt your container, especially if working with a plastic bottle!

5. Aerate Gently

Use an air pump to keep the eggs gently suspended and oxygenated. Just a soft bubbling is all you need—nothing too crazy. Airstones tend to build up with minerals easily, so to prevent having to clean one every other hatch we are only going to use an open-ended airline tubing and attach it to an airstone with a cable tie to weigh it down.

6. Wait for Hatching

Hatching time depends on the strain, we should expect these to hatch in around 24h.

7. Harvest Your Shrimp

·         Light and pipette method
Turn off the air and wait 5–10 minutes. The shrimp will gather near the light, while shells and unhatched eggs either float or sink. Use a pipette to collect your wriggly live food.

·         Fine mesh method
Pour the hatched brine shrimp through a set of 80/200 mesh nets and rinse thoroughly.

The nauplii will collect in the finer net.

You can then rinse the net from the other side into a container, or dip it straight into your fishtank.

 

How to Store Eggs

Brine shrimp eggs are best kept in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. Once you’ve opened the packaging, try to use it within 6 months for best results. If you’re stocking up or want longer storage, just pop the container in the fridge or freezer. Note that refrigeration may reduce hatch rates over time due to ambient moisture. Just be sure to seal everything tightly after each use!

That’s it—you’re all set to start hatching your own brine shrimp like a pro.

If you’ve got questions or want to show off your hatchery, drop a comment. Happy hatching!