Brine shrimp eggs, people usually call them cysts, are one of the handiest foods you’ll find in fish keeping. They’re especially good when you are raising baby fish or just trying to keep your adult tropical fish looking lively and healthy. The best part is, they’re super easy to use. If you are new to this whole fish thing, adding these little eggs to what you feed your fish isn’t a big deal.
Nutritional Powerhouse
Whether you feed them live or shell-free, brine shrimp are loaded with the stuff fish need to grow and stay healthy. Unlike a lot of pre-made foods, they are all natural and incredibly high in protein—containing over 53% protein, in fact. That’s big for all fish, but especially little ones or meat-eating types like bettas or angelfish.
Decapsulated eggs, in particular, are like little nutrient bombs. Taking off the shell means the tiny embryo keeps all the energy it would’ve used to hatch. So there’s more oomph in them than in a fully hatched one.
Two Common Ways to Use Brine Shrimp Cysts
They are actually like little dormant pods—they stay asleep until the time’s right. In fish tanks, folks use them in two main ways, both pretty good for your fish.
- Hatched baby brine shrimp. These are live, just-hatched little guys. They’re perfect first food for tons of baby fish. A friend of mine breeds bettas, tell me it is trickier than it looks. He says once his baby bettas start swimming on their own, he switches them to live baby brine shrimp. “They grow like crazy,” he told me. “They’re tiny enough for the little ones, and chasing them around gets their instincts going. Nothing else works as well if you want healthy, bright young bettas.” Makes sense—those little swimmers have all the fats and protein the babies need when they’re growing the fastest.
- Decapsulated brine shrimp eggs. These are the cysts with the hard, hard-to-digest outer shell taken off. You can feed them straight to fish without hatching them first. Prepping decapsulated eggs is simple. Before feeding, just soak them in fresh water for a few minutes. That makes them soft, so your fish can digest them easy. And since they’re so packed with good stuff, a little goes a long way. Don’t feed too much, that’s all. For adult fish or bigger young ones, decapsulated eggs are great. They’re nutritious and you don’t have to wait around for them to hatch.
If you are new and want something easy, start with the second one. Decapsulated eggs can save a lot of trouble
How to store brine shrimp eggs
Whether you’re hatching them or feeding them straight, keeping the eggs stored right matters. It keeps them good and full of nutrients.
Just put them in an airtight container to keep any moisture out.
- Short-term storage: For eggs you plan to use within three to four weeks, the fridge works fine.
- Long-term storage: For keeping them longer, stick them in the freezer.
Keep brine shrimp eggs cold and dry, and every little pinch you feed your fish will be as good as can be.