Artemia for shrimps, crayfish, crabs & co.
Artemia are very well tolerated by shrimps, crayfish and crabs because Artemia salina not only contain chitin, which the animals need to build up their new skin, but as invertebrates they also contain very easily digestible proteins that can be fed without hesitation because they do not lead to molting problems. In addition, they possess the molting hormone ecdysone, which is also important for other crustaceans, and also contain cholesterol, which is needed by the crustaceans in our aquariums for the molting process.
Shrimp and snails, which do not actively hunt, also eat Artemia. The little animals cannot survive in fresh water and die after a short time. Then they are also eaten by shrimp and snails that do not actively ingest live food. Artemia nauplii are also the optimal size for fan shrimp.
Artemia nauplii are very easy to hatch and raise, if you consider a few things. At room temperature you can "harvest" after only 24 hours. With special salt the survival rate is much higher. Table salt may contain anti-caking agents to prevent it from clumping. Although these anti-caking agents are absolutely harmless to humans and higher animals, they can stick to the gills of small crayfish, causing them to suffocate and die. The hatching rate is also higher with special salt.
Oxygen and water movement also increase the hatching rate of Artemia salina. Most incubators therefore use an air pump to keep the eggs moving in the saltwater. Many models can also be connected in series to increase the yield. There are different methods to separate the hatched nauplii from the empty egg shells. The JBL Set and the AquaMedic incubator, for example, take advantage of the fact that the light egg shells float to the top, while the nauplii sink to the bottom without any water movement. There they are easily removed. With screens of different coarseness, you can sort the Artemia nauplii even further, if you need different sized nauplii for different sized fish larvae. Then you only have to wash them with fresh water and you can feed them.