[list]21/06/2010 The first batch of eggs are prepared and readied for hatch as per above images. 24 hours later, as expected, the first shrimp have hatched, lots of them, they resemble artemia nauplii with almost identical swimming patterns. My little 200x microscope just isn't quite up to the task in these early stages of life but should come into it's own in the days ahead.
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[center][i][b]24 hour old Fairy Shrimp nauplii[/b][/i][/center]
One observation....by comparison, the nauplii of Branchinella thailandensis are almost transparent, opaque white in colour unlike brineshrimp which are orange. I have administered a small feed (20ml) of live algae to the culture jar, just enough to tinge the water green.
[*][b]Feeding;[/b]
Fairy shrimp are filter feeders, They strain tiny particles out of the water for food, in the wild this would mean mostly bacteria, algae, and fungal spores. In captivity I feed them "Green Water" live algae which I culture myself. (details of how to culture this green soup can be found within my Daphnia pulex thread)
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[center][i][b](i)My Live-Food Larder...(ii)The cultivation of Algae (possibly Chlorella sp.)[/b][/i][/center]
You can determine how much food is enough by using this rule of thumb: The water should be slightly hazy, but not cloudy. You should be able to see through it. If it becomes cloudy, stop feeding for a day or two until it clears up. If it becomes extremely clear, feed a little bit more. Increase their food as they grow. At about 2 weeks, the shrimp will need approximately 1 ml per day. When they are fully grown, they will need up to 3 mls daily.
[*][b]Growth;[/b]
Growth of fairy shrimp is pretty rapid, it has to be with such a short lifespan. They will reach adulthood when they are about 12mm long. By four weeks old, they should be close to 25mm long. On conferring with shrimp farms in the far east, they seem to recommend a density of around 15 shrimp per litre of water once they reach adulthood. Here follows a series of images cataloguing the growth of Branchinella thailandensis.
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[center][b]24 & 48 hour nauplii in a globule of water[/b][/center]
[center]There is a notable increase in size of the nauplii today (pic2) with the gut is now green in colour which signifies they are taking on food. The body is starting to elongate and the swimming appendages have lengthened somewhat. Their swimming pattern has taken on much more of a glide rather than the jerky movements noticed when they'd just broke free from the egg casing.[/center]
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[center][b]3 Day Old Shrimp[/b][/center]
[center]The body of the young shrimp continue to elongate and grow. The legs/swimming appendages are more numerous and noticeable now. Swimming seems effortless as they move through the water column. Today I added 60ml of algae to the container to keep the food availability high. Things seem to be progressing nicely
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[center][b]A Pair of Shrimp on Day 5[/b][/center]
[center]Although still very small, the shrimp continue to feed and grow. I now perform small water-changes in the jar with a view of moving them on to larger quarters shortly. I may also add a slow bubble from an airline to keep the oxygen content up.[/center]
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[center][b]Day 7[/b][/center]
[center]Again they are growing well. I have transferred all the shrimp from the glass jar to a 3ltr plastic Ice Cream tub to afford them more space. Looking closely at the split tail section, it appears that they are just starting to acquire the red pigmentation which is common in this species.[/center]
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[center][b]The shrimp at 14 days[/b][/center]
[center]The shrimp are now growing at pace and we have now reached the 2 week stage since I wet the first batch of cysts. They are now taking on a more adult appearance and are around the 8-10mm mark in total body length. Interestingly not all the shrimp are growing at the same pace. Do males grow quicker and larger than females?[/center]
After the third week, (21 days) I again, transfer all the shrimp and contents of their original container (3lb Ice Cream carton) into larger quarters (an all glass tank 10x10x18). This allows them a much more commodious space in which to grow out. Much more live algae is being consumed than before. 200mls of the elixir is now being added which gradually is being taken up by the shrimp, this murky soup clears after 48 hours to which another dose of food is administered. Large males are starting to spar at this stage. Females are maturing and are carrying white eggs awaiting fertilisation which will darken and form a hardshell cyst after 24 hours, these cysts will subsequently be released to lay dormant on the aquarium floor ready to be harvested in another month or so.
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[center] [b]B. thailandensis one month after hatching[/b] [/center][center][i]male (left) with extended antenae, Female (right) with her egg chamber clearly visible[/i][/center]
[*][b]Reproduction;[/b]
Once the shrimp reach maturity they will concentrate exclusively on breeding . Their objective now is to fertilise a female to make new viable cysts. The females will begin to produce eggs as soon as they mature. The bright white eggs are stored in a transparent cigar shaped pouch that is attached to their abdomen. This brood pouch makes the female easy to identify. The male shrimp constantly swims around looking for a suitable female. When he finds one, he will grab her with his large antennae. The antennae look like walrus tusks attached to his face. He will quickly fertilize her eggs and swim off to find another suitable mate. You can tell when the eggs have been fertilized because they will grow larger and turn a pale tan colour as they begin to develop a cyst coating. Once the cysts are fully coated, the female will push them out of her pouch, where they will sink to the bottom of the container.
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[center][b](i) Copulation a male and female fairy shrimp entering a fertilisation embrace. (male to the rear)
(ii) B. thailandensis cysts litter the substrate of the container[/b][/center]
The little embryos inside will grow and develop for about a day or two. When they reach the point of about 4,000 cells they will shut down and become dormant. They will not hatch until they are completely dried out, chilled and re-wetted. One point to note here is, that from published literature, which recommends that it is better to leave the cysts in the parent aquarium for around two to four weeks after all shrimp have expired which allows the resting shrimp embryo to fully develop before entering its diapause (resting) stage.
[*][b]The Next Generation;[/b]
Afer 6-8 weeks the shrimp will start to die off due to their life cycle having run its course, we should, by this time have many cysts strewn all around the floor of their container. You cannot hatch these eggs straight away. They have to be harvested, dried and refrigerated for a week or so before starting the cycle all over again.
To harvest the cysts I use a clean meat/turkey baster and suck all the gunk from the floor of the container, I then squirt this through coffee filters. One full baster full of gunk laden water to each coffee filter is ample.
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[center][b](i) Collecting utensils
(ii) Freshly collected substrate from the base of the Shrimp's aquarium[/b][/center]
I open out the coffee filter fully by carefully tearing down the seam. The filter is then outspread on layers of paper hand towel to soak up the excess water. This can now be left to dry out fully on top of the aquarium cover glass.
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[center][b](i) Shrimp eggs on laid out paper towelling
(ii) Newly collected Shrimp eggs under 200x magnification [/b][/center]
Don't worry about harming the shrimp as they are safely encapsulated inside their hard cased shell. Once fully dried you can place the collected gunk into a small plastic bag and place in the fridge for around a week (this seems to yield better results for subsequent hatches). After this allotted time I can then start the process over again only this time around as with subsequent hatches I can sacrifice some of the shrimp as fish food. After a period of time the fish will reap the rewards more and more as your stock of shrimp cysts increases.
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[b]Observations;[/b]
[i]21/06/2010[/i] - Initial setting up and egg immersion
[i]30/06/2010[/i] - Not all the shrimp seem to be developing at the same rate and are maturing at different times - due to the probability that not all eggs might have been laid/hatched at the same time.
[i]10/07/2010[/i] - White eggs become apparent in brood pouches of 10mm females - Maturing males sparring.
[i]11/07/2010[/i] - Eggs within above females darken in colour (hardshell cyst formation)
[i]13/07/2010[/i] - It is noticeable that a great many eggs are strew amongst the debris on the base of the container
[i]21/07/2010[/i] - I sacrificed a medium sized shrimp today and placed it into a breeding tank containing adult Rivulus punctatus. The shrimp was taken with relish by a lucky female. I now know that the fish will eat the shrimp.
[b]Future Developments;[/b]
This project was a scratch at the surface, a tentative approach to shrimp culturing. For the future I will be using adapted upturned 15 litre water vessels, the type used on drinks dispensers within foyers of office blocks. I'm also looking into the prospect of upping my algae production by purchasing a couple of Aqua Medic Plankton Reactors (see below) and adding CO2. This I feel is both a necessity and a natural progression if I'm to feed my cultures of Daphnia pulex and Moina as well as the shrimp.
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[center][b]Aqua-Medic Plankton Reactors[/b][/center]
[b]Conclusion;[/b]
Seeing as I'm essentially only a hobbyist dabbling in culturing certain terrestrial and aquatic live-foods this operation is diminutive as shrimp aquaculture goes, it's adequate for my present needs. I do feel however that I would get better results by scaling up to larger vessels and dedicated filtration etc. something I'm in the process of accessing.
I hope you have enjoyed this lengthy insight into the way I culture Thai Fairy Shrimp. It's a fairly easy process if certain parameters are followed. Admittedly it takes a little while to amass a decent quantity of cysts to begin feeding to the fish, but whilst you wait for this to happen you can enjoy observing the life-cycle of this truly amazing little creature.
Thanks for viewing and I hope you have enjoyed reading this detailed editorial as much as I've enjoyed compiling it.
[b]Additional Reference Material[/b]
[i]The cyst hatching pattern of the Thai Fairy Shrimp, Branchinella thailandensis Sanoamuang, Saengphan & Murugan, 2002 (Anostraca)[/i]
Regards
C