Hatching Brine Shrimp for Axolotl Larvae

Brine shrimp are an essential part of an axolotl’s diet in its early stages of life. Part of getting a good hatch rate is starting with quality eggs — we recommend the eggs available in our marketplace.

Building a Hatchery

You’ll need:

• 2 soft drink bottles
• A knife or scissors

Instructions:

1. Take the first bottle and cut off its base, keeping the lid on tightly — be careful not to damage the bottle while cutting.
2. Take the second bottle and cut off the top third. You can be a little less precise with this cut, since you won’t need the top half.
3. Place the first bottle upside down inside the second bottle.

Hatching Your Eggs

You’ll need:

• Warm tap water
• Aquarium salt
• Brine shrimp eggs
• An air pump and airline
• A lamp

1. Add 1 litre of warm tap water to your hatchery.
2. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of aquarium salt (1 tbsp per litre).
3. Set up your air pump and airline, feeding the airline in through the top of the hatchery until it reaches the bottom. Let the salt fully dissolve before moving on.
4. Add the amount of eggs you want to hatch.
5. Turn on the lamp and position it so the light shines directly onto the hatchery.
6. Leave the hatchery undisturbed for about 48 hours.
7. Your brine shrimp should now be hatched and ready to feed.