AlgaeBarn Simple Brine: Easy-to-Hatch Live Nutrition
Why does AlgaeBarn like Decapsulated Brine Shrimp Eggs?
Brine shrimp (Artemia salina) live in ofttimes hostile environments such as salt lakes. They produce a special, resilient type of “resting” egg (i.e. cyst) that can tolerate desiccation and extreme temperature/salinity, only to hatch when conditions become more favorable. The overall toughness of a cyst comes primarily from its resilient covering (i.e. capsule).
While this covering works great for protecting and preserving Artemia cysts, it creates potential problems for those who use brine shrimp as a live aquarium food. For one, the young brine shrimp (i.e. nauplius) expends a considerable amount of its own stored energy just to hatch and break out of it; this means that the nauplius will itself be slightly less nutritious as feed. Capsule fragments are also hazardous if eaten. They are highly indigestible and so can cause intestinal blockages. Also, small-mouthed fishes (e.g. seahorses) have been known to choke on them. Even more, they are highly capable of harboring and transferring pathogens.
Fortunately, through a process known as decapsulation, these issues can be eliminated and the benefits of live, newly hatched brine shrimp fully enjoyed. Decapsulation removes the cyst but leaves the resting embryo intact. It additionally sterilizes the outside surfaces of the cyst. Unhatched cysts (when fully decapsulated) are just as great a food as the nauplii! AlgaeBarn Decapsulated Brine Shrimp Eggs are indeed the among the most nutritious, inexpensive and easy-to-use live aquarium foods for a huge variety of fishes and corals.
