Evening star., 1935-08-31

aquarium, however, mas not developed
as well as it was first thought 1t would,
because there are several drawbacks.
The first, and smallest, Is the fact
that they must be separated from the
brine in which they swim and live and
have their being. While small portion
Of salt is not inimical to the fresh
water aquarium, 1t may be realized that
q steady influx of salt water would
change the nature Of the medium too
drastically
Hence it was found expedient to de-
wise some method of draining the
Matched shrimp from the salt water.
Were they larger the thing would be
easy, but being so tiny that they are
almost invisible at birth, the only thing
to do was to pour them, water and all,
through some impervious piece Of cloth,
such as fine silk handkerchief.
Then this handkerchief, containing the
practically invisible crustaceans, was
immersed in the aquarium Of fishes to
be fed, and there shaken out, to release
the captive shrimp.
It was speedily found that nothing but
the smallest fishes, such as Guppies and
the like. would take the newborn
shrimp.
So attempts have been made thou
sands of times to grow the shrimp to a
larger size, many of them successfully,
many unsucceSsfully.
Some persons have had complete sue
cess, others as complete failure.
But even when successful the ambi-
tious grower of brine shrimp would need
many tanks in which to grow enough
30
4 ~
About % days is required to grow the
Artemia to maturity, at which time they
propagate, and some time thereafter pass
the way Of all flesh.
Three or more generations may be
had in pint jar.
As a natural curiosity or study in
biology they are distinctly worth while.
The best medium in which to raise
them is natural sea water, but a good
substitute is sea salt, as purchased at
any drug store, in the proportion of
two level teaspoonfuls to half pint
of water.
This proportion gives best results. A
portion of the eggs, resembling nothing
so much as ordinary brown earth. is
then poured on the surface Of the water.
The eggs Immediately swirl to the sides
of the jar, and hundreds of them insist
on sticking to the sides, much to the
worry of the amateur cultivator.
1t is question whether the eggs that
float, or those which fall to the bottom,
are the ones which are fertile, and SO
hatch out Our belief is that the ones
which fall are the fertile ones. The
ones which float are filled with air, and
hence are infertile.
At the time of immersing the eggs in
their native element it is well to put a
very tiny pinch of some powdered fish
food in the water. This will build up
infusoria, or minute living creatures. for
the first food of the shrimp. Thereafter
a tiny pinch, about as much as can be
placed on the very tip of the index
finger, after the excess is busted off, is
given the shrimp daily.
Such an aquarium" will keep odorless
for weeks despite the fact that larger
salt water aquarium, inhabited by salt
water fishes, will "go bad" in few days.
Brine shrimp in about two weeks begin
to be plainly visible to the naked eye.
At that time the observer can see easily
their little eyes. and their many SWIM
meretS, or legs. They appear to swim
upsidedown, and are forever moving
hither and thither in the erratic mo-
tions characteristic of all shrimp,
whether fresh or salt, small or large.