Artemia - An In Depth Look At Artemia Salina

Artemia are a very old and primitive crustacean that has been on our planet for millions of years. Since the time of dinosaurs, they haven't changed much at all. They are also known as Sea Monkeys, a popular childrens pet and they see widepread usage in both the freshwater and saltwater aquarium industry.

Artemia are a very common fish food in the aquarium hobby and their nauplii (babies) are also used as larvae food in the aquaculture industry. Commonly sold in frozen packs or as eggs to hatched later at home.

These creatures are not found in the sea where they will be easy pickings for predators. Rather, they make their homes inland in saltwater lakes or saltwater swamps. They are able to survive in waters so salty that it would fry any other creature. Up to 50% saltwater. Artemia eggs are very hardy and can survive in dry conditions many years. Their eggs are buoyant, making collection very easy for the industry.

Hatching the dry cysts is an easy and straightforward affair. Simply putting them in saltwater will bring about hatching in about 17-24 hours. They are fed microscopic matter such as powdered spirulina and dried yeast. Given enough food, they grow at astounding rates. THey have been known to double their sizes within 48 hours.

They need to molt to grow and will go through a total of 15 molts before they become fully functioning adults. Unfortunately they do not live long. Expect them to live in captivity for no longer than 2 months.