How do you tell when the baby brine shrimp are ready to use while incubating? How long do they last? Do you keep them in salt water for a few days or what is procedure? Obviously, I have not raised them before.

I raise them in pop bottles, inverted, with bubbles rising from the base. They start out dark brown, and lighten over the first day in salt water. When I expect them to be ready, I turn off the air, wait 5 minutes or so, and have a look. The cysts float up and the live shrimp drop down to form an orange mass on the bottom. I drain them off through a brine shrimp net.
If the water is all orange, I've waited too long.
I feed them over 24 hours - no more. Some raise them, I don't. They are at their most nutritious soon after hatching, but are still good food later.

Your hatch rate is HIGHLY influenced by the storage of the eggs. I only buy when the weather is cold so they stay cool in shipping, and immediately put the cans of eggs in the freezer. I remove quantities as need to keep in a cool place. Egg/cyst storage is very important, and eggs kept too warm can drop to really low to no hatch rates very fast.

I started this batch 48 hrs ago almost exactly. I just turned off air bubbles and water does kind of look orange. I probably went too long will tell in a few minutes. What happens if you don't harvest them and use them within a couple of hrs of hatching? Do they die right away or are they usable for a certain length of time? Thanks Navigator for helping me out here!

I just checked them and yes, they hatched and they are swimming around so they are ok for feeding. Now how is best way to feed them to different tanks? I strain through brine shrimp net and then how do you do it from that point on? Thanks again!

I just checked them and yes, they hatched and they are swimming around so they are ok for feeding. Now how is best way to feed them to different tanks? I strain through brine shrimp net and then how do you do it from that point on? Thanks again!

Go to youtube mate theres loads of Vids about them on there.