Scroll down for pictorial instructions

Step 1

Pour 500ml dechlorinated tap water* into an open topped container. Aged water will NOT work, Singapore uses chloramines which decompose extremely slowly (read more about it this blog post).

You may use Ice mountain drinking water for better hatch rates^. 

Can I use aged water? 

No, Singapore uses chloramines which decompose extremely slowly (read more about it this blog post) and it is NOT a reliable way of treating water. Fairy Shrimp are extremely sensitive to chloramines and will not hatch when exposed to it.

What brand of anti-chloramines should I use?

Not all brands of anti-chlorine are equal. Use reliable brands like API or Seachem that give exact measurements (5ml per 200L). Avoid off brand products that give estimated instructions (put 1-2 drops per 1.5L of water). 

How much anti-chloramines should I use?

It depends on the brand you are using. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the bottle to the mL, use a syringe from the pharmacy if you have to. As it can be difficult to measure accurate amount of anti-chlorine for 500ml of water, you can prepare a larger pail of water (e.g. 5L) and dose the correct amount of anti-chlorine.

Over-dosing anti-chloramines will prevent the eggs from hatching.

^ What brand of bottled water can I use?

Some brands of bottled water are actually repackaged tap water and will contain chlorine/chloramines which will kill the eggs. Use the tried and tested brand for guaranteed results - Ice mountain drinking water.

Step 2

Add 1 level spoonful of fairy shrimp eggs to the water (increase or decrease as required)

Step 3

Stir water to hydrate the eggs. Stir as needed to ensure all the eggs are hydrated. The higher the hydration, the better the hatching.

If the eggs stick to the walls of the container, use a dropper to push them back and stir gently to disperse them. After a few stirs, the eggs should stop sticking to the container.

Step 4

Wait 8-24 hours and harvest the fairy shrimp using a strong light source and a dropper. 

It helps to be in a dark room with no surrounding light, so that all the fairy shrimp will be attracted to your light source.

The floating eggs can be encouraged to sink by stirring or adding more water.

You can add 50% more water (e.g. if started with 500ml, add 250ml) and they will continue to hatch.