Sea Monkeys, who knew?

[kenny]

As a kid I got suckered by this captivating ad.



When they arrived in the mail I was disappointed to receive what looked like red pepper.
It was eggs for brine shrimp I had to hatch in salt water.
A few hatched but they didn't look like the picture, they didn't smile, wave, or do tricks.
Tiny and barely visible their only trick was swimming towards the light.

Turns out these critters DO do some very amazing tricks, as this BBC article reveals.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20151217-the-tiny-creatures-that-flew-to-the-moon-twice-and-survived

 

[Queenie60]

I remember those Kenny! My brother was suckered into them as well! Also, remember the sea horses?

 

[VRBeauty]

That's a fascinating article Kenny - thanks for posting it! I especially liked their sea monkey - er - brine shrimp eggs to blue whales comparison!

I had sea monkeys for a while, although I don't think we actually ordered "sea monkeys" per se...

Also, remember the sea horses?

the brine shrimp eggs were sent to provide food for the sea horse that I ordered from an ad in the back of my brother's Boy's Life magazine! When you ordered the sea horse, they first send you a salt mixture that you reconstitute to make sea water, and a package of brine shrimp eggs that you add to the salt water so they could hatch before the sea horse arrived.

I know that allowing kids to try maintain sea horses in fish bowls is irresponsible and inhumane, but the sea horse and "sea monkeys" did feed an ongoing interest in aquatic biology.

 

[kenny]

I never have had sea horses.

I do hatch brine shrimp eggs when I raise critters for my aquarium.
Fish and shrimp devour them.

I also raise mosquito larvae for my fishies.
Yum Yum.

 

[AprilBaby]

When I was a kid I felt sorry for the poor sea monkeys having to live in such a small place. Free the sea monkeys!

 

[kenny]

When I was a kid I felt sorry for the poor sea monkeys having to live in such a small place. Free the sea monkeys!

I set mine free in a beautiful and spacious 30-gallon aquarium ..................... they are so happy to be free ........ for about 2 seconds.

 

[momhappy]

They still make them - or at least some versions of them. My kids had them for a while and I had them as a kid. They are fun to watch through a magnifying glass.

 

[kenny]

Since I hatch them I wanted better yield and faster results so I googled it.

I was astonished to learn that professionals soak the eggs in a strong beach solution first.
That's right, bleach.

The egg shells are so strong that they can withstand time in bleach solution, which eats away at the outer layers and speeds up the hatching time by a day or two.

FWIW, here's the recipe I've arrive at after trial and error:

Pour 1 cup unsalted water into hatcher.
Sprinkle eggs on top.
Soak 1.5 hour with no aeration.

Prepare salt water.
Pour 1 quart fresh water in to Pyrex measuring cup.
Put 2 tablespoons aquarium salt into mortar and some water.
Grind to dissolve salt.
Pour salt solution into 1 qt of water.
Add a dash of baking soda and stir.

When the eggs have soaked 1.5 hours pour in 1/2 cup bleach.
Start slow aeration.
After 10 minutes drain into strainer.
Rinse well.
Pour an inch of vinegar into china bowl.
Place strainer with eggs in the vinegar bowl for 2 minutes.

Rinse eggs well.
Use slow water stream from faucet to move all eggs off bottom and to one edge.
Slowly pour saltwater onto strainer sides to dislodge eggs and direct them into the hatcher.

Place hatcher in heated aquarium and start slow aeration.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I remember those Kenny! My brother was suckered into them as well! Also, remember the sea horses?

Yup,I remember those I bought some mini sea horses through the mail in early 70.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I never have had sea horses.

I do hatch brine shrimp eggs when I raise critters for my aquarium.
Fish and shrimp devour them.

I also raise mosquito larvae for my fishies.
Yum Yum.

I used to hatch brine shrimps to feed my baby Discus fishes.

 

[dk168]

I have fond memories for those critters too.

DK

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I like Tardigrades- they're fascinating.

 

[sonnyjane]

I like Tardigrades- they're fascinating.

Ha as I was reading the comment about the brine shrimp eggs I thought "that's nothing compared to tardigrades!" Now I know at least one other person who knows what they are hahha.

 

[VRBeauty]

I like Tardigrades- they're fascinating.

Ha as I was reading the comment about the brine shrimp eggs I thought "that's nothing compared to tardigrades!" Now I know at least one other person who knows what they are hahha.

 

[Rockinruby]

Very interesting article.

 

[sonnyjane]

I like Tardigrades- they're fascinating.

Ha as I was reading the comment about the brine shrimp eggs I thought "that's nothing compared to tardigrades!" Now I know at least one other person who knows what they are hahha.

Don't worry. That word IS in the dictionary

 

[VRBeauty]

I like Tardigrades- they're fascinating.

Ha as I was reading the comment about the brine shrimp eggs I thought "that's nothing compared to tardigrades!" Now I know at least one other person who knows what they are hahha.

Don't worry. That word IS in the dictionary

Interesting indeed! I've seen pictures of tardigrades all over the internet of course, but I tend to avoid click-bait so I'd never had a name to go with it! Now I have - that plus another cool word that apparently applies to both brine shrimp and tardigrades: extremophiles!

 

[tuffyluvr]

Really fascinating article! I had Sea Monkeys as a child and they look so delicate that in never would have imagined that they are such resilient little creatures!

 

[AprilBaby]

You mean they didn't have those cute little human faces and that blonde flip hairdo???

 

[stracci2000]

Wow! this brings me back.
Of course I remember being fascinated with that ad, and begged my dad to let me order them.
They hatched and all, but me and my sister were both disappointed. They didn't look like that photo of the blond lady sea monkey with the flip hairdo!

 

[lizzyann]

Kenny, I was captivated by your thread awhile back with beautiful pics of your shrimp and giving us the play by play!!

 

[kenny]

Kenny, I was captivated by your thread awhile back with beautiful pics of your shrimp and giving us the play by play!!

Ah yes, thanks ... That nail-bitting soap opera "As the Crustacean Turns".
The only thing missing was drawn lemon-butter and garlic.

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