Ocean Nutrition - Instant Baby Brine Shrimp

[madattiver]

After getting many complaints from the fiance about the bbs hatchery putting off a bit of an odor as it becomes time to start a new batch I was directed to this product.. it is for us "lazy" or how I like to put it, "effort challenged" people who don't like the hastle of waiting for the bbs to hatch out.. it is already done for you. and the good thing is once it is opened it lasts for 6 weeks in the fridge. This is all new to me as I just got it and I hope the fish like it. It is relitively cheap, or it is in my mind, and each container comes in excess of 1.5 million nauplii.. I would have hated to be the person counting that one..

anyways, I think it is a relatively new product and I am trying it out on my new little ones and will let everyone know how it worked out for me.

here is a link to it on the net, and actually I ordered it from a company in BC.

http://www.oceannutrition.com/product_brine_shrimp.php?file=new03.html&head=

[amber2461]

How much does it cost? Do tell, I am most interested.

Cheers

[madattiver]

I think I paid about $10.95 before shipping and taxes

[amber2461]

Nice ... which shop/distributor did you order it from?

[Melody]

Probably anyone that sells Ocean Nutrition can get it in. Pacific Aquatics (http://www.pacificaquatics.ca) has a lot of that line, as does J&L (http://www.jlaquatics.com) - worth a call. ::D:

[madattiver]

I got mine from J&L

[jordonsmum]

Someone tried to sell it too me for $16 today!!!! :eek: :nah: GULP!!! I bought the eggs. It sounds like life would be much easier though!!!!

[Melody]

I use frozen, but I'm guessing that the jarred variety would retain more nutrients.

Even at $16, its $2.67/week. When you're hatching it yourself, aren't there times that you'd gladly hand someone $3 to do it for you? :;):

[hp10BII]

anyways, I think it is a relatively new product and I am trying it out on my new little ones and will let everyone know how it worked out for me.



Yes! Please do, I would like to hear about a taste test!

[hp10BII]

I use frozen, but I'm guessing that the jarred variety would retain more nutrients.

Even at $16, its $2.67/week. When you're hatching it yourself, aren't there times that you'd gladly hand someone $3 to do it for you? :;):

I really hope this is just a mistake, otherwise would get awfully expensive:


Once opened, keep refrigerated, and use within seven days.http://www.jlaquatics.com/images/food/ocean/instant_brine.jpg






http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/food.php?product_ID=fd-obsin2

[madattiver]

that is a mistake.. the original formula was for 7 days, since then they have merged with another company and reworked the formula to keep for longer. The packaging now says 6 weeks.

read the link for Ocean Nutrition link i originally posted and it has the correct info. J&L just needs to udate their website.

and to be honest, I was a little concerned too when I ordered it from them, but was releived to read the actual packaging to say it kept for 6 weeks in the fridge.

all is good.

[Melody]

According to the Ocean Nutrition site:

The product can be kept and stored at room temperature for many years, as long as the container is not opened. Once open, the product needs to be kept cool in the refrigerator and can be kept for up to 6 weeks, like the Baby Brine Shrimp you would have hatched yourself.

Someone should give J&L the heads up - I'm sure it would improve their sales. :;):

There is something to be said for the hunt of live brine shrimp - some fish seem to need that more than others but it is good for them all and you don't get as much waste since they stay alive for a bit. However, I'm just not the kinda breeder who gets into that stuff (read: lazy breeder). I think I'm doing well to have Microworms....lol.

[madattiver]

ya, I agree with the hunt for the fry.. everything usually gets eaten when it is moving... and I am sure I will still hatch out bbs from time to time.. I guess we will have to wait and see how this stuff goes over with the fry first..

as of last night I had some orange glowing bellies from the paleatus cory fry, so I guess they don't mind the stuff

[Melody]

They nibble at it for longer while its alive so its more like a wild diet, but its difficult to keep up over the long term, especially with a lot of breeding fish. I think with Cory's it would be good to have something on the bottom for them though. A snail can clean up leftovers.

Nice to hear that they're eating it - I'm sure it would taste better than frozen too. :yes:

[madattiver]

cory fry are still eating the stuff all up.. I think I am sold on it for food for my cory fry... as long as the bellies are kept orange, I can tell they are eating it, which is the thing I like about bbs.

[CACAdmin]

Well, I picked some up today at J & L Aquatics (http://www.jlaquatics.com) when I was out that way. I'll say I definitely hesitated when I saw how small the bottle was. I paid $16.90+tax. However, after just one feeding, I think it will work out much cheaper than freeze dried. I fed everyone some (distributing 1/3 tsp. amongst the tanks... big mistake as it was way too much:wideeyed:) . Everybody pigged out big time.:laugh: Next time I will give them less than half that amount.

They loved it! Mind you , most of them have never had live food before (with the exception of the fry they dine on occasionally much to my dismay :mad: ). So time will tell if they are as enthused about it as they are now.

It was fun watching them feed on them though... chasing them around the tank as opposed to nibbling at the freeze dried ones floating on the surface (which they love too... but apparently not to this extent.) I will monitor their interest over time and also note how long the little bottle lasts (to compare value).

[Melody]

I think when I get some I'll keep it to the babies - the big ones would miss too much I think & foul the tank, but maybe not. I don't think that even with as many babies as I have now, that I could use it up in 6 weeks though. I have a bunch of frozen to use up before I try it anyway.

Glad to hear another review!

[madattiver]

All I do when feeding this is dip a toothpick in and feed with that.

[Melody]

That's a good idea :smile: . I suppose one could freeze half rather than throw it out.

[madattiver]

I actually just ordered two more bottles of the stuff.. I am sold on it with my cory fry.

[Melody]

You must be if you'd pay shipping on top of it! :laugh: That's great - always nice to hear of a new product that is worth the price. Maybe if you contact ON they'll tell you if there's a retailer stocking it closer to you? Anyone who carries the brand should be able to get it in, but maybe they're hesitating in case it doesn't sell.

[mixixe]

Another product that would be good for feeding fry is biomarine cyclopeeze... it comes in a squirt bottle and u also put it in the fridge. Thas what I used for my fry as I had to feed my marine tank that too. Apparently it's more nutritious than brine shrimp..though i'm not sure if that is compared to baby brine shrimp or adult brine shrimp.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks mixixe. Do you know who carries it? Where do you buy it?

[Melody]

Another product that would be good for feeding fry is biomarine cyclopeeze... it comes in a squirt bottle and u also put it in the fridge. Thas what I used for my fry as I had to feed my marine tank that too. Apparently it's more nutritious than brine shrimp..though i'm not sure if that is compared to baby brine shrimp or adult brine shrimp.

It should be more nutritious than adult Brine Shrimp. Baby Brine Shrimp's value is in the egg sac they still carry. Adult Brine Shrimp don't offer a whole lot by comparison to other choices, but they can be gut-loaded.

If its small enough for fry..... I can only guess that it would be more nutritionally complete, but the protein content is up in the air. Pure guesswork.

Thanks for mentioning it! If you don't mind my asking, how much did it cost?

[amber2461]

I have the same product in my freezer mixixe; thanks for reminding me; hehehehehe ...

As I recalled it was quite pricey, got it at King Ed's awhile ago (last year) when I still had my marine tank.

I feed the shrimps and corys sometimes but never thought of feeding it to the fry ... will have to try that one some time soon ... mayhaps tomorrow.

Cheers

[amber2461]

The product I use is called Liquid Life Frozen Bio Plankton. You can find the prices here http://www.4coral.com/liquid_life.htm. (http://www.4coral.com/liquid_life.htm)

Cheers

[Melody]

I just noticed in the Classifieds that Mr. Mykiss also offers freshly hatched BBS for a very reasonable price. I use his frozen BBS but I'd forgotten that he sometimes has the fresh stuff.:smile: He should start offering subscriptions!

[CACAdmin]

All I do when feeding this is dip a toothpick in and feed with that.
Thanks for the tootpick idea... good idea... works great. And so far the fish are still loving it. :yes:

[Melody]

This thread was posted on April 24th, which brings us to about three weeks. Is half the bottle gone? Do you think it would be too much for the average hobbyists to use in under 6 weeks or is it going quickly enough?

As mentioned, a person could probably tell by around three weeks if they were going to use it all and freeze some if they aren't going to, but I'm curious as to how far it goes.:smile:

[madattiver]

I think I have about half.. or just slightly more left.. let me get a more accurate look tonight. but to be honest.. how strict do you think that 6 week time frame is.. becuase I am going to keep feeding for probably longer then the actual 6 week period if I have any left.

Also, I am feeding quite a few batches of fry, two or three times a day too and I still have plenty left. I think, for myself, it is a great way to feed as many fry as you can have without the hatching... and those paleatus fry are growing quite fast too on this diet and feeding regimine.

[CACAdmin]

I am feeding both my fry and my juvies. I also include my 70g because I always have fry in there. Amazingly enough, even the 5 inch Gouramis who initially ignored it grab a mouthful or two. With fry in so many tanks, I think the 6 weeks in a realistic time frame to use up the bottle. I think I will focus on feeding the fry with it but if it looks like I will go beyond the 6 weeks I'll feed it to other fish as well... adult platys also go nuts over them... still leaving enough to fall for the fry to chase.

I will monitor growth rates but at this point I think it will become part of my regular feeding ritual. If there are any negative effects I will definitely post but at this point all seems well and the cost for convenience to me is quite reasonable.

[Melody]

I'm actually surprised that they give it six weeks in the fridge. Seafood is notorious for going bad quickly, but maybe there's something specific about BBS that I'm not aware of.

Be careful feeding it with gravel - they're so tiny I'm sure a lot ends up there and they'd be too tiny for the creatures to fish out. Maybe with a few Cory's rooting around stirring it up, the snails would have a chance to grab it. 'Real' food goes bad more quickly in the tank as a rule.

Sounds like a great product so far!

[Candice]

I admit, I'm lazy. My fish get frozen hikari bbs. Same with frozen piscine mysis and hikari daphnia. I had to quit with the bloodworms as I am *super* allergic to them.

[Melody]

I don't feel so bad now...lol....I have all of the equipment and I have the eggs, but I never get around to it.

Kinda like having another baby.... :rofl:

[Shelley]

I opened a bottle on May 4th and feed it every day to 6 tanks of mixed fry and adults live bearers. Fry eat it as well as they eat live brine, and ALL my sword and platy adults go bonkers for it. It stays suspended in the water better than live, which tend to swim to the light.
I have cherry shrimp and snails in all my tanks, which have sand bottoms, so Im not worried about any of it getting trapped or going to waste. I have a little over 1/2 a bottle left. ITS AWESOME STUFF!. I just placed another J & L order and bought another bottle.. seems I have no problems anymore getting to the "free shipping" total.

I recommend this stuff highly.. and like most everyone else said.. If theres any left after 6 weeks Im gonna keep on feeding it unless it gets stanky or something.

[Melody]

J & L must really be wondering about the big surge in sales of this stuff....lol.

My frozen just sinks - I didn't realize it would float. That's great!

[madattiver]

I checked last night and I have almost exactly half the jar left after 3 weeks.. and like I said before, I have been feeding it quite liberally to each fry tank.

[Melody]

Its awesome that it goes so far - the size of the jar makes people nervous at first, but apparently there's lots in there.

[madattiver]

ya, like i said before.. I just dip the tip of a toothpick in there to feed, and i don't think they were far from the truth when they state there is over a million of those little shrimps in each bottle.

[CACAdmin]

I agree, it's incredible how many there are in such a tiny jar. Shall we volunteer you to count them as you feed when you start on the next jar? :DevilGrin:

[madattiver]

hahaha.. i thought you were already counting... ;)

[Melody]

Seconded!

[CACAdmin]

hahaha.. i thought you were already counting... ;)
:FishOnDaHead: ... no that's your job!:Neener:

[Melody]

If I put BBS into baby food jars, would you buy it?

No, I have no intention of doing that...lol, but if a person only had to hatch them once every six weeks and could store them in the fridge, it wouldn't be so bad.

Are they stored in a preservative solution or will all BBS last for six weeks in the fridge? I think I read somewhere that it does?

[madattiver]

I beleive it is the solution that keeps them... as before the company merged with another company the solution only allowed the bbs to last for 7 days. They re-worked the formula of the solution to last 6 weeks without spoiling

[Melody]

Hmmm.... wonder what the solution is? How candy-coated is this stuff? lol Thanks for the info - for some reason I thought it was longer. Mixing the two up in my brain I suspect. :twitcy:

[Melody]

A mention of this in another thread reminded me of this one.

Is the Instant BBS supplemented with anything? Does it say its newly hatched? I'm wondering about that egg sac, added vitamins, etc. I keep forgetting to look for it and have continued with frozen BBS.

How are the fishies growing on it? Some of you have been using it for quite awhile now. :smile:

[CACAdmin]

My fish love it and are doing very well on it. Easy to use and to me it's worth the money to not have to go through the hassle of hatching my own. The only down side is if you forget to put it back in the fridge as it must be kept refridgerated once opened. (I've forgotten twice now. :mad: )

According to the Ocean Nutrition website: "The product consists entirely of sterile newborn nauplii in a water solution. Nothing else has been added, no preservatives or colorants."
Full product info here: http://www.oceannutrition.com/product_brine_shrimp.php?file=new03.html&head=

[madattiver]

I have forgotten a few times too..... oops..

[Melody]

OUCH - expensive mistake. I always keep my food back into the fridge or freezer so its a habit after feeding now. Hopefully that will keep me from making that mistake.:yes: How are yours growing on it Adam? Do you guys feed it exclusively?

[hp10BII]

Just started using it, but it seems pretty good...fry are growing well with it. Can't imagine using the entire jar within 3 weeks though. You can see dozens of newborn baby brine with just a little dab in water.

[CACAdmin]

It's ok, you don't have to go through the jar in 3 weeks... it can be kept for 6 weeks in the fridge after you open it. Also Pacific Aquatics (http://www.pacificaquatics.ca) currently has it on sale for $9.97. (I just bought some yesterday.) ::D:

[ChrissyFishy]

I have to go there this weekend to :laugh: I am going everywhere this weekend I think!!!! I will look for it. They always have good prices there.:yes:

[hp10BII]

It's ok, you don't have to go through the jar in 3 weeks... it can be kept for 6 weeks in the fridge after you open it. Also Pacific Aquatics (http://www.pacificaquatics.ca) currently has it on sale for $9.97. (I just bought some yesterday.) ::D:

Brain cramp! I knew in the back of my mind that a jar is good for 6 weeks...that's why I bought them in the first place. :laugh:

[ChrissyFishy]

I got some from pacific aquatics to! I will try it this week.::D:

[CACAdmin]

Your fish will love it, I'm sure. Remember there are tons of BBS in that little jar. It only takes a tiny bit per feeding. As Mr. madattiver said, Just dip a toothpick in there to feed

.... and don't be like me :spinny:and forget to put the jar back in the fridge.:wideeyed: