How to Culture Mysid Shrimp
About Mysid Shrimp
Marine Mysid Shrimp is a great food source for seahorses, cowfish, sea dragons, pipefish. In fact, most marine fry/ juvenile fish eat them. Mysid will make a great addition to your marine tank, whether it is a coral-only, reef aquarium fish-only or your refugium. These saltwater mysid shrimp grow up to 9mm long and carry their babies in a brood pouch until they are perfectly formed replicas of the parent, then the female releases them.
Marine Mysid Shrimp vs Aquarium Bought ‘Mysis’
Unfortunately, the frozen Freshwater Mysis you buy at your local fish store is not a marine mysid shrimp at all. The freshwater Mysis also has a very different nutritional profile, not what a marine seahorse needs. 58 genera make up the Mysidae family. Though they do closely resemble them, they are, in fact, a primitive relative of the marine shrimp found in the oceans. Mysid shrimps are difficult to culture due to their cannibalistic behaviour of picking off weaker and smaller individuals. It is normal to have up to a 5-15% mortality rate when receiving your order. We add an extra to cover any eaten individuals.
To begin culturing Mysid Shrimp, you will need:
- A starter culture of mysid shrimp of approximately 200
- A constant supply of baby brine shrimp to feed the mysid shrimp
- A sump filter system or an overflow system to the main seahorse filter system, sump, or tank
- Lighting, sand, a few rocks, sea lettuce
- Phytoplankton
At Aquatic Live Food, we have been breeding Mysid Shrimp for over five years now and have had great success in culturing them in numbers of over 1000.
What do They Eat?
As mentioned, you will need a constant supply of food for your shrimp, and we suggest baby brine as a first food source. They are easy to eat and carry phytoplankton that they consume, making it easier for the Mysid Shrimp to get the nutrients they need. It’s important to note that after the first 4 hours, when the feed sack is depleted, the baby brine shrimp have no nutritional value. So, you will need to feed the baby brine shrimp live algae/phytoplankton in liquid or paste form.
How to get Baby Brine Shrimp for Seahorse Feed:
- Buy Baby Brine Shrimp – We sell Baby Brine Shrimp on our website, so this is always an option if you are stuck for time.
- Hatch Baby Brine Shrimp – Baby Brine Shrimp are super easy to hatch and culture, in fact they are one of the most popular ways to feed live food to aquaria. All you need to start hatching your own brine shrimp are the artemia (brine shrimp) cysts and a Brine Shrimp Hatching Kit. Our kit also includes the eggs, so it has everything you need to get started right away!
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