Q & A

A visitor asked me recently how to make a larger tank for her Sea-Monkeys. It’s certainly possible. Although I have never done it, I have thought about it in the past. Transcience used to carry a product called Jumbo Plasma, each packet would make about 1 quart of water and you would add one packet number one to it to make a quart tank of sea-monkeys.

They no longer carry this product and the last time I ordered from them Ms. Yolanda informed me that to go big you would have to use enough water purifier packets to make the size tank you want. One water purifier will make 12 to 16 oz. of water.

For example:
a 1 gallon beta tank = 128 oz.
128 / 12 = 10.667 or about 12 water purifiers

To clean, or not to clean?:

As your Sea-Monkeys age, sediment will begin to gather in the bottom of your tank -- a combination of food, algae, waste and un-hatched eggs. This is a natural part of the process and is not necessarily harmful to your pets. In fact, the Sea-Monkeys seem to enjoy routing around the murky basin. I choose not to clean my tanks -- rather let the process in their ecosystem continue naturally.

Why Can't I Grow My Sea-Monkeys?

Most people don't like Sea-Monkeys because they can't grow them. They really aren't hard to raise at all. First, you have to prepare the water. Most people mix everything together at once and expect the Sea-Monkeys to be born. Well, you don't get anything but a jar of dirty water if you do that. Here's some tips to keep them alive.

Who was Harold von Braunhut?

Who in their Right Mind Could Think of Fish Food as Pets? None other than the guy who invented X-ray Spex! A man by the name of Harold von Braunhut. This man saw a great, instant pet that could teach children around the world the oddities of nature. Harold decided to market Sea-Monkeys in 1957.

What is a Sea-Monkey®?

You might well ask the question, 'What is a sea monkey?'. Well, the sea monkey (artemia NYOS) is a relative of the brine shrimp (artemia salina), and looks like a very hairy version of a mosquito larva. These creatures will end up growing to about a quarter of an inch (about 0.6cm) in length.

What is the Professional Hobby Center?

Looking at the official Transcience Parts & Supplies list you may have noticed an interesting item:

Item No. 132
Professional Sea-Monkey Hobby Center . . . $10.00
Created for AVID Sea-Monkey fans or as a GREAT GIFT. The Hobby Center comes with a Sea-Monkey aquarium PLUS more than $13.00 in assorted supplies including the complete Sea-Monkey hatching and growing system among all the extras. An INCREDIBLE "buy" available ONLY through THIS offer!!!

How do you begin your experiments?

When I start new experiments, I don't wait 24 hours any longer before adding packet 2. I just mix packet 1 and 2 at the same time. I feed every 5 to 7 days and add 3 large scoops of plasma III on the tenth day and one large scoop every 10 days thereafter until the packet is gone. If the first hatching dies off, the experiment doesn't end. More will likely hatch later. If at least one female survives she will usually have more babies after a few days. An experiment can go on indefinitely as there will always be a new hatching every few weeks.