5
when the proper environmental con-
ditions are reproduced. These are the
type of eggs you have in your micro-
scope set.
The Incubation of the Brine Shrimp
In order to incubate the shrimp, you
rst need to create a salt solution that
corresponds to the living conditions of
the shrimp. For this, put a half liter of
rain or tap water in a container. Let the
water sit for approx. 30 hours. Since
the water evaporates over time, it is
advisable to ll a second container
with water and let it sit for 36 hours.
After the water has sat stagnant for
this period of time, add half of the in-
cluded sea salt to the container and
stir it until all of the salt is dissolved.
Now, put a few eggs in the container
and cover it with a dish. Place the
glass container in a bright location,
but don‘t put it in direct sunlight. Since
you have a hatchery, you can also add
the salt solution along with a few eggs
to each of the four compartments of
the tank. The temperature should be
around 25º. At this temperature, the
shrimps will hatch in about 2-3 days. If the
water in the glass evaporates, add some
water from the second container.
The Brine Shrimp under the Microscope
The animal that hatches from the egg is
known by the name “Nauplius Larva”. With
the help of a pipette, you can place a few of
these larvae on a glass slide and observe
them. The larvae will move around in the
salt water by using their hair-like appenda-
ges. Take a few larvae from the container
each day and observe them under the mi-
croscope. In case you’ve hatched the lar-
vae in a hatchery, simply take off the cover
of the tank and place the tank on the stage.
Depending on the room temperature, the
larvae will be mature in 6-10 weeks. Soon,
you will have had raised a whole genera-
tion of brine shrimp, which will constantly
grow in numbers.
Feeding your Brine Shrimp
In order to keep the brine shrimp alive, they
must be fed from time to time, of course.
This must be done carefully, since over-
feeding can make the water become foul and
poison our shrimp population. The feeding is
done with dry yeast in powdered form. A little
bit of this yeast every second day is enough.
If the water in the compartments of the hat-
chery or your container turns dark, that is a
sign that it is gone bad. Take the shrimp out
of the water right away and place them in a
fresh salt solution.
Warning! The shrimp eggs and the shrimp
are not meant to be eaten!
Experiment No. 7:
How does bread mold develop?
Object: An old piece of bread.
Put the bread on a slide and lightly moisten
it with water. Place the bread into a sealed
container, and keep it warm and out of harsh
light. Within a short time, the black bread
mold forms. When the mold takes on a white,
shining appearance, observe it with your mi-
croscope. It will look like a complicated mass
of thread, forming the fungus body, which is
called the mycelium. Each thread is known
as a hypha. These threads, or hyphae, grow
like long, slim stacks, ending in a small, white
ball, called a sporcap. Inside the sporcap is
