BBS hatching trouble

[animateash]

Anyone here use Brine Shrimp Direct's "technical grade" eggs? I bought a big can after having some folks in my seahorse group say they found hatch rate to be pretty much the same as the grade A of the same brand (which i had good luck with. Despite all factors being identical (water source, temp, salinity, time allowed) the yields in both my hatch dishes and my bubbling hatchery are very poor compared to what i had with Grade A. With the Grade A eggs, my hatcheries would be just bubbling over with bright orange bbs. These technical grade eggs are giving me about half as much, if that, and the color is a lot duller. I called up the company to ask what the issue could be. They are adamant that the issue is my salinity; I hatch at 1.020 rather than their suggested 1.018. However, I disagree this is the problem because I have ALWAYS hatched at 1.020 and always got a good yield. The difference really seems tied to the can of new eggs. Any thoughts? Things to try? I have dwarf seahorses and need these as a primary food source, and this can is simply not working.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Have you checked the package date? Were they packed at a similar time frame similar to your grade A eggs?

Another thing to consider is if whether there’s a point to 1.018 vs 1.020. Have you tried it at 1.018? If not, how do you know if there’s a difference or not?

Aside from sizing, what’s the difference between hatch rates of A grade and technical grade?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

We use Brine Shrimp Direct eggs, but always their grade A. We used to get our eggs from Argent, and besides lower hatch rates and size differences, the lower grades had poorer HUFA profiles, and came from different sources, such as China. Not sure if the same applies to BSD, but maybe the different source means they prefer a different salinity?
Jay