Sea monkeys are a type of large brine shrimp, about a half inch long as adults. The eggs can last for a long time out of water and they are often sold as a kit with a small tank. When added to the water, the eggs hatch and the sea monkeys grow quickly. They can mate in several different ways and, in fact, the female sea monkey can produce fertilized eggs without a male being present. With both males and females in a tank, they will mate enthusiastically. The mating process can take days.
Instructions
Mate Sea Monkeys
1. Grow the baby sea monkeys from the eggs provided, following the instructions for water care and feeding with the kit. Water must be aged for at least 24 hours before adding the salt, water conditioner and sea monkey eggs. It will take up to a week before you can see the baby sea monkeys, and six to eight weeks for them to reach adult size and sexual maturity. The males will be a little smaller than the females, with two small whisker-like pincers under their chin.
2. Feed the sea monkeys every five days. Feeding too often will foul the water with uneaten food. If there is a little algae in the tank, leave it alone because the sea monkeys will eat it as well.
3. Be aware of the difference between two male sea monkeys fighting, and a male and female sea monkey mating. The males will stay locked together for hours without moving much. Fighting between males is normal as they establish territory and dominance. Mating behavior is much more active. The male and the female will stay locked together for days and may spend hours thrashing around. This is completely normal.
4. Don't despair if your sea monkey eggs yield only female sea monkeys. If you follow the care instructions and do not overfeed, there is an excellent chance the females will produce fertilized eggs. You can tell a sea monkey is pregnant by the presence of an egg sac near her stomach. There will be a small bulge on her belly.
5. Be on the look-out for baby sea monkeys, about the size of pinheads, swimming near the surface of the tank. The gestation period for sea monkeys has never been determined and there is a chance the female keeps the eggs until conditions are just right, so the time can vary.
6. Aerate the water at least once a day while the baby sea monkeys are growing because they need a lot of oxygen for the process. Most sea monkey tanks don't come with a filtration system but the daily process can be as easy as using a straw and blowing into the water for a few minutes.
7. Don't be tempted to increase feeding frequency or food amounts when you see the babies. This is more likely to kill them than help them because you risk fouling the water. They need little food for growth so just feed as normal. If there is any algae in the tank, they will live off of that too.
Tags: baby monkeys, algae tank, female monkey, fertilized eggs, locked together, male female, males will