Cara Tetas Artemia: Hatching Baby Brine Shrimp for Fry in Malaysia

Here's the short answer to cara tetas artemia (how to hatch artemia): put about 1 teaspoon of artemia eggs into 1 litre of salt water (roughly 25–30 g of salt per litre, about 1½ tablespoons), keep it under bright light with strong bubbling from a pam udara (air pump), and in a typical Malaysian room of 27–30°C most eggs hatch in about 18–24 hours. Turn off the air, let the shells float up and the orange babies sink to the light, then siphon them out, rinse in fresh water and feed.

Baby brine shrimp (artemia nauplii) are the gold-standard first live food for betta, guppy, goldfish and angelfish fry. This guide walks through a cheap DIY hatchery, the salt and timing that work in our climate, and how to harvest cleanly.

Artemia Untuk Apa? Why Hatch Your Own

Newly hatched artemia are tiny, swim with a jerky motion that triggers feeding, and carry a yolk that is rich in fat and protein. They're used for:

• Fry food from roughly day 3–5 for bettas, and from birth for most livebearer fry
• Conditioning breeding pairs before spawning
• Small fish and shrimp that prefer live food, like chili rasbora and pea puffers

Frozen and dried artemia exist, but freshly hatched nauplii are the most nutritious and stay alive in fresh water long enough for fry to hunt them.

What You Need

Item	Notes
Artemia eggs (cysts) or decapsulated eggs	Check the pack's hatch-rate claim and expiry
1–2 L plastic bottle, cut, used upside down (or a hatchery cone)	A V-shape keeps eggs moving
Air pump + airline tube + rigid tube or airline weight	No airstone needed; big bubbles are fine
Non-iodised salt (garam kasar, aquarium salt or marine salt)	Avoid salt with anti-caking agents if possible
Light (desk lamp or LED)	Helps hatching and harvesting
Fine net, coffee filter or cloth	For rinsing
Baking soda (optional, a pinch)	Helps keep pH up for better hatch rates

Air pumps and tubing are listed on FishyHub's air pumps page.

Step-by-Step: Cara Tetas Artemia with a Bottle

1. Make the salt water. Use dechlorinated water. Malaysian tap water contains chlorine, so treat it with anti klorin or use water that has stood overnight. Add about 25–30 g of salt per litre (1½–2 level tablespoons).
2. Add a tiny pinch of baking soda if your tap water is soft. It's optional but often improves hatch rates.
3. Set up the bottle upside down with the cap end at the bottom, and run the airline right to the bottom so the water rolls constantly.
4. Add eggs. About ½–1 teaspoon per litre. More eggs isn't better; overcrowding lowers the hatch rate.
5. Light it. Keep a lamp on the bottle 24 hours.
6. Wait. In a warm Malaysian room, expect hatching to start around 18 hours and be mostly done by 24 hours. In an air-conditioned room, it may take longer.
7. Harvest (see below).

Hatch time and temperature

Water temperature	Typical hatch time
22–24°C (cold aircond room)	30–36 hours or longer
26–28°C	About 20–24 hours
28–30°C (normal Malaysian room)	About 18–24 hours

These are typical ranges reported in hatching protocols. Your egg brand and quality will shift them, so check the bottle at 18 hours and judge by eye. Avoid direct sunlight: a small bottle can overheat quickly on a Malaysian windowsill.

How to Harvest Artemia

1. Turn off the air and wait 5–10 minutes.
2. Empty shells float, unhatched eggs sink to the very bottom, and live nauplii gather just above them, attracted to light. Shine a torch at the bottom.
3. Siphon or drain the orange cloud through the cap end into a fine net or coffee filter.
4. Rinse with fresh dechlorinated water to remove salt.
5. Feed a little at a time. Fry should have pink or orange bellies afterwards.

Feed within a few hours: the nutritional value drops as the yolk is used up. Leftovers can be kept in a fridge in salt water for a day, but fresh is best. Never pour the salty hatchery water into a freshwater fry tank.

Decapsulated Eggs: Worth It?

Decapsulated artemia eggs have had their hard outer shell chemically removed. Benefits:

• No shells to separate, so no risk of fry swallowing shells
• Can be fed directly as a non-hatching food (they sink, and small fry and shrimp eat them)
• Often a higher usable yield per gram

They cost more per gram and should be stored dry and cool. For many Malaysian betta breeders, decapsulated eggs fed straight from the pack are a handy backup when a hatch fails.

Troubleshooting a Poor Hatch

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Few or no nauplii	Old or damp eggs	Store eggs sealed, dry, cool; buy fresh
Eggs stuck on the bottle wall	Not enough aeration	Run the airline to the very bottom
Slow hatch	Water too cold	Move out of the aircond room
Hatch then die quickly	Overheating, too many eggs	Shade the bottle, use fewer eggs
Foam on top	Normal with some brands	Wipe the rim, it doesn't harm the hatch

Humidity is the big enemy in Malaysia. Once a tin is open, keep it tightly closed, and consider storing it in the fridge in a sealed container.

Artemia in a Fry-Feeding Plan

Artemia aren't usually the very first food for the tiniest fry. Betta fry, for example, are often started on infusoria or microworms for a few days and moved to artemia once they can swallow them. Livebearer fry can take artemia from day one. See our guides on makanan anak ikan (first foods for fry), raising anak ikan laga and the guppy care pillar.

Buying Artemia Eggs on FishyHub

Look under fry foods and live feed for artemia eggs and hatching kits. When comparing listings:

• Check the stated hatch rate, grade and expiry
• Prefer sealed tins or vacuum packs
• Check pack size: small tins stay fresh longer once opened
• Ask the seller how stock is stored

Prices are set by each seller in RM.

Frequently Asked Questions

Berapa lama telur artemia menetas?

Dalam bilik biasa di Malaysia (sekitar 28–30°C), kebanyakan telur artemia menetas dalam masa lebih kurang 18 hingga 24 jam. Dalam bilik berhawa dingin, ia boleh mengambil masa lebih lama, kadang-kadang sehingga 36 jam.

Berapa banyak garam untuk tetas artemia?

Gunakan lebih kurang 25 hingga 30 gram garam untuk setiap liter air, iaitu sekitar satu setengah hingga dua sudu besar. Guna garam tanpa iodin dan air yang sudah dirawat dengan anti klorin.

Do I need an airstone to hatch artemia?

No. An open airline tube run to the bottom of the bottle gives stronger rolling, which is what you want. Airstones can create foam and leave dead spots.

Can I hatch artemia in tap water without salt?

No. Artemia are brine shrimp and need salt water to hatch. After harvesting, rinse them in fresh water before feeding.

How long do baby brine shrimp live in a freshwater tank?

Usually several hours, which is long enough for fry to eat them. Feed small amounts so none are left to die and pollute the water.

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Setting up for fry season? Browse fry foods, live feed and air pumps from Malaysian sellers on FishyHub, with prices in RM.