Growing spirulina (arthrospira platensis) with brine shrimp

The brine shrimp's main food in nature is a form of blue-green algae called spirulina (Arthrospira platensis). I would love to be able to build a mostly self-sustaining mini-ecosystem for the brine shrimp to live in, so I've been doing some research on how to grow spirulina along with the brine shrimp.

Most people who are growing spirulina are doing so for health food reasons-- the algae has been eaten in certain parts of the world for centuries. Nowadays many people are eating it for its high protein and other nutritional content. There aren't a ton of people that I was able to find online who are growing it for home aquaulture purposes.

Here are some notes on spirulina growing conditions.

Water

The optimum temperature for spirulina is between 35°C (98°F) and 38°C (100.4°F). Spirulina will still survive below 35°C (68°F) but the growth will be very little.

The salinity level for spirulina is brackish, 30 g/L or above.

pH level is 8.5 - 11.0.

Light

The ideal light for spirulina seems to be 30% of full sunlight; too much prolonged light will end up killing the cells. Periods of darkness are also needed for certain chemical reactions.

Sources

Habib, M.A.B.; Parvin, M.; Huntington, T.C.; Hasan, M.R. A review on culture, production and use of spirulina as food for humans and feeds for domestic animals and fish. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular. No. 1034. Rome, FAO. 2008. 33p. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/contents/b2d01d94-4707-54c1-9f65-01f699fc6d07/i0424e00.htm

Jourdan, J. Grow Your Own Spirulina. (2001, Dec. 3). Retrieved from http://www.antenna.ch/en/documents/Jourdan_UK.pdf.

Lavens, P; Sorgeloos, P. (eds.) Manual on the production and use of live food for aquaculture FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 361. Rome, FAO. 1996. 295p. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/W3732E/w3732e00.htm

Setting up a brine shrimp environment

Brine shrimp are usually grown by fish keepers who are looking for a cheap, nutritious way to feed their fish. However brine shrimp can be grown as pets in themselves, aka sea monkeys.

In general brine shrimp need water, oxygen, light, and food in order to live.

Water

You can use tap water that is boiled and cooled, to get rid of the chlorine that will kill the shrimp

Temperature:
Recommended is 25-30°C (77-86°F)

pH
Recommended pH is 8.0, but 6.0-9.0 are ok. 8.0 is slightly basic, meaning it is above neutral (7.0). So you can add a pinch of baking soda to raise the pH.

Salinity
Recommended salinity is 30-35 ppt. Using this calculator, I estimate that 10 cups of regular water require about 4 1/4 tablespoons of salt. Use marine salt, or organic sea salt with no additions, not regular table salt, as the iodine in it will kill the shrimp/

Quality
If you are raising brine shrimp in a sea monkey or otherwise small container < 1 gal, it is extra important to keep up water quality. In general, doing a 20% water change once a week and then replacing it w/ clean water will help. You can also use a pipette or turkey baster to vacuum up the waste that collects at the bottom of the tank.

Oxygen

While a pump and filter is the most effective way of adding oxygen to a tank, I'm going to try and see if aerating the water with a plastic syringe will do the job. I may also try later to add an aquarium plant.

Light

Brine shrimp need about 8 hours of light per day. I don't get enough natural sunlight, so will use a grow light above the tank.

Food

Brine shrimp are foragers, so they will eat anything that is a particle size small enough for them. Many people feed them yeast or boiled egg yolk, but it seems that dried spirulina, bought at either a pet or health store, is the best food for them. In addition, if you are able to get algae growing in the tank the shrimp can eat that. 

Overfeeding is one of the easiest ways the kill the shrimp. Feeding more food than they can eat will result in the rest of it contaminating the water and leading to bacteria growth. Bacteria in general are bad because they consume the oxygen in the water and will cause the shrimp to die.

Sources

Growing Adult Brine Shrimp, by William Berg
Salinity Calculator
Growing Spirulina