Brine Shrimp Ecosphere! - Making a DIY closed ecosystem with Artemia salina

I've always wanted to make an ecosphere with brine shrimp so in this video I finally did it! I took saltwater and adult artemia, as well as brine shrimp eggs and yeast, flower sticks and a rock in a big glass jar. 2.5 gallon or 10 liters. What we wind up with is a closed ecosystem containing brine shrimp, or artemia, or sea-monkeys. I also go in depth about the reproduction of brine shrimp as well as their development and larvae of nauplius state.
Enjoy!
Patreon:
patreon.com/lifeinjars

[@panitaeo]

"but they are not using it, because they are in fact, dead." I lost it.

[@kiwikinzo_o]

LMAO

[@sweeflyboy]

"I hope that makes sense"

[@roann5138]

LMFAOOOOOO

[@ibrahim-sj2cr]

the lack of perfect english is comical in a good way. i still understand pefectly what he means

[@thesalviniadude3882]

1:27

[@BroBurg445]

"because, like all crustaceans, brine shrimp will eat each other." Thanks for that delivery, as a former isopod terrarium owner, crustaceans eating each other is like 40% of my sense of humor.

[@LifeinJars]

Haha I feel your pain

[@labella9291]

Except brine shrimp are filter feeders, so they can't eat each other.

[@BroBurg445]

@@labella9291 They just cant do it with intent.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

@@BroBurg445 Deep sea isopods?

[@souptime5095]

@@gregorymalchuk272 I would think (and hope) not, isopods is the name all woodlice things and sea woodlice things

[@charliepie1212]

"Imagine you are human-" Guess Life in Jars guy is secretly a bunch of brine shrimp.

[@theponydalek7923]

A series of fully grown brine shrimp in a large coat

[@JohnPaul-yf9xd]

Imagine you are brine shrimp. You do literally have to run for your supper.

[@joshandrews8913]

They are the Collective.

[@hotto-dogu5829]

Foo fighters

[@wiwwy]

he's a boogie worm

[@lowe42144]

“The dead shrimp, contain all this stuff. But they are not using it, because they are in fact, dead.”

[@CaveyMoth]

But are they dead?

[@SimonP6]

If they are dead they are dead

[@Micahmancer]

they died so hard they became dead

[@longgroove]

These are sold in the States as Sea Monkys. I had some as a child but forgot about them for months. I went to check the jar one day and they were everywhere, breeding and consuming algae.

[@jackb.nimble826]

As soon as I saw the title of this video I thought about Sea Monkeys. I had some as a kid and didn't realize they still sold them. For those of you who never heard of them, "Sea Monkeys" was (is) a ready-made kit sold in toy stores. It had everything you needed to start a brine shrimp habitat. The container it came in was the actual jar where they lived and had little magnifying lenses built right in so you could see them better. heh, good times.

[@leaf_wing5467]

Wow

[@cake3291]

same here in Australia

[@GrillaDog]

I told my younger cousin about Sea Monkeys, he laughed at me and said "they're called Aqua Dragons."

[@Yakerina]

I am so jealous. Mine just did not live.

[@suzu8006]

Nobody: Absolutely no one: Brine shrimp: •◡•

[@scarletwarrior1704]

Myah Gundersen something about their face is adorable

[@IratePuffin]

I’m not sure how I fell into this rabbit hole. Errr... shrimp hole?

[@suzu8006]

@@scarletwarrior1704 thanks :)

[@suzu8006]

Best face is at 6:40 in my opinion

[@silverkiss37]

THAT. was hilarious

[@Natnarf]

"It turns out my camera 'Magically Deleted' the footage of me pouring in the brine shrimp." I died...Your camera always has problems... 2 Thumbs up all the way~

[@thisgirlrocks6469]

😂😌 I absolutely love your humor 👍

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks!

[@donsantana07]

This Girl Rocks That humor just got him a sub😂

[@thisgirlrocks6469]

@@donsantana07 😁

[@drakekay6577]

6:34 Those little buggers are breaking the fourth wall. Staring straight into the camera, knowing it is there.

[@meridian367]

Wait... Wtf did I just stumble on here?? This is cool as shit. Subbed!

[@jimothyj2638]

Yo I think the giant alien flying things from avengers are based on these guys

[@richardquinto477]

Jimothy j lol

[@stiepanholkien605]

Lots of aliens based on crustaceans, turns out exoskeletons are cool.

[@coinslotsandjoysticks2572]

Wow they can lay dormant for 50 years. That's crazy

[@coinslotsandjoysticks2572]

Alien space monkeys. Lol

[@cinnamonsea3539]

And that's why you never flush brine shrimp down the toilet

[@drakekay6577]

9:55 The only difference between flying and swimming is the density relationship between the body and the environment. :D

[@nealthomson9505]

You can see little bugs swimming in the air specially in the morning in the cool damp morning air one can definitely see the difference. The movement looks like swimming

[@Cgraseck]

I culture them by adding micro algae fertilizer (very low in Cu) to salt water along with a micro algae starter. Once the water turns green I add either cysts of freshly hatched brine shrimp. This is a good way to grow adults but they will eventually clear the water and run into a starvation situation. It is really hard to keep them in a balanced ecosystem. They almost always strip out all the algae and then starve. Good Luck, Chris

[@LifeinJars]

Yes they do prove to be quite difficult. That's probably why almost nobody is able to do this correctly. Thanks!

[@anonymousperson2738]

You could also add chetto

[@danielperez-mw8cw]

this is true I work with brine shrimp in FL 50-100 pounds each tank man but are they sensitive if the wrong algae forms on the tank they will get sick and die

[@Togmot]

Maybe you need to add predators or parasites to cull the shrimp numbers before they eat all the algae.

[@sergeantsonso3490]

@@LifeinJars you need a population of predators in there, as well as crevices that only the brine shrimp can hide in. so the predators can manage the populations of the brine shrimp, then reproduce hopefully as the mature adults die out from either starvation and/or other natural causes, and then the brine shrimp can bounce back in equilibrium.

[@BroBurg445]

This was only a matter of time.. nice. I hope one day you can bring us a formula for a diverse and functioning ecosphere made with as many different crustaceans as possible.

[@LifeinJars]

I'm afraid it was haha. Thanks

[@drakekay6577]

Multiple containers inside the main container, each with a different region and purpose....

[@ProinLususNaturae]

I totally love how biological background knowledge is provided here. Ceep up the good work. So far, no ads where blocked or skipped on this channel. You deserve it ♡

[@terynh5512]

I remembered when I was little it had brine shrimp but I forgot to refill it sometimes and once they had no water for 2 weeks, but I refilled it and realized the eggs were dormant and survived, I still have the little jar now. I can only imagine how many generations there are in there, and how much incest there would have been

[@LifeinJars]

That's really cool!

[@bevkenny1843]

I’m sat in my living room on a Sunday afternoon, watching brine shrimp. I’m hooked!! Subbed!! Plus... Your narration is both informative and hilarious! 7:56 find myself waving back at the brine shrimp 👋🏻

[@Providence83]

"Imagine you are a human." Ok, perfect, got it. "Errrr, imagine you're a brine shrimp." Oh shit, my frame of reference is ruined, hold on!

[@wafflefan943]

No more likes

[@mysticswaypointadvocate]

I had a sea monkey farm once, the little ones you could buy at stores. I was a dumb kid and added everything at once, eggs, food, all of it. They hatched and died in just a day, so I thought. I left it on my windowsill anyway because it was pretty watching the algae grow that had turned the container green and lush in a couple weeks. Almost a month later I went to toss it out and noticed little specks, brine shrimp! Somehow, some eggs must have laid dormant and hatched after the algae grew. These shrimp also grew way past the advertised 3mm and some got up to one centimeter in length. I'll never forget that strange accident, and this reminds me of it.

[@Agm1995gamer]

I love how the filming bloopers eventually make the video better. You're so classy!

[@LifeinJars]

You always have to make the best out of a situation!

[@nethangarvey1293]

Your to under rated love your channel

[@LifeinJars]

Thank you very much

[@hadrian.2796]

honestly i hope this works because you would be one the first

[@LifeinJars]

I honestly really badly hope it works as well

[@memwewtokyo4793]

KZbin recommended bring me to your Channel. I come and stay. I like these guy. Look really funny and cute.

[@Marjuuu]

Me watching this at 3 am: wow I wonder if brine shrimp watch KZbin videos in their houses

[@FieryCoal]

Good luck, I had one but never got to closing it, it was a smaller jar and the algae never grew well, the thing lasted about half+ a year, until a hot day came and boiled them...

[@LifeinJars]

Ah that's sad

[@lexigarcia620]

Nooooo😢

[@sharkamov]

@9:43 - _‘’This_ is how _I_ imagine what it would look like, to look up in the sky on a nice day, on a different planet, and seeing alien spacemonkeys flying around in the sky...’ *You just **_can't_** ''make up'' a statement like that! . . . .* - _Priceless!!!_ 😉👍

[@alecb.7716]

I always wanted to know what a brine shrimp egg looks like on a macro-lens ... THANK YOU

[@tamarrajames3590]

You have a new subscriber. You are very amusing as well as educational, this combination makes me very happy, thank you.🖤🇨🇦

[@chelloardra6271]

actually i have phobia to creatures that have many legs but with your funny words, these brine shrimps look cute😁

[@midkailol]

why this is so interesting?

[@LifeinJars]

I don't know? Small little world in a jar

[@daviddrouant2852]

I'm stoned

[@mathiasjansson144]

@@daviddrouant2852 yea

[@FeaturingSage]

Just found his channel today and already watched like 5 videos

[@cringenics]

I love that pfp. *YeE*

[@thememester1190]

You should do a guide on how to gather crustaceans and other organisms for ecospheres in the wild.

[@natertater4024]

He has done those types

[@fish2468]

Mine telling me which video? I’m making one soon Information will be very handy Thanks

[@noeberri]

I remember that when I was 8, I had one of those brine shrimp kits for kids. One day, the table shook and the cheap and unstable tank fell over and they spilled all over me and the floor ;w; rip brine shrimps, you will be missed

[@kaitholin]

“Imagine you are a human”

[@MiguelAguilar-yo2mv]

No thanks lol

[@wiwwy]

he's secretly a boogie worm

[@TheJessieization]

I love your videos! Don't ever stop expanding your magnificent mind!

[@jonmurph589]

Great video. Looking forward to an update sometime 👍

[@crustycarrots538]

I used to own sea monkeys but my sister accidentally tipped over the tank in my room. Now I hear the voices of my Dead Sea monkeys in my carpet...

[@angieyang1133]

eksksksksksk im weakk

[@crustycarrots538]

Moments woah nice

[@haydenrobertson1075]

@@pupip55 Uhh well I mean, whatever works. Ha LOL

[@milamMoralesBoyd]

"Ever wonder what Brine shrimp eggs look like through a macro lens? Probably not, but here it is" I laughed.

[@intheshitter]

It looks like they have little smiling faces 🙂

[@DelSimmons]

Fun video. I have a 1.5 gallon brine shrimp aquarium myself. My guess is you will have problems maintaining adequate oxygen levels to sustain the population until you have much more algea growing. Be aware of that and keep an eye on them lest you kill them all accidentally because of this issue. Good luck and keep up the great work!

[@CartiersRavioli]

The delivery for the subtle jokes is phenomenal.

[@sharkamov]

*''Life in Jars?'* - David Attenborough's favorite KZbin channel! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@mlgiggleman9786]

The close ups are amazing. Such detail.

[@ninah1903]

You should use Spirulina instead of Yeast. It's way healthier for your Artemia. And be careful with adding "foreign water" like from the bags. I bought some living Artemia to feed my fish once and it almost killed every fish and coral in my tank because the water was so bad.

[@taylorbeasley8961]

This is so cool! You could keep these guys for YEARS!

[@retard_activated]

If you haven't already, can you do a video about triops? They are my favorites! Here in New Mecico I always look forward to find them during the monsoon season! But they are difficult to keep for very long (I know their lifespans are very short). But I think they would be an interesting challenge to create a functioning ecosphere, if possible...

[@jesket6783]

How you narrate always makes me laugh 😂

[@r0syyyy]

You are hilarious lol I love the serious tone, yet awesome sense of humor. Instant SUB! lol

[@jeremyellis1262]

Triop biosphere would be cool as heck

[@Beansie]

Is it me, or are they actively watching you watch them? They're adorbs, for real...but I swear....they're checking out what you're doing with the camera lol

[@DropsOfLadyAku222]

This is the best film about brine shrimp I have ever seen. I’m learning to raise them in a jar, and started 3 days ago. You drop a lot of gold nuggets that also apply to the spiritually attune community as well. I was totally captivated 🤩

[@Sarah-gx7zy]

I love your videos. But more than anything, your voice. I like that.

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks!

[@Elizabeth-so6zp]

I love how he explains things. Lovely sense of humour. Edit: I love that he says: "Well, you're going to have to subscribe". Like there is no choice. 😂 SUBSCRIBED!

[@meowmeow89012]

The way they swim looks so cool

[@malphusmclerius9455]

“some of these are already carrying eggs, and some of them are already dead” i lost my shit

[@jmhaddon]

I love your dry humor

[@polygonal933]

Your way cooler than Dustin pak

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks haha

[@Amsayy]

Damn things are spicy in the ecosphere fandom.

[@lydaswogger8012]

LiJ: "hey kids, wanna see some macro videography of brine shrimp eggs?" Nobody: Absolutely Nobody: LiJ: "OC you do, LOOK!"

[@LifeinJars]

:)

[@candysantillo3325]

New subscriber.not only do I find your videos fascinating but also your delivery if clever and humorous

[@twilightsdawningpalladino9997]

I never knew they had three eyes! Way cool!!

[@jesussaves6625]

It's crazy because even now that I know that's a third eye, I still see it as a "humanoid" face with two eyes.

[@Justme-yw2ig]

Just discovered this video. It’s amazing. Truly

[@Pinkervi]

this channel should be used for educational purposes in school. its so interesting yet so much ive learned xD

[@edwilliams9914]

OK, you HAVE to start telling us about the music! I love all the pieces you play in the videos, but this one is particularly nice. Who are they? Anyway another great video, and yes, they ARE fun to watch. Someone gave me some as a kid back in the 50s when the Sea Monkey Craze first happened (I'm 70 now). Of course being a little kid I loved them, but I didn't know much biology, so they didn't last long. So I'm particularly enjoying this Jar! Keep up the great projects!

[@aperson1974]

Everything about this is comedy gold and I'm in love with this channel

[@jakejake708]

I must be getting older cause I really like your channel lol ten years ago I doubt I would've lol. Gotta make a jar now 👍🏻

[@ishedits4226]

Bre I think ur the best youtuber I'm gonna ask all my friends to seee u

[@matt250594]

I never heard of brine shrimp before. They're quite interesting little animals. Also i like the music

[@ninah1903]

They're mostly used to feed your fish xD

[@icouldbeaheroine8456]

Living for that sense of humour

[@ifyouwoooshmeyouhavesmallp7603]

A german speaking dutch? HOW?

[@icouldbeaheroine8456]

@@ifyouwoooshmeyouhavesmallp7603 oh, ik kan niet veel praten, maar ik hou van Nederland en de Nederlandse taal. Ik ben onlangs op Texel geweest en in Utrecht en ik denk dat het beleefd is als je naar het buitenland rijd en de taal een beetje kan spreken. geen idee waarom Duitsers altijd zo ignorant zijn... :/

[@LifeinJars]

Succes!

[@ogxj6]

I was just wondering what brine shrimp eggs look like through a macro lens! Thank you so much!!

[@masterchiefcommander3116]

One of the best displays of sea monkeys ever I want to see the update many moons later!

[@shibolinemress8913]

My mum never let me order those "sea monkeys" from the back of my comic books. Too bad, because they were actually brine shrimp, which would have been a cool and educational experiment! But who am I kidding? Once mum saw them, she'd have freaked and tossed them out. Aah, mothers... 😉 On another note (pardon the pun), your background music is great! It has quite a Vince Guaraldi feel. Who's the artist?

[@Igfretms]

Artemia Salina’s will definitely overlive humans, that’s inner feeling of abondent makes keeping them so fantastically interesting

[@madismom022508]

You seriously crack me up!! I’m totally hooked on your videos and you’ve inspired me to try these ecosphere jars with my kids to see what is in our local (Florida) ponds, puddles, lakes, oceans, and streams. We have a pond behind our home but Albert the alligator makes collection of water and substrate from it a challenge especially since he hates me for hitting him (accidentally) in the eye with a wad a bread when he refused to leave and let us feed the snapping turtles and fish. Every time he sees me, he comes straight at me and hisses. Currently he’s a baby and not big enough to actually not be stepped on by me if he comes close and we refuse to allow him to partake in our fish/turtle feeding adventures as he should fear us and not depend on us. Anyways love your channel!!

[@professorm4171]

There are freshwater fairy shrimps too, artemia. You can buy the eggs or find a pool in a forest.

[@pandu8904]

now I can't stop wondering if they are swimming upside down on their backs or on their tummies with their legs way back XD

[@mitchl5220]

Very interesting! Can't wait to see how this turns out :)

[@LifeinJars]

Me neither!

[@jupiterfive1331]

Have you tried to sterilize the jar with bleach and then alcohol, followed with time in the microwave to cook anything containing traces of water, next catch rainwater directly from the air before it hits the ground and seal it up to see all the little organisms that exists.

[@olfmombach260]

Good job on pouring in that water in the beginning xD

[@standalonesociety9]

I've been watching your videos for an hour now, soo cool and interesting!

[@LiveAndLetLive2024]

9:44 Amazing, lol - thanks for that. Really cool project idea!

[@edlee2336]

This was so cool to watch! You’ve earned a subscriber ❤️

[@windstormx8952]

Is there a reason you don't give the brine shrimp a substrate like dirt or sand? Are they just fine with nothing but water?

[@LifeinJars]

No real reason. They should be fine without it.

[@ghsh837]

Thank you so much for such good and rich video, but i have to ask about oxygen source in the jar and transparent glass isn't harming the artemia because of light

[@sennheiser1986]

Hi there! Where do you get the jars? I'm from Belgium so I could cross the border easily :)

[@JohnPaul-yf9xd]

Wow!I I remember eating a pack of sea monkeys in the USA. I was probably 6 years old and I thought that it would give me some type of amphibious ways! I also ate the food pack, just incase I got hungry. I still love monkeys.Especially bonobos.

[@LifeinJars]

Lol

[@fabiomgm1293]

Up to 50 years as an egg? Goddamn, these guys are resilient.

[@rhombifer566]

you’re voice is relaxing 😌

[@toxicityimvu7655]

Love these little guys

[@abigailmiller7193]

"....now act surprised" me: wow lol

[@jessefontainieohfwob]

Perhaps the higher ploidy of the eggs helps them survive harsh environments for longer peroids of time

[@hensonlaura]

Excellent job; your videos are fun and fascinating and I always learn something 👾

[@salehk8542]

I think you are a true scientist.

[@Alberad08]

Thanks for sharing! Liked the music - although I didn't knew the actual piece, it made me think of Sun Ra.

[@Skeptical_Numbat]

Intriguing little critters. Why are some clear white & others have a red dorsal stripe? (Note that in crustaceans, their body plans are inverted front-to-back when compared to vertebrates, so their gut runs down their back & their nerve cord their front) btw - Were you able to locate an appropriate algae for their food source, or can you just get algae spores naturally from the atmosphere?

[@guycusters3164]

Man, which artist is making this kickass music in your vids?

[@PepeCoinMania]

thats nice for us in saltwater this is easy since we have about everything needed for a perfect saltwater anyway

[@lauraslifejourney238]

How are they now? Will you post a new video

[@souptime5095]

Can you use seawater from the sea to keep brine shrimp? Or do they require brackish

[@heaven7360]

You're a great narrator!!

[@noahv1916]

Love your videos man rarely comment but had to hope to see a lot of ecospheres in the future 😀👍🏽

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks!

[@jamessmith1652]

They sell these as sea monkeys in America for years. I had some when I was a kid. Either with a tank or simply with just three packets (eggs, salts and food). After a while, the floor of the tank is covered in dead shrimps! By the way those airtight lids you have, do you have to pump them to create a vacuum? Because if so, how do you avoid too much negative pressure inside the jar?