Dear Carrie:
Yes, some of the factors that are known to shorten or speed up the hatching time for Artemia cysts (i.e., brine shrimp eggs) are warm temperature, adequate light levels, and decapsulating the eggs before hatching. The eggs need to be exposed to light in order to hatch, so peeling the labels off your hatching jars certainly could have increased the amount of illumination they received and hastened the hatching process. The warmer temperatures inside the cabinets probably also played a role in the faster hatches. By adjusting those two variables — the amount of light the hatching jars receive and the water temperature — you should be able to manipulate the hatching times through a process of trial and error so that it works well for your feeding schedule.
Best of luck getting your brine shrimp hatches better synchronized with your feeding regimen, Carrie!
Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojna
Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.
