Vibrance for enriching Brine Shrimp

Dear Bill:

There are quite a number of enrichment products available that you can consider as an alternative to Vibrance, if you are unable to obtain the Vibrance or you simply want to alternate the product you use to fortify the frozen Mysis before feeding it to your seahorses, to further vary their diet, sir. Some of the commercial enrichment products commonly used by professional breeders are listed below:

AlgaMac 2000 (Biomarine Aquafauna)
AlgaMac Enhance
Astaxanthene biological pigment Natu-Rose
Beta Meal
Culture HUFA
DHA Easy Selco
Kent Marine Zoe
Larviva MultiGain
MicroMac 70
Roti-Rich
Selcon Concentrate
Selco (Aquatic Ecosystems)

Such products are typically rich in amino acids, highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) and vitamins, but the Vibrance formulations are the only ones that include beta glucan as a primary ingredient to stimulate the immune system.

And, of course, spirulina is also a another good enrichment product for brine shrimp, Bill, as you can see from Jorge Gomezjuardo’s enrichment instructions below. (Jorge was the head curator of fishes at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and also owned and operated Draco Marine, which specialized in providing captive bred and raised seahorses for the aquarium industry, so he knows whereof he speaks.)

Jorge’s Tips for Enriching Adult Brine Shrimp

Hi,
For got to tell, brine shrimp and Mysis are not enough. They need to
be enriched URGENTLY, specially on yours that are growing now.
Selcon, no matter what other say it’s great due to the HUFA content,
Vit C, among other things. Try Live brine shrimps enriched with
powdered spirulina. This seems tough but after a couple days you’ll
do it quick. Beat half teaspoon of Spirulina powder with 2 teaspoons
of salt water (tank). Put it in a small glass containes (not
plastic, I use a tealite candle holder as mixing bow. Drop some live
brine shrimp from the net in the Spirulina mix. The shrimp will it
algae.Let them there for at least two hours. They can live up to 18
in that mix. Throw everything back to the Fish net. Rinse excess
spirulina mix with a fine flow of tab water-directly from the
fawcett.Then rinse with mineral, drinking or salt water. Your
seahorses will go crazy for these shrimp and will always be healthy.

You can also enrich your frozen by thawing then in a piece of
napkin. Transfer to a glass tea candle holder, put 5 drops of Selcon
and let it stand for at least 1 hout. This mix will be good in the
fridge for up to 24 hrs if covered. Grab small amounts of the mis
and put in the aquarium. Jorge

So I wouldn’t necessarily say that Vibrance 1 is better for enriching brine shrimp than spirulina, or vice versa, Bill. It’s mainly a matter of personal preference, but for best results, there is no reason that you cannot combine Vibrance 1 with spirulina powder when you enrich the brine shrimp, or alternate between the two on different days.

Best wishes with all your fishes, Bill!

Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech Support