By "Uncle Sea-Monkey"

imagínate que aquí hay Sea-Monkeys, ya que no tienes Java para poder verlos.

(Basic kit with tank, get it at Amazon, international orders accepted for some items.
Other Sea-Monkey kits available.)

Planning a new Sea-Monkey Family? Start Here
Visit my NEW website! →HERE← and give me your feedback! (under construction)
This old web site will soon be history!

Windows® games and screensavers | Monthly NEWS (must read!) | Personal Museum | History | Historic Catalog | Sea-Monkeys® vs. Triops | Instructions | For the overachiever... | Q&A | Where to find more information or buy these kits on the web | Your comments or questions | Breeding "wild" Artemias | "Sea-Monkey® Cam" | Sea-Monkey® Club (moving to new address) | Create a Sea-Monkey® Virtual Card (moving to new address) | Sea-Monkey® GIVE-A-WAY!

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"With only water and the 'crystals' in your Sea-Monkey® kit, you will create INSTANT-LIFE®"...
Thanks for all your emails! It's incredible there are many more Sea-Monkey fans than I ever imagined.

 

Some items from our collection Sea-Monkey manual in Spanish and a Plasma packet from 1978 labeled as packet #3! If you have Sea-Monkey memorabilia from the 70's or 80's we'd love to show it off on our page!

(Note: the Plasma in the new kits is labeled packet #4)

Coming soon:

• 'Sea-Monkian' Museum (antique acessories or packets that are becoming extinct)

Here we have my favorite pastime as a child. The Amazing Sea-Monkeys. Thanks to my Mom who ordered a Sea-Monkey kit in the early 70's, I became a fan for life. A few years later I mail ordered more sets and acessories, due in part to a promotion here in Puerto Rico. My love of Sea-Monkeys inspired an interest in biology and chemistry, a field I would have persued, if I hadn't been introduced to computers. I like experimenting so much, that I developed new formulas, and different methods of raising Sea-Monkeys. I even developed various natural habitats (unfortunately these were destroyed by tropical storms and rabbits!).

The scientific name of this species is "Artemia Salina". They are saltwater shrimp, used for many years as fish food because of their high protein content, until Mr. Harold Braunhut discovered that they were better pets than the fish and developed formulas to grow Sea-Monkeys in a unique and fun way. First sold as Instant Life, Mr. Braunhut thought they looked like little monkeys swimming around with their long tails.

The name given to the Artemia that are raised in the labs is "Artemia NYOS" (from New York Ocean Science). This new hybrid specie of Artemia was given the name "Super Sea-Monkeys" because it grew rapidly and lived longer:

These 'Artemia NYOS' or 'hybrid Super Sea-Monkeys' are now an integral part of the modern kits and are commonly known as Sea-Monkeys.

As a historical fact, the current packets suffered a change of label a few years back, when the "Growth Food" packet #4 was changed to packet #3, this because Plasma (labeled then #3) was not included in all the kits. To avoid confusion, "Growth Food" was label #3 and Plasma #4 as it actually and officially is today. This change of label probably forced the manual to be rewritten (and I have proof which will be included in the Personal Museum). See my Instructions where you can read about the procedures I personally follow.

Artemia is commonly known as Brine Shrimp, and exist in its natural habitat in the "Great Salt Lake" in Utah, because only Artemia can survive in those levels of salt concentration.  The name scientists have given the amazing rare process of the 'dryed-out', unborn eggs found in the kits, is "cryptobiosis" which means "hidden life".  They actually exist in 'suspended animation'.  Sea-Monkeys® are real time-travellers, asleep in biological time-capsules.

• Historic Catalog (a time line of how the formulas and kits evolved thru time)

 

Raising Sea-Monkeys has a high educational value that surpases in my opinion, other similar species, for example, Triops.
Here you'll find a comparison of Sea-Monkeys vs. Triops based on my personal experience. I am aware that this may seem biased to Triops lovers, but as a Sea-Monkey breeder for 25 years, I'll use my free speech to present the case of the "Amazing Sea-Monkeys" vs. "The Terrible Triops".

Lately, many toy stores have been selling kits with formulas and tanks. Many people who buy these kits feel frustrated because even though the instructions are clear, they do not answer all the doubts or questions that may arise.

If you are about to buy one of these kits, be ready to buy, or take extra precaution that the manual doesn't say or spell out clearly, for example:

• RULE NUMBER ONE: As much as it pities you ; DO NOT OVER FEED. This is the biggest mistake people make.They see that the spoon is small and the manual says to feed once or twice a week, but they feel sorry and do not follow the golden rule! Of the many Sea-monkeys that are born, only a half dozen or so survive to adulthood. The reason is not under nourishment, but natural selection, only the strongest and fittest survive, like most species in the animal kingdom.
  
• Get a new straw to mix the formulas, most people use spoons that have been washed with soap, a big no no. This straw should be rinsed after each use and stored in a clean paper towel.
  
• If your kit *Does not* include the packet Plasma, consider using only 10 oz of distilled water, instead of the 12 oz that are indicated on the back of the packets. If your kit has Plasma, or if you order it separately by mail (highly recomended), use 12 oz of water. The Plasma is an additive that gives the formula a higher salt concentration, it also provides micro nutrients, that stimulate the growth of the young Sea-Monkeys.
  
• Many problems with the formulas are that people get impatient, please wait 24 to 36 hours after adding packet #1 Water Purifier *before* opening the second packet.
  
• Get or buy a container that holds up to 16 oz of liquid to oxigenate the water at least every time you feed them. This is done by pouring the contents from one container to another a few times. Remember that Sea-Monkeys tanks dont use an air pump. Many more will survive if the water is properly oxigenated. In the first week of life, its important to oxigenate the water daily.
  
• If your kit does not include packet #4 (Plasma), feed the Sea-Monkeys on the fourth day of life. I consider Plasma to be an important additive to the formula. If your kit does not include it, it is worth it to order it.
  
• If your kit contains Plasma, I recommend that you add it on the fourth or fifth day of life, BUT DO NOT FEED ON THE DAY YOU ADD THE PLASMA
  
  Based on personal experience, I recommend that on the fouth or fifth day of life you do either one of these things:
  
  
  1. OR you add the entire contents of the Plasma packet, (if your kit includes the Plasma packet);
  2. Or you begin to feed them, with a small serving of food (using the small side of the Sea-Monkey Feeding Spoon that is included in your kit)
  3. Check out my 'Sea-Monkey Cam' section so you can see how a four or five day old Sea-Monkeys looks.
     
     

  If your Kit includes the Plasma packet, wait two or three days after adding the Plasma before feeding them. Even though the new Manual indicates that the Plasma should be added at ten days of life, I have found that it is too late to help the baby Sea-Monkeys survive. This is just a suggestion based on my personal experience, by no means do I assume any responsability for any mishaps, but I can assure that following my method many more Sea-Monkeys will survive.
  
  Most probably the new instructions on the use of Plasma are due to the change in labeling that the formulas underwent a few years ago, when various distributors had control of the sale of the kits. Thanks to ExploraToy this situation is now stable. You can read about my theory on this case in the "history" section.
  
  NOTE: Follow the Plasma 3 packet instructions if you have a Magic Castle or other non-standard (non Micro-View) container that requires the use of the Aqua-Leash to mix the formulas.

• If your kit comes with "Sea-Diamonds" *DO NOT* add them to the formula until there are adult Sea-Monkeys in the tank (from 1/2" to 3/4" inch).  Also remember to oxigenate the water more frequently, because part of the microscopic food becomes trapped between these 'diamonds' and the babies will not be able to eat.
  
• Sea-Monkeys love sunny days, because they promote the growth of algae, that provides both oxigen and food.  But do not make the mistake of leaving them in direct sun light, as this warms the water and is not healthy for your pets.  A good idea is to provide a small amout of light, 15 watts or less, or better yet , a light bulb for plants, that does not heat the water, yet provides a constant temperature and soft light at night.
  
• And remember, the future of your Sea-Monkeys is in your hands, WASH THEM!

If you are really interested in this hobby, order items like 'Jumbo Plasma', 'Water Purifier', 'Aqua Leash', 'Million Bubbles Air Pump' (formerly known as 'Oxy-Mist', to oxigenate the water), 'Sea-Medicine' and maybe another food packet (each food packet can last a year!).

A packet of 'Water Purifier' and a packet of 'Jumbo Living Plasma' make a quart (32 ozs.) of formula, that can be used to separate Sea-Monkeys into various containers (using the 'Aqua-Leash').
That way you can separate;

• Newborns (they need tiny particles of food which the older Sea-Monkeys eat first)
• The sick (as not to contaminate the others)
• The "bullies" (always male)
• Pregnant Moms (so the bullies wont bother them)

or simply to clean or change the water in tank where you keep your Sea-Monkeys.

How should you clean the Sea-Monkeys water? This is done by empting the contents from the tank to a clean container, carefully , so as to leave only a small amount of water on the bottom (where all the sedimentation is found), clean the tank with some distilled water (be sure to throw out the wash water), then empty the formula in the clean tank. The amount of formula that you threw out with the sediments can be replaced with some prepared "Jumbo Living Plasma". You could also prepare a small packet of Plasma, but this only makes 6 ozs. of formula.

The Artemia Lake screensaver (an 'interactive virtual pet' screensaver)

• Download Artemia Screensaver FREE 480k (please leave your feedback)
• Read Instructions
• Copy Activation Code (needed to install)

The Sea-Monkey® Plasma Blast (a Sea-Monkey® Windows® action game)

• Download Game FREE level (1.04 meg) (please leave your feedback about this game)
• Read Instructions

The Artemia Desktop Toy (a Windows® Desktop Pet Toy)

• Download Desktop Toy FREE 476k (please leave feedback)
• Read Instructions

Coming soon:

• The Sea-Monkey Project (to plan your Sea-Monkey family)

 

Coming soon:

• Questions and Answers (a new section where I will answer the most uncommon questions.
  I'll be answering many of these questions in the 'Frequently Asked Question' column in the 'Monthly News' section.

Now available!:

• Breeding of Artemias (how to breed artemias)

(all price quotes may vary)

•  "Magic Castle" Aquarium One of the most innovative and complete kits. This tank is different from the common Sea-Monkey tanks and has a pretty castle inside. Includes the packet of 'Plasma' and an 'Aqua-Leash'.  US $9.99 at Amazon.com

•  "Ocean of Light" I declared this item, "Amazon BEST-BUY kit". Complete kit with tank, also includes 'Light Up Ocean Zoo Aquarium Cover' (2 AAA battery not included) and includes the 'Plasma' packet.  US $11.99 at Amazon.com

•  "Ocean Zoo" Basic kit with tank.  US $6.99 at Amazon.com

•  "The Ultimate Guide to Sea-Monkeys" The Sea-Monkey Lady tells everything you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask.  US $13.95 at Amazon.com

Or press GO! for a complete list of Sea-Monkey products on Amazon...

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If you have questions, doubts or comments related to Sea-Monkeys, you can write to me here or if you wish to share your concern you may do so on my Bulletin Board.   Check this space often to see the latest information about Sea-Monkeys.

 

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(Translated into english by Brujitablanca)
Aprieta aquí para la versión en [ESPAÑOL].

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Copyright ©1996-2003 Giovanni@Cardona.com.  Please don't use any material from this web page without written permission (like the Artemia GIF animation, backgrounds, video footage or games and "screen-savers" created by Giovanni Cardona).
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