It’s not always easy to find an absolutely perfect gift for your favorite child, especially if that child tends to be quiet, thoughtful and yet curious about things they come across in life.
Imagine then, my delight at going into our local toy store and discovering I could purchase a magical live piece of history for my 10-year-old friend Jack. There were all kinds of flashy toys to choose from, but I had my heart set on finding some sea monkeys. |
Another friend warned me it isn’t a great idea to give children pets, as parents end up being responsible for them. But both Jack and his mom agreed to be caregivers for them.
So mission accomplished, I left with a little plastic aquarium in my hot little hand, instructions and a tiny package of minuscule dried eggs inside it. I hoped this was going to be a treasured experience for friend Jack.
Long, long ago
Brine gives you a clue that these tiny creatures ( 10mm long x 4mm wide at maturity) like a salty kind of environment. This is one of the main reasons they have managed to escape predators over those millions of years. They can live in 30-35 parts per trillion (ppt) salt water. Other sea creatures cannot survive more than 3.5%.
Creatures and kids
What to do?
So what do you ultimately do with sea monkeys? I mean, after a while you sort of become fed up with looking after these little guys. Some of their habits are a bit disgusting, one of them being they’re cannibals, and they get bigger through just living.
Ever noticed, almost any creature becomes less cute as they grow older? It’s just a fact of life.
Sea monkeys breed like crazy. Jack and his mom discovered this in a short time. Uh oh, I didn’t realize this in the beginning either! Population explosion!
Untimely project ending!
Fish eat fish. You don’t get vegetarian ones, so all aquarium owners need to get food. And sea monkeys, also called brine shrimp, are a big favorite with fishy friends. You can get them fresh, dried, or they can easily be frozen and served later to keep bigger fish from starving.
One important thing I hadn’t calculated. As children we seized on any opportunity to make little bits of coin. Our parents weren’t affluent enough to give us regular pocket money. We would have seized on this possibility with enthusiasm and drive to succeed. The marketing technology of today would have helped too.
But these days it seems parents bestow expensive, lavish ‘extras’ on their children. Everything they need, including play technology is there for them, even expected.
So things like the time required for care of humble sea monkeys might be for the most part just a bridge too far for families to cross.
Life is fast. There are pressures everywhere in life for families.
Finally, this project came to an untimely end when a younger sibling thought he might tidy the windowsill, home of the mini aquarium.
Using a step stool he managed to reach it, and then triumphantly carry it off to the nearby toilet, where a swift, noisy flush was the last memory of those little sea monkeys.
Time spent on observing, gaining knowledge and handling sea monkeys could actually be a huge detriment to present day family life. The friend who warned me was correct.
Learning from the monkeys!
- There is a definite market for sea monkeys as food for other aquatic creatures.
- Collecting and processing them is easy. The eggs survive even when they’re dried.
- Kids and parents needs have changed.
- Hands-on is still proven to be a wonderful way to learn.
- Technology has the power to help with your depth of learning, and teach you the best way forward.
Not many brine shrimp raising programs go to the depths of the one chosen for your viewing pleasure. Click here!
But it does effectively point out the need for fish food breeders
Imagine how different senior care homes would be if the older generation could plan and even work at such a program? I know it sounds a bit crazy, but it would encourage socializing, keep the brains sharp as possible, and help so many seniors not to feel lonely if they could work on things together.
There are still endless possibilities for you to be an entrepreneur. This might be a great opportunity for seniors to develop sea monkey businesses! Small outlay, interesting way to bring in helpful volunteers, social interaction with others, marketing education, maximum return.