The man behind ‘Sea-Monkey Dude’ has lifted the lid on how you can start your own colony
If you want the full debrief on Sea-Monkeys then Jon Hicks is your man.
The guy behind YouTube channel ‘Sea-Monkey Dude’ happens to have the ‘world’s largest Sea-Monkey colony’.
And he’s told us how we can make our own colony at home.
Just before we get into it, let’s quickly break down what the deal is with Sea-Monkeys, also known as brine shrimp.
They were very popular in the 70s and were pretty accessible, sold as eggs in little packets.
Meanwhile, Jon from Michigan, US, who supports the Google Android sales team as a Training Manager by day, has taken his hobby to the next level at night.
The father-of-two lives with his wife, his dog and his five cats.
“Oh, and we live with a few thousand Sea-Monkeys too,” Jon told LADbible.
Jon Hicks is your guy for all things Sea-Monkey (YouTube/Sea-Monkey Dude)
“I have multiple colonies going right now… seven or eight. The largest one is in a 16-gallon aquarium.
“The whole colony was created using Sea-Monkey brand packets and I created this colony towards the beginning of 2022.
“I have several small colonies in Sea-Monkey brand tanks too.
“My large colony size has fluctuated from several hundred pets to several thousand.
Jon has the ‘world’s largest Sea-Monkey colony’ (YouTube/Sea-Monkey Dude)
“I estimate around 3,000 in there when we submitted for the record.”
Now planning to home ‘5,500+ individual pets’, Jon has lifted the lid on how you can start and scale your own colony.
Here are Jon’s six steps on how to grow your own Sea-Monkey colony:
1. Buy your supplies
Jon has provided his six steps on how to grow your own Sea-Monkey colony (Amazon)
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Aquarium
- Decor
- Distilled water
- Air pump and line
- Heater
- Lighting (optional)
- Sea-Monkey brand packets number one (water purifier) and number two (instant live eggs)
“I have an Amazon list with a lot of the supplies. The packets can be purchased from Sea-Monkeys.com,” Jon said.
2. Keep the water in the room with the aquarium
It’s important to keep the water at room temperature when housing Sea-Monkeys. Not too hot and not too cold.
Jon suggests to ‘keep the water around 79°F (26°C)’.
3. Add water and packets to the aquarium
“For each 12oz of water you’ll need one PAIR of packet #1 and packet #2,” he explained.
“These should always be used in pairs.
“They both contain the eggs and salts necessary to create the right environment for the pets.
“Multiply up if you’re using more than 12oz of water.”
4. Add the heater
Jon said packets can be purchased from Sea-Monkeys.com (YouTube/Sea-Monkey Dude)
Do not forget this step, Jon emphasises.
A tank that is too cold will lead to them becoming immobile Sea-Monkeys that don’t grow.
5. Add the air line
“Be sure to use a control valve. You don’t need a ton of bubbles. Just a small trickle to break the water’s surface tension,” the YouTuber warned.
6. Add in any aquarium decor
Finally, after adding in some decor, Jon said: “Babies should hatch in a day or two. This will take longer with colder water.
“They are super tiny at first. You’ll want to look for specks with tiny jolt movements.
“It almost looks like they are glitching.
“And that’s about it. Feed them a couple times a week and enjoy the pets.”
To learn more, you can visit Sea-Monkey Dude’s YouTube channel.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@seamonkeydudejon
