545007 Sea Creatures Aquarium

Specifications

• Brand: Sea Creatures
• Product: Aquarium Kit
• Contents:
  • 1 x Aquarium tank with base
  • 1 x Aquarium tank lid
  • 2 x Salt packets
  • 1 x Brine shrimp eggs packet
  • 1 x Brine shrimp food packet
  • 1 x Magnifying glass with clip
  • 1 x Pipette
  • 1 x Small scoop
  • 1 x Sticker sheet
• Additional Requirements: Water, cooking pot,
  stove

Product Usage Instructions

Preparing the Aquarium

1. Fill the aquarium tank with tap water, approximately two cups
   or 500 ml.

2. Adult supervision required: Pour the water into a clean cooking
   pot, bring it to a boil on the stove, turn off the heat, and allow
   it to cool back to room temperature.

Hatching Brine Shrimp

1. Once the water has cooled, add the contents of the brine shrimp
   eggs packet into the aquarium tank.

2. Stir gently to ensure the eggs are evenly distributed in the
   water.

3. Place the aquarium tank in a well-lit area but not in direct
   sunlight.

4. Wait for 24-48 hours for the brine shrimp to hatch. You may
   start to see movement in the water as they hatch.

Feeding and Caring for Brine Shrimp

1. After hatching, feed the brine shrimp using the provided brine
   shrimp food packet. Follow the instructions on the packet for
   feeding quantities.

2. Observe the brine shrimp daily and ensure they have enough food
   and clean water.

3. Change a portion of the water every few days to maintain a
   healthy environment for the brine shrimp.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can children use this product unsupervised?

A: No, adult supervision is required due to small parts and
potential hazards associated with chemicals in the kit.

Q: How often should I feed the brine shrimp?

A: Feed the brine shrimp small amounts once a day and adjust
based on their consumption rate.

Q: What should I do if my brine shrimp appear unhealthy?

A: Ensure water quality is maintained, check for overfeeding,
and consider consulting a pet store or aquatic expert for
advice.

SEA CREATURES
AQUARIUM
WOW-TO GUIDE
WARNING — Science Education Set. This
set contains chemicals and/or parts that may be harmful if misused. Read cautions on individual containers and in manual carefully. Not to be used by children except under adult supervision.

SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING! Not suitable for children under 3 years. Choking hazard — small parts may be swallowed or inhaled. Keep the packaging and instructions as they contain important information. WARNING. Not suitable for children under 6 years. For use under adult supervision. Read the instructions before use, follow them and keep them for reference.

WARNING! Never look directly into the sun, either with your naked eye or through the magnifying glass. You could blind yourself! Never leave the magnifying glass unattended in the sun. Fire danger!

Please remember: You are working with live animals in this kit. This means that by hatching them you are taking responsibility for these creatures. Don’t hurt or mistreat the animals, and don’t forget to care for them properly as described in these instructions!

Have any questions? Missing any parts? Want to send us donuts? Our tech support team will be glad to help you!

Thames & Kosmos US Email: support@thamesandkosmos.com Web: thamesandkosmos.com Phone: 1-800-587-2872

©2024 Thames & Kosmos, LLC, Providence, RI, USA Thames & Kosmos® is a registered trademark of Thames & Kosmos, LLC. All rights reserved. © 2024 Wondery LLC and Tinkercast, LLC This work, including all its parts, is copyright protected. Image credits: p. 4 (brine shrimp) bajita111122, p. 6 (cartoon) alekseymartynov, p. 6 (water) Mariusz Blach, p. 8 (diagram) ChrWeiss, p. 9 (lake) Marco Regalia (all previous: © stock.adobe.com) Distributed in North America by Thames & Kosmos, LLC. Providence, RI 02903 Phone: 800-587-2872; Web: thamesandkosmos.com The right to technical alterations is reserved. Printed in China/ Imprimé en Chine

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KIT CONTENTS

2 1

3
SALT

4
BRINE SHRIMP
EGGS

5
BRINE SHRIMP
FOOD

8

9 DECORATE YOUR

aquarium WITH

6

7

THE STICKERS!

Part No. Description

1

Aquarium tank with base

2

Aquarium tank lid

3

Salt packet

4

Brine shrimp eggs packet

5

Brine shrimp food packet

Quantity 1 1 2 1
1

Part No. Description

6

Magnifying glass with clip

7

Pipette

8

Small scoop

9

Sticker sheet

Quantity 1
1 1 1

You will also need: water, cooking pot, stove

1

INTRODUCTION

MINDY THOMAS
(WOW IN THE WORLD HOST)

Welcome to your Sea Creatures Aquarium Wow-To Guide!

GUY RAZ
(WOW IN THE WORLD HOST)

This guide has all the info you need for raising happy, healthy sea creatures.

These sea creatures you’re about to hatch are called “brine shrimp” …

… And just like crabs and lobsters who also hatch from eggs, brine shrimp are crustaceans!

Use the QR Code below to hear some WOW facts about brine shrimp from us!

Happy hatching!
Wow in the World is the #1 kids science podcast,
hosted by Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas!

Start here!

1 Grown-ups! Scan this QR code
to start your audio journey.

2 Listen to Track 1, a Wow in
the World Bonus Episode!

1

3 Unlock exclusive Wow Facts
from Guy & Mindy when you
see this symbol in the guide!

Listen ad-free to many premium podcasts & family-friendly

shows with a

subscription! New subscribers

can enjoy 3 months free using the QR code above!

(Terms and conditions apply. See back of front cover for more details.)

2

PREPARING THE AQUARIUM

SALT

1 Fill the aquarium tank full of tap
water. This is a little more than two cups of water, or 500 ml.
2 Adults must do this step! Pour
the water into a clean cooking pot. Bring the water to a boil on the stove, turn it off, and wait for it to return to room temperature.
3 Pour the water back into the
tank. Leave about 1/4 inch (6 mm) of room at the top.

4 Cut the corner off one of the
salt packets and pour the entire contents (15 g) of salt into the tank. Stir it around with the pipette until dissolved.

2

sp”aPallste!sa”tshee

5 Put the lid on the aquarium. Place
it in a quiet place that is evenly warm (69-73°F is ideal) and receives some daylight, but not direct sunlight. The water must not get too hot! Otherwise it will evaporate and pollute too quickly, which means bacteria may spread and the brine shrimp could die.
3

HATCHING THE SEA CREATURES

EG BRINEGS SHRIMP

1 Once you have prepared the
aquarium, you can put the brine shrimp eggs into the water. Cut the corner off the egg packet and pour about half of its contents into the water. Stir gently with the pipette.
Decorate the outside of the tank with the included stickers!

2 Now you have to wait for 1­2
days. Look into your aquarium with the magnifying glass every day. At some point you will see countless bright dots that move in a strange twitching motion.
Tip: Hold your aquarium up to the light and look for movement inside to see the newly hatched brine shrimp.

What’s going on here?

3

“bBroinuencsihnrgimbpa”by

ADULT brine shrimp

Those tiny twitching dots are brine shrimp that
have hatched from the eggs. These tiny animals
are not yet the full-grown brine shrimp. Just like
tadpoles and frogs, or caterpillars and butterflies, the juvenile form of brine shrimp — called the larval stage or larva — look completely different from the adult form. For brine shrimp and other crustaceans specifically, the larval stage is called nauplius (plural: nauplii).

4

CARE AND FEEDING
Feeding
Do not feed your nauplii for the first few days. They live on nutrients that they have with them in their bodies. On the third day, add one level scoop of the food into the water. Repeat this about every two weeks. Very important: Be sparing with the food! If food remains in the water, the water quality deteriorates very quickly and the animals die — especially if it gets too warm in the aquarium (above 80°F). You hardly have to worry about your brine shrimp starving. They can go a long time without food, and green algae will soon grow in the tank for them to eat.

4#
s”aSlatiylisnegatsh”e
FOOD BRINE SHRIMP

Oxygenating and cleaning the water
A couple times a week, it is important to enrich the water with atmospheric oxygen. To do this, you must pump air bubbles into the tank with the pipette, or gently stir the water around with the pipette. Do this for about a minute each time. Eventually, the algae that grows in the tank will produce oxygen all by itself. Also, if too much gunk builds up at the bottom, you can vacuum it up with the pipette.

Replenishing the water
Because the water is constantly evaporating, you must refill the water regularly. It’s okay if the salt concentration increases somewhat due to evaporation; this even protects the animals from mold. By the way, the shrimp usually become redder in color when the salt concentration increases.

5

HELPFUL TIPS

· If you are having trouble seeing your brine shrimp, position the tank so there is a soft white light behind it, so you can more clearly see the tiny things inside. Make sure the water is clear and has not been shaken up recently. Let it settle if necessary.
· After shaking or aerating the tank, let it settle completely again before trying to observe the brine shrimp.
· Keep the water temperature between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
· Make sure the aquarium is getting enough natural light, but not direct sunlight.
· If the water appears too dirty, do not add more food to the tank for a week. Take off the lid and aerate the tank to make sure the brine shrimp are getting enough oxygen.
· If the water smells bad, you probably added too much food and the animals have died. Start over with the second packet of salt and the second half of the brine shrimp eggs. This time, keep the tank at a lower temperature than before.

· If you want to obtain more salt: Brine shrimp prefer a mixture of sodium chloride and other mineral salts. It is best to buy sea salt without additives at the supermarket, health food shop, or aquarium shop. Alternatively, pure table salt (without added iodide and fluoride) can be used.
· After some time, floating light-colored formations may appear. These are probably old exoskeletons that the shrimp have shed. They have to shed from time to time in order to grow, because the rigid exoskeleton does not stretch. You can carefully suck these up with the pipette to remove them.
· It is normal for the number of larvae to decrease rapidly after hatching: more than 90 percent will die before they have grown up. That still leaves many to grow to adulthood if well cared for.

Did your shrimp not make it?
Have you tried two times without success? Ask us for replacement salt and eggs! Email support@thamesandkosmos.com or visit the Support section of thamesandkosmos.com for assistance.
6

BRINE LIFE

SHRIMP CYCLE

Dormant cysts

HATCHING

Mature female brine shrimp

release live embryos when the

salinity is low. If the salinity MALE

is too high, the female lays

FEMALE

eggs, called dormant cysts.

NAUPLIus

These hatch when the

salinity decreases again. Next, they develop into the larval stage, called nauplii. They continue to grow
through many stages, shedding

ADULTS

5

“This shrimp is a shrimp!”

NAUPLII STAGES

(or molting) an exoskeleton

each time, until they reach

Juvenile

adulthood. Under the best conditions

(warm water, enough food, and lots of

oxygen), molting can happen every eight days; in bad conditions, it can take up to six weeks. As adults, they divide into males and females. Then the process begins again!

Scientific name: Artemia

One-eyed, many-horned, swimming little algae eater

EYE

The nauplii are bristly and one-eyed. You can see the drop-

shaped body with several leg-like outgrowths covered with

many bristles. With the help of these antennae, the animal

swims through the water with jerky movements. Inside the

translucent body you may recognize the tube-like intestine Intestine and, at the front of the head, a dark reddish spot: a single eye.

ANTENNA UPPER JAW

7

ALL GROWN UP!
Over the course of the next few weeks, look at individual brine shrimp with a magnifying glass every few days. Soon you will see changes: The body becomes more elongated and a long forked tail forms. Swimming legs grow at the front end. What is not so easy to see is that two more eyes are also forming. After about a month or so, the animals are fully grown. They
can grow up to about half an inch in
length.
The compound eyes of a brine shrimp are made of thousands of tiny spots called photoreceptors which give them incredible vision for their size.
The little legs are not only used for swimming, but the animal also uses
them to transport food particles to the
mouth, which is located at the bottom of the head. These delicate little legs
are also used for breathing! Similar
to the gills of fish, they filter oxygen out of the water. That is why they are constantly in rapid motion.
8

6

h”Tahveeeity!e”s

MALE
LARGE ANTENNA (CLAW)
SMALL ANTENNA EYE
MOUTH

FEMALE

LEGS

INTESTINE

EGG TAIL

EGG SAC

7

yt”hoBruroerualgethhgisn?g”

The males and females are difficult to tell apart, even with the magnifying glass. The males have large claws and the females have egg sacs. The females can have offspring without a male; this is called parthenogenesis.

THE SALTY SEAS
Around 100 million years ago, the ancestors of the brine shrimp in this kit lived in natural salt lakes. For many millions of years, they lived alongside the dinosaurs!

8

“inBrsipnaeasaharicmep!”

For most animals, salt lakes are not a nice
place to live. These lakes can get extremely salty, because — just like in your aquarium
— the water can evaporate while the
salt remains. The lakes can even dry out entirely. When it rains, the water returns,
but most animals cannot survive through the periods of high salinity or no water at all. So how do the brine shrimp do it?

They lay dormant eggs! When a rising salinity tells them that their lake is about to
dry out, the brine shrimp lay dormant eggs (or cysts) instead of giving birth to live young as they would otherwise. The dust-
fine dormant eggs are particularly hardy.
They can withstand cold, heat, and years of drought until rainfall creates a lake again.
They also float on the surface, so they easily get caught on birds and brought to other bodies of water, where they can hatch.

The Great Salt Lake in Utah. Brine shrimp love its high salinity!

9

NEXT-LEVEL CHALLENGES
Try these experiments on your own!
1. Use your tank as a bug jar. 2. Fill the tank with pond water and search for living creatures in the water with the magnifying glass. 3. Put soil in the bottom of the tank, plant some seeds, and watch them grow inside the tank.

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with additional educational resources related to this item.

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When you are done playing and learning with this toy, we

FORWARD! encourage you to pass it on to another curious kid!

545007-02-020524

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