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| Sea Monkeys FAQ's
Water
| When the water level gets low, should I add more Water Purifier? |
No, just fill to the correct level with distilled or purified water. The Water Purifier is designed as a one-time formula |
| Can I use tap water? |
Nope. Distilled or filtered water is best. |
| Why do I have to add Water Purifier before adding the Instant Life eggs? |
The Water Purifier is a Top Secret combination of buffers and special ingredients that help Sea-Monkeys hatch and thrive. The actual composition is and known only by Mr. Von Braunhut (the creator) and a few others. |
| Do I ever need to add salt to their water? |
No, everything they need is in their Instant Life packet. |
| Why is the water cloudy? |
You're probably feeding your Sea-Monkeys too much. Temporarily discontinue feeding until the water begins to clear. Don't worry, there's plenty of food and algae for your Sea-Monkeys to thrive on! |
| Do Sea-Monkeys like the sun? Should I put them in sunlight to stay warm? |
Sea-Monkeys are photo-reactive (meaning that they will react to sunlight), and they love the sun. Indirect sunlight is okay but keep them out of direct sunlight, so that their tank doesn't get too hot! |
| What temperature should the water be? |
Room temperatures around 72° F (22° c) should be fine. |
| Can I color my Sea-Monkeys by adding food coloring to the water? |
Uh, no. Adding anything to your tank not specifically designed by Transcience Corp for Sea-Monkeys will probably kill them. |
| Should I change the water periodically? |
Nope. |
Feeding
| How often should I feed my Sea-Monkeys? |
The Official Sea-Monkey Handbook suggests feeding them once a week using the small end of your feeding spoon. If you have a large colony, you may feed them more often, but remember if the water gets cloudy you're feeding them too much. |
| I heard that I can feed them yeast instead of Growth Food, is this true? |
Only if you really want all of your Sea-Monkeys to die. |
| I'm running out of food, is there something else that I can feed them? -- How about fish food? |
Absolutly not, your pets cannot survive on anything other than Sea-Monkey food. You can purchase food packets and more from our online store. |
| Is the Growth Food supposed to be green, or is it moldy? |
Yes it is. And no it isn't. |
| Does Growth Food taste good? |
Only to the Sea-Monkeys, but there's no accounting for taste! |
Reproduction
| My Sea-Monkeys are stuck together, what's happening? |
Try not to blush but your Sea-Monkeys are mating! Pretty soon new Sea-Monkey babies will be on the way. |
| How does Sea-Monkeys reproduce? |
The male and female can mate together sexually or the female can fertilize her own eggs, a process called parthenogenesis or "self-conception"! |
| How can I tell if I have any pregnant Sea-Monkeys? |
The female will carry an egg sac near her stomach. |
| What happens if the pregnant female dies before releasing her eggs? |
To insure the survival of the species, nature sometimes causes the female to release her eggs, even after death. |
| How many babies do Sea-Monkeys have? |
They usually have about 20 offspring at a time. |
| How long after mating will it be until the babies are born? |
Not even we know for sure. |
| How long does mating take? |
Sometimes you may see your Sea-Monkeys attached for several weeks, so try to give them some privacy. |
| Do Sea-Monkeys get hurt while mating? |
Not usually, although sometimes things can get pretty rough. |
| What are those sacs hanging off my Sea-Monkey? Are they Sea-Monkey testicles? |
Uh No, actually, those are the females' egg sacs. |
| I'm worried that there are too many Sea-Monkeys in the tank. How many is too many? |
Your tank will safely hold about 100 Sea-Monkeys, more than that and there may not be enough oxygen for all of them. |
| The babies are swimming to the surface of the tank a lot, is this ok? |
They're supposed to. Baby Sea-Monkeys require more oxygen and are surfacing to get it. Baby turtles and dolphins do the same thing! |
What Are They
| What are they? |
Sea-Monkeys are a hybrid species of brine shrimp called "Artemia NYOS". "Artemia" is the genus they belong to, which includes Fairy and Brine shrimp. NYOS is the acronym for the New York Ocean Science Laboratories where they were created. |
| A person in a pet store insisted that Sea-Monkeys are just brine shrimp? |
The person in the pet store should visit this website. |
| How are Sea-Monkeys different from brine shrimp? |
There are several differences. Sea-Monkeys grow much larger (up to .5" long) and live longer than ordinary brine shrimp. They are also a lot more active and can be taught to perform "tricks", unlike ordinary brine shrimp. |
| Can you find Sea-Monkeys in the sea? Don't brine shrimp live in the ocean? |
No, you will only find them in your Instant Life packet and Sea-Monkey tank! Brine shrimp live in salt lakes and salt flats, but your Sea-Monkeys are not brine shrimp. They belong to the same genus, "Artemia", but are completely different animals. |
| How big can they get? |
They can grow between 1/2" and 3/4" long! |
| How long will my Instant Life packet last before I use it? |
How long has never been established, although Sea-Monkey eggs have hatched after a decade! Sea-Monkeys exist in suspended animation through a process called "cryptobiosis". Once the eggs are poured into treated water, they "magically" come to life!! |
| Why are they called Sea-Monkeys? |
Because of their playful demeanor and the facts that they have tails! |
| Are Sea-Monkeys a type of plankton? |
Plankton are single cell animals, Sea-Monkeys are multi-cell animals. |
| All my Sea-Monkeys have died! How can I bring them back to life? |
There are still many unhatched Sea-Monkey eggs on the bottom of your tank. DO NOT POUR OUT THE WATER. Try this first: *Aerate your tank for about 1 1/2 weeks *Look closely as you should see new baby Sea-Monkeys appear. |
| I aerated my tank for over a week and new Sea-Monkeys did not hatch, what do I do now? |
Allow all of the water in your tank to evaporate (this may take several weeks). Add fresh bottled or distilled water and 1 package of Water Purifier Stir. Wait a few days and you should see new Sea-Monkey babies! |
Cleaning
| My tank has lots of gunk on the bottom, how do I clean it? |
That gunk contains Sea-Monkey eggs and algae. You don't need to clean it, but if you wish you can just suck up some of that gunk with your Aqua Leash. Don't forget to top off the tank with more water! |
| Should I remove the Sea-Monkey shells after they shed them? |
It's not necessary, all of the stuff that collects on the bottom of the tank are part of the Sea-Monkey ecosystem. |
| I have a film of blue-green algae in my tank, should I clean it? |
This is algae and normally occurs if you keep your tank near a bright light source. It's very beneficial to your Sea-Monkeys, like a jumbo salad for them. But you can use the Aqua Leash to clean the tank if you wish. |
| Should I change the water periodically? |
No. Add clean, fresh water to recommended levels as it evaporates. There is no need to change the water. |
| How do I order more Sea-Monkey supplies? |
You can purchase them through our on-line store. |
Emergencies
| I accidentally ate the contents of one of the packets, should I seek medical attention? |
No, but what were you thinking? While not very tasty to humans, all of the packets (Water Purifier, Instant Life, Growth Food, etc.) are completely non-toxic. The only exception would be if you had some sort of allergic reaction. |
| I accidentally poured the whole Growth Food packet into the tank, what do I do?! |
- Move quickly! As long as your Sea-Monkeys are alive you still have hope.
- Find a clean jar to transfer your Sea-Monkeys into.
- Using your Aqua Leash extract water from the center of the tank (since the surface of the water will have food floating on it) and transfer to the new jar.
- Using your Aqua Leash, transport as many of your Sea-Monkeys as possible.
- Place a clean white paper towel, or paper coffee filter over another clean jar.
- Pour the remaining water from your Sea-Monkey tank through the filter. This will filter your water, but will unfortunately filter out any extra Sea-Monkey eggs you may have had.
- Rinse your Sea-Monkey tank with clear water.
- Pour your filtered water back into your Sea-Monkey tank
- Pour your live Sea-Monkeys back into the Sea-Monkey tank.
- Cross your fingers!
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| My Sea-Monkeys are dying! What do I do? |
The Sea-Monkeys life cycle varies, and so will see the number of pets in your tank. However, it is possible that there could be a real problem.
- Have you fed them once a week with the small end of the feeding spoon?
- Is the water cloudy? It's possible you've overfed them. Wait until the water clears and try again.
- Is the water too warm? The temperature should be around 72* F.
- Are they getting enough oxygen? Be sure to aerate several times a week
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Not Hatched Yet?
| Helpful Hints |
The optimum water temperature for the most rapid hatching of the baby Sea-Monkeys(r) is 78 degrees. Temperatures lower than that result in longer hatching times...sometimes up to a week!!!
I strongly recommend aerating the water in the tank for the first 4 days after you add pouch #2. Do this with your Million Bubble Air Pump. You can also gently stir the water with a plastic spoon.
Keep the tank in a North-facing window so that it gets light...but not direct sunlight. The light helps the algae in the tank to grow and that makes the Sea-Monkeys very happy.
Feed the babies on Day #5. Don't use more than about half of the small scoop the first time that they are fed. Too much food will cause them to suffocate.
If all goes well and you don't overfeed them (the leading cause of premature Sea-Monkey expiration) the family should last for years.
Refill the evaporated water with bottled water which is at the same temperature as the tank water. |
Sudden Extinction
| I dont see any Sea-Monkeys moving! |
Please tell us all you can about the situation leading up to the mass extinction of your Sea-Monkey pets.
- Please describe the kind of Sea-Monkey set you have & where did you buy it?
- Was the water in the tank clear or cloudy & green?
- Was the tank moved from its normal place to a new place that was too hot or cold?
- Did anyone smoke near the tank (nicotine kills salty simians surprisingly soon!)
- Was tap water added to the tank? (Any Copper in the water is deadly to Sea-Monkey's)
- Was the tank placed in direct sunlight and left there?
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Bigger Tanks
| transfer my Sea-Monkeys to a bigger tank? |
Some Sea-Monkey owners want to have a BIG TANK with many Sea-Monkeys swimming in it! We recommend a 1 gallon spherical fish tank.
Start to populate your tank by raising your Sea-Monkeys in the Ocean-Zoo® tank the way you normally would and according to the directions that come with the set. After two weeks, pour the contents of the Sea-Monkeys tank into the new, larger and clean BIG TANK. Be sure it is at the same temperature as the water in the Ocean-Zoo.
If you end up with a volume of 50 oz (1.5 liters or 1,500 cc) of treated Sea-Monkey water, you will have used 5 packets of #1 Water Purifier and 5 packets of #2 Live Eggs.
You can order the packets you need of #1 and #2 (Water Purifier and Live Eggs) by mail order from Transcience. You can get to the interactive and printable order form if you click on Parts and Supplies.
If you want to start immediately, go to a local toy store and ask for Item #6605: The Amazing Live Sea-Monkey® Original Instant Life. This is a blister carded item with the following: Packets 1, 2 and 3; an excellent magnifier and a feeding spoon.
When you get your pouches, proceed as you would normally in order to hatch your Sea-Monkeys in their own 10 ounces of water. When old enough, pour them and their water into the BIG TANK.
To feed them (only when the water is clear) put a scoop of food in a small vial and add a plastic teaspoon of water from the tank. Shake the solution and pour it into the tank. Then, use a little more tank water to rinse the vial back into the tank. This emulsified solution is a wonderful way to feed the Sea-Monkeys.
I hope that your new larger tank is a sphere... so that you can benefit from the magnification. Visit our website to learn more & more about your Sea-Monkeys. Meanwhile, check out the HELPFUL HINTS below.
PLEASE REMEMBER, WE STRONGLY ADVOCATE KEEPING SEA-MONKEYS IN THE 10 OZS. OCEAN-ZOO TANKS. |
Cool FAQ's
| Are there any benefits to owning Sea-Monkeys? |
Similar to owning fish (or a lava lamp) owning Sea-Monkeys is said to have a calming effect. Picture a tank on your desk at work and your Sea-Monkeys frolicking about inside. They are quiet, and easy to care for needing only to be fed once a week and you rarely need to clean up after them! |
| What are some cool Sea-Monkey facts? |
They breathe through their feet and adults have 3 eyes! | |
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