Like the article states:
The following culture instructions are based on a method used by Lewis (Lewis, 2000) to raise Mysids on a commercial basis at Aquatic Indicators (see online suppliers list). It should be stressed that culturing Mysids is a fairly labor-intensive project; however mysid culture can be accomplished by anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort.
First, utilizing a 20-gallon tall or larger all-glass aquarium, add a standard undergravel filters at either end, but leave the center of the tank bare (no U.G.s) to facilitate collecting the Mysids. As an example, if you're using a 30-gallon culture tank, install U.G. filter plates designed for a 10-gallon aquarium at both ends of the culture tank, but leave bare glass at the bottom in between the 2 filter plates. Adjust the specific gravity to about 1.022 and set the temperature at 75-78F.
Once the tank has cycled and the biofiltration is established, introduce 20-30 adult Mysids to get the culture started. Establish a photoperiod of 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness (Mysids mate at night), and perform 15-20% water changes weekly. Feed you new Mysid culture with newly-hatched Artemia nauplii at least twice a day. Keep an eye on the wate rquality in the Mysid tank and ensure that almost all of the Artemia nauplii are comsumed with each feeding. To maximize growth and reproduction, maintain a density of approximately 10 brine shrimp nauplii/ml of water. (You should already have your brine shrimp production up and running from our previous Breeders net columns).
One of the keys to raising Mysids is to prevent cannibalism by separating the adults from the young. For laboratory studies, mysid separation is done manually by isolating the adults, transferring ovigerous (egg-bearing) females to a culture dish, and removing the juveniles with a pipette.
A better method can be devised that will automatically separate the juveniles from the adults, if you are willing to set-up a separate tank just for the adults alongside the main culture tank. Keep the top of this isolation tank exactly even with the top of the culture tank, and position an air lift tube in a corner of the adult's tank so that it returns water to the main culture tank, while a siphon tube in the opposite corner maintains the water level (see diagram) between the tanks. The air-lift tube should be sheathed with plankton netting or nylon screen with a mesh size (800 microns) that will restrain the adults while allowing the larvae to pass through unimpeded. Likewise, the end of the siphon tube should be covered with 500 mM plankton netting that will allow newly-hatched brine shrimp to pass through but not the juvenile mysids. Adjusting the air lift so it produces a slow, gentle, steady flow of water will automatically deposit the juvenile shrimp in the main culture tank while keeping the adults isolated in the adjacent tank, thereby eliminating cannibalism.
It is best to let the population of mysids build up for a couple of generations to increase your brood stock before you begin harvesting regularly. Meaning you should start your cultures about 6-8 weeks before you need the shrimp. As an example, when your brood stock numbers equal approximately 400-500 adults, you should be able to harvest about 200 Mysis juveniles per day to feed your fish fry without concern for depleting the mysid reserves.
Harvesting Mysids
To harvest the shrimp, sweep a net through the water column over the bare glass at the center of the tank, and select the Mysids that are the best sized for your fish fry. Using nets with progressively larger mesh will allow you to gather larger Mysis nauplii that are the perfect size for your fish fry, or conversely by using smaller net mesh sizes will allow the capture of smaller Mysids. Be sure to leave at least 20% of each generation of Mysids behind to ensure your culture is self-sustaining.
One of the biggest obstacles to raising Mysids at home is obtaining a supply of shrimp to start a culture. Aquatic Indicators (see online suppliers) is one of the few companies that sell live Mysis shrimp. One large order includes approximately hundred Mysidopsis--enough for several starter cultures.