Schylling Sea Monkeys Ocean Zoo - Colors May Vary

WARNING: LONG REVIEW I've had sea monkeys before, probably when I was like in first grade. I remember my dad throwing away the food, me having a huge tantrum and ignoring the sea monkeys for a good three weeks, and returning to find one solitary little sea monkey still in the tank. After showering it with love, it died and we threw everything away. Now, I'm a junior in high school, and so I thought I was responsible enough to care for some brine shrimp marketed towards little kids. I received the package on Feb. 11, and to be honest, I didn't have high hopes.My tank was this gluey mess - I could see the little deposits of glue outside where it had dripped. When I opened the lid, I found a small crack in the plastic. I was disappointed, but was still super excited to try these little things out again, so I grabbed some E6000 to quickly patch up the hole and a bottle of water to fill up to the line. Day 1: I opened the package, fixed the crack with E6000 and got started! When I opened packet 1, the water purifier packet, it was slightly green, had little blackish-red dots, and would just come out of the packet. I had to dip it into the water, swish, dump back in, and repeat. From what I remembered, packet 1 was supposed to be white powder (at least that's what I saw in first grade?) but oh well. I finished with packet 1, and put everything else aside. It was around 6:45 pm-ish when I finished. Day 2: 11:30 pm (lots of homework, what can I say?), I opened packet number 2. Again, from memory, I remember just being able to pour out white powder into the tank, but again, the "powder" was green, wet, and speckled with little black dots. I was rather disappointed but forced on, doing the swish, dump technique again. When I looked into the tank, I could see nothing moving. Day 3: (At around 10:30 pm) THERE WERE BABY SQUIRMY THINGS! I could see a grand total of... 3. Awesome. But well, it was something, I guess? I took a coffee stirrer thing (the red plastic thin straws) and blew some air in. When I finished, I couldn't find them again. Hoping that I didn't accidentally kill them, I went off to bed. Day 4: So much for three baby sea monkeys... when I checked on day 4, I could see at least 80 little babies wiggling around. Knowing I was probably going to have a mass die-off (whoever heard of raising 80 sea monkeys to adulthood?) I said my goodbyes before heading off to bed. (Day 4 was basically Day 5, it was like 1:45 am by the time I finished chemistry homework!) Day 5: When I checked, there were maybe 20 sea monkeys, but they were now big enough for me to see without having to actually focus. I couldn't see any more tiny babies, so I probably had an entire carpet of dead babies at the bottom of the tank (good thing they were so small I couldn't see them too well... that would have been horrifying.) Anyway, I fed them on day 7, and stopped keeping track around day 12. My sea monkeys grew. I probably have around 30 in my tank right now - 15 big adult ones for sure and a lot of juveniles. I saw three itty bitty babies today (they're literally the size of a period and almost impossible to see unless you know what you're looking for. Look for little white swimming commas.) and I have a lot of reddish brown specks floating around, maybe around a hundred of those. (A google search told me that brownish red specks are sea monkey eggs, so that was probably the weird stuff in the package?) I keep my sea monkey tank on my desk and they accompany me when I do homework. It's been a while since I last fed them, but they have a little colony of algae in their tank (they basically get exposed to only my desk lamp so I don't expect too much photosynthesis). I don't often oxygenate the tank. Anyway, I was originally going to give four stars because of the cracked tank, the bad glue at the bottom, and the magnifying bubbles that really do a whole bunch of nothing. But then I wasn't buying this for the tank and could have used a mason jar for a "prettier presentation." It's just important to be really patient and look hard :) I attached a picture so you can see the sea monkeys in my tank! EDIT (1/17/2016): I did eventually give up on the sea-monkeys sometime in July, as I went to Taiwan for five months and during the time, no one fed or aerated the sea monkeys. When I returned, they were gone :( So I actually purchased another sea-monkey kit and I'm beginning the process anew - I bought the Sea-Monkeys on the Moon kit and we'll see what happens! I've already had a very different experience!

My package arrived promptly in and in good condition. I followed the directions, and in 48 hours I had tiny shrimp swimming around my tank. I may have overfed them at first, but it seemed to do no harm. It's been over 3 weeks, and my monkeys are thriving. They are, of course, tiny shrimp, so don't order these expecting some sort of aquatic ape. I find them quite soothing to watch as they are very active around the tank. Follow the directions, and you will get what's advertised. Only downside is this kit should really come with a small air pump so you don't have to stir the tank to aerate until the algae grows. I'm hoping for babies soon! I would recommend this as a gift for anyone with and interest in biology who doesn't have a lot of time to commit to tank. If for some reason your eggs don't hatch, there's a 2 year guarantee.

To anyone who has purchased sea monkeys in the last year or so, here is an explanation as to why they are not working. Transcience is currently in a lawsuit against the current distributor of sea monkey sets. If you have bought a set in the last year, you may have noticed that the packets look different. The packets 1, 2 and 3 now have a cheap paper thin look to them and the contents inside have changed. This is due to the fact that the distributor quit paying royalties due to transcience and they stopped purchasing packets from them. After they stopped paying transcience they continue to produce and sell sea monkey kits as their own. They are selling a rip off version of the packets that are currently in stores. Its easy to tell these rip off versions from the new cheap quality look and feel of the sea monkey packets. I would avoid buying any kits sold in stores and online until this lawsuit mess is over. I personally bought about 3 kits in the last year and all were duds. If you want real high quality sea monkeys that will hatch, send in a mail order to transcience. This is the only way to guarantee you will get eggs that hatch!!

Santa brought this set for our 6 year old son. I was skeptical, and afraid we wouldn't have any eggs hatch or if they did, that they would die off soon. We followed all the instructions precisely. Eggs hatched within 7 days, and we watched the sea monkeys grow every day. He also got a lesson in biology when they began breeding, and we did end up with kids and I even think some grandkids. The last one finally died off after FIVE months. After the initial period where you feed every few days, we did not feed them at all anymore. The tank never got really gross until we were down to the last sea monkey. They did a nice job keeping the tank relatively clean by themselves. Great first pet for a 6 year old, since there is NO cleaning, and only feeding for the first couple of weeks. After that you just need to add a little bit of water to the tank to keep the level at the right place. Absolutely the most low maintenance living creature you will ever get, and great entertainment, especially since ours lasted 5 months. He wants another packet of eggs and food for his birthday, and I'll be happy to get it for him.

I will be the first person to admit that I purchased these because I always wanted Sea Monkeys as a kid but for some reason I never got them. The video was shot on day 5 after I put the eggs in. There are quite a few little guys swimming around it the water and they are doing fantastic. I used spring water in their tank, kept my hands and fingers OUT of the tank and placed them in a sunny window during the day and I don't move the tank around much at all. I also aerate them for about 20 seconds every other day with a small air pump and stone that is made for fishbowls, the smallest one you can find. Mine hatched the day after I put the eggs in. When the kit arrived, I rinsed it out with the spring water after taking everything out of it. Then I filled it to the fill line with spring water, put the lid on it and let it sit for 24 hours. The next day, I poured the water purifier in. I didn't stir it, I didn't mess with it at all. I poured the pack in and then put the lid back on the tank. Next day I aerated the water then poured in the eggs. Again, no stirring or anything. I left it alone, put the lid back on and walked away. The next day, low and behold I had teeny tiny babies swimming around. Fed them on the 5th day after they hatched, which was a few hours before I took that video footage. I'll update again when they are larger but so far I'm really getting a kick out of this. It would appear that the secret is less is more, spring water, don't move the tank around and a lot of patience.

They worked! No, they never hatched, it didn't work at all! So, which one is it? Sea monkeys may've been to space, but getting them to work on Earth has certainly been a lot more finicky. I have a 50% success rate; my first kit didn't work, while the second one did. But first, an introduction: WHAT ARE SEA MONKEYS? Sea monkeys are a species of brine shrimp that undergo a state of suspended life, where they can hatch and be brought "back to life" after a long period of unfavorable conditions, such as being inside a paper packet in a product sold in toy stores and online. Pour these eggs from the packet into the water, and they hatch within a few days, wriggling and swimming and trading stocks. They look like tiny, bristly translucent shrimp no bigger than the tip of your finger. They don't look like monkeys at all, nor do they look like the mermen you see on the package art. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO KEEP THEM AS A PET? All you have to do is feed them once a week. You're given a tiny plastic spoon to feed them, and that's pretty much it. Sea monkey care doesn't require any specialized equipment beyond what comes in the package-- a plastic tank, and food. With the most favorable conditions, algae may grow inside your little plastic tank and it essentially becomes a self-sustaining ecosystem. You don't need any special air filters or chemicals, nor do you need to monitor the pH balance. If your child wants a fish or some other pet, this would be an even better test than putting a poor goldfish at risk. Sea monkeys are apparently guaranteed to last for two years, but the longest I've been able to keep a colony alive is about 2 months. WHAT DO THEY DO? Nothing, really. They just swim around. They poop, which you can see, because their bodies are translucent and you can see little brown strings moving through their digestive tracks. They also mate, when two sea monkeys merge together for days at a time. I've also read they're attracted to light, so you can shine a light in the tank and watch them swim to it. The tanks have a few spots that are magnified, letting you see better detail. HOW DO I START THIS? Three simple steps: 1. Fill the tank with DISTILLED water. Do not use tap water, do not use Brita-filtered water, and do not use bottled water with added minerals-- use "plain" bottled water like Arrowhead. Add the water purifier packet. Stir. 2. Wait 24 hours. 3. Pour your eggs in, and voila! Life before your very eyes!* * Probably within a few days. HOW DO I ENSURE SUCCESS? You can't. Sea monkeys probably don't have a 100% success rate, otherwise reviews wouldn't be so mixed. But there are things you can do to help it along: - Wait 36 hours instead of 24 after pouring in the water purifier packet. - Again, use DISTILLED water, not tap. Use a plain bottled water like Arrowhead. - Make sure to pay attention to the fill line printed on the side of the tank! Don't put too much water. - Sea monkeys hatch better in more favorable temperatures, like mid-70s. I put my first kit by my desk, and they never hatched. I put my second kit by the window, which was a lot warmer by way of getting lots of sun, and they worked! - Put your tank somewhere that gets indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight is probably too much, whilst indirect gives them the right amount of heat and light. Plus, you'd want green algae to grow so it can generate oxygen and serve as food. - Sea monkeys need oxygen, so be sure to aerate the tank, especially when they first start hatching. You can either stir it with something (least efficient way), or use a turkey baster/oral syringe/eyedropper/Aqualeash (if your kit has one) to blow air bubbles for about a minute a day. For best results, continue to do this every day for as long as they live. It's only a minute, and that's how you get to the 2-year guarantee! - Feed them about every 5 days when first starting out, and every week when it starts thriving (you'll be able to tell). If the water is cloudy, then don't put any more food, as you'll be overfeeding them. - There's a few more caveats, and you can get even more info on the Sea Monkey "fan page," called Sea Monkey Worship (look it up!) REVIEW OF THE COMPONENTS This most basic package comes with a plastic tank, feeding spoon, and three packets: water purifier, instant eggs, and growth food. The plastic tank is very light, the plastic is the right amount of thickness, and it has a few spots on the "glass" that are magnifying. The magnifying spots are a nice, built-in feature that let you see sea monkeys with better detail as they swim by. All packages will come with these. The water purifier is one-time use, as are the eggs. The growth food (which is a fine powder) will probably last longer than you can keep them alive, as you're only feeding them about 1/2 a pinch of food a week; you get a salt-packet's worth. SUMMARY All in all, sea monkeys are a fun and easy pet to keep, and with a little extra work you can really make them go the extra mile. If your first batch doesn't work, you can send out for another packet of water purifier/instant eggs for $3 and try again. They can be a little finicky, but once you get them going, you're a kid all over again, as well as their supreme creator of life. They make for a nice little display for your desk and are arguably the only pet that's acceptable to give as a random gift.

This is a really great product, but you should really buy it elsewhere. Or at least not from TJD Toys since there is more than one complaint regarding similar issues to what I have. The one that I got, my sea monkeys' hatching rates were less that expected. Mind you, I have had a lot of these kits before - they are great! I had sea monkeys until I stopped taking care of them. The longest time was about a year and a half, and I don't know how they were surviving that last half of a year. I was a kid and just lost interest. Anyway, I've had it set up for almost a week now, and I expected more than six sea monkeys by now. They really are big enough to see, and I know what to expect. This is not even the worst of it, though (because with six, I'm sure they can breed just fine for more).. The "3" package? The FOOD? Empty! I'm sure it was just some sort of mistake possibly not by TJD Toys, but there should be more quality control! How am I supposed to feed my see monkeys? I will have to spend MORE money after an already slightly overpriced purchase.. I just wanted my little pets fast, and this I suppose is the price I pay.

Great!!! A++++++