Water Quality
One of the most important keys to creating an optimum environment for your Sea-Monkeys, is to start off with pure water. I highly advise using a quality distilled water. If your distilled water is cold, let it first warm to room temperature before adding Packet #1 Water Purifier. If tap water is your only option, you'll need to boil it first to remove contaminants... and in this case, you'll need to make sure you let it cool to room temperature before adding Water Purifier.
Temperature Concerns
The temperature of the water in your aquarium can have significant effect your Sea-Monkey colony. If the water is too hot or too cold, it can greatly diminish the number of hatchlings you get when starting a new colony. You should do your best to obtain a constant temperature between 70 and 76 degrees. To aid in this, I highly suggest the inexpensive investment of an aquarium thermometer. Just go to your local department store's pet isle where the fish supplies are sold and you can likely find a good one for a couple of dollars. I like the small thermometers with a suction cup attached... as it provides a nice way to temporarily hook it on the edge of the aquarium. You can also purchase those flat self-adhesive ones that stick to the outside of your tank... but they are not as accurate and can give you false readings if you've got a close by light source such as plant light.
Lighting and Green Algae
Lighting is more than just a means to better see your pets... it can have tremendous health benefits for them as well. This is because light can stimulate the growth of green algae. Green algae is a great producer of oxygen (and also acts as a food source) and makes for a very healthy and happy Sea-Monkey colony. Placing your Sea-Monkeys near a daily source of "indirect" sunlight will help to facilitate this. But be careful!... prolonged exposure to "direct" sunlight (example: putting the aquarium on a window sill) can cause great harm as the water temperature can quickly raise to dangerous levels. If you can't find a safe location where the tank can receive "indirect" sunlight, don't worry... you can always purchase a plant light. These bulbs (which fit just about any light fixture) are available at you local department store and do a wonderful job at promoting the growth of green algae. But again, be careful... the wattage of these bulbs are commonly found at 60 watts. This can easily overheat your aquarium if placed too close. Depending on the temperature of the room, you may not want to place the light any closer than 1 1/2 feet from your tank. Once again, you'll do well to purchase an aquarium thermometer. That way, you can adjust the distance of the light to achieve an optimum temperature between 70 and 76 degrees.
Location, Location, Location
Many Sea-Monkey owners can relay their sad stories about the day their Aquarium got knocked over by a family member, a friend, or the family dog or cat. Some Sea-Monkey owners have even knocked it over themselves. Your best defense in avoiding this is to place your aquarium out of the reach of small children... and if you're the owner of a curious cat, you'll have to place it even higher. If pets or small children aren't in issue in your home, then your options are numerous... but you should still exercise caution when placing your Sea-Monkeys in a location such as an end table or coffee table. If you really want to play it safe, I suggest purchasing either the Mars Mania kit or the Magic Castle kit (click on the 'Product Reviews' button to the left to find out more). Both of these kits have a wider than standard base and are actually difficult to tip... and because of snug fitting caps, even a determined cat will find it difficult to harm your aquatic pals.
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