Sea monkeys are popular and many people love buying sea monkey kits. You can find them in various department stores and they can also be ordered online.
This is a neat way to teach your kids about life. It’s easy to bring sea monkeys to life by following the instructions that come with the kit.
Some people don’t think that it’s appropriate to buy these kits, though. There are those who say that breeding sea monkeys is cruel.
Are sea monkeys cruel or is that something you shouldn’t worry about? Read on to examine this topic further so you can make up your own mind.
Are Sea Monkeys Ethical?
Whether it’s cruel to keep sea monkeys really depends on your perspective. The argument against sea monkeys basically involves saying that it’s cruel to keep them in a state of extreme dryness.
Sea monkeys are actually just a type of brine shrimp that were created in a lab. They’ve been around for many decades, and they’re kept in an extremely dry state.
The sea monkeys are sold in kits and you can “bring them back to life” by adding the sea monkey powder to the water. You have to follow other steps as well, but sea monkeys are marketed as “instant life.”
It gives you a chance to see life flourish as you go through the steps to revive the sea monkeys. In some ways, it’s as if the sea monkeys are in a state of suspended animation.
This is all very interesting, but how does this answer the question of whether sea monkeys are ethical? It doesn’t really.
A situation such as this is something that doesn’t have a standard answer. It’s easy to see why people would think that keeping sea monkeys is fine.
Sea monkeys aren’t complex creatures that are capable of having emotions. They don’t have feelings and they’re no more complex than ants.
If you think that exterminating ants is cruel when they infest your home, you might also think that the concept of sea monkeys is cruel. Is it possible for someone to be objectively right or wrong about this topic?
No, it all comes down to how you feel about it. If you think that sea monkeys are interesting and you want to keep enjoying them, there’s nothing that should stop you.
When Were Sea Monkeys Created?
Sea monkeys were created in 1957. They’re a hybrid type of brine shrimp that were created in a lab.
A scientist named Harold von Braunhut is the one who came up with sea monkeys. He made sea monkeys and decided that it would be a neat way to teach kids about the wonder of life.
Over time, it was decided that these shrimp would be marketed as sea monkeys. They became quite popular due to being advertised in the back of comic books.
Children would order the sea monkeys and they would have fun following the instructions to bring the creatures to life. It’s something that’s so simple that anyone can do it.
You don’t need to be a scientist to enjoy using a sea monkey kit. It gives you a very simple experiment that will allow you to see results within a matter of days.
How Long Does It Take Sea Monkeys to Hatch?
Since sea monkeys are often marketed as instant life, some make the mistake of thinking that they hatch instantly. This isn’t the case and you need to wait several days.
Sea monkeys are going to hatch in approximately four to six days. Depending on the situation, the sea monkeys could hatch in seven days.
To get the sea monkeys to hatch properly, it’s necessary to do everything that the instructions tell you to do. When you buy sea monkey kits, you’re going to see that they come with a set of instructions.
The instructions will tell you the temperature that the water is supposed to be, when you’re supposed to add the packet to the water, and more. Simply follow the instructions to a tee and you’ll get optimal results.
Even if it does take several days for the sea monkeys to hatch, it’s still an easy and fast process. It should be something that kids and adults alike will enjoy.
How Big Do Sea Monkeys Get?
Even if you take care of sea monkeys optimally, they’re going to remain rather small. These shrimp are only going to grow to be between half an inch and three-quarters of an inch long.
It is possible that the sea monkeys will grow a bit larger if you keep them alive for a long time. Feeding the sea monkeys well and looking after them carefully can produce better results than usual.
Some people say that they’ve been able to get sea monkeys to grow to be one inch long. This doesn’t mean that everyone will be able to replicate those results.
If you want the sea monkeys to grow large, just focus on caring for them optimally. You can keep feeding them and see how large they will get over time.
How Long Will Sea Monkeys Stay Alive?
Now you might be wondering how long the sea monkeys will stay alive after you hatch them. Honestly, it depends on how well you care for them.
It’s common for sea monkeys to live for at least one year. Many people who buy sea monkey kits will be able to keep them alive for at least close to a year if they try their best.
If you don’t care for them well, they’ll likely not reach one year of being alive. They might die after only a few months if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do for them.
Those who give the sea monkeys truly excellent care can expect them to stay alive for way longer than usual. Some sea monkey enthusiasts have reported keeping sea monkeys alive for as long as five years.
Putting in the right amount of effort can pay off when caring for sea monkeys. You can potentially enjoy these tiny shrimp for several years.
Are Sea Monkeys Expensive?
No, sea monkeys are very inexpensive. You can buy sea monkey kits without spending much money at all.
Generally, these kits are going to cost less than twenty dollars. There are different types of kits that you can buy if you’re interested.
If you’re interested in buying sea monkeys, it’s easy to find them, too. They’re commonly sold online and you can find them at various department stores.
The kit that you purchase will have everything that you need. You don’t need to purchase extra equipment in order to hatch the sea monkeys.
Are Sea Monkeys the Same as Aqua Dragons?
Yes, aqua dragons are the same as sea monkeys. You see, aqua dragons are also a hybrid type of brine shrimp.
Both products involve brine shrimp that were created in labs. There could be some minor differences between the two, but sea monkeys and aqua dragons are essentially the same.
The biggest difference is the way that they’re marketed. Sea monkey kits and aqua dragon kits feature different types of artwork.
Aside from the aesthetic differences between the kits, the experience will be almost the same. Buying either aqua dragons or sea monkeys will be a fun experience for many people.
Can Sea Monkeys Live in a Normal Tank?
You can transfer sea monkeys to a normal fish tank if you want to. It’s possible to use just about any container that can hold enough water for sea monkeys.
Some people who keep sea monkeys alive for a long time will transfer them to a normal fish tank. You might want to do this if you have many sea monkeys and you want them all to live in the same tank.
The only thing you need to pay attention to is the water. The salinity levels need to be in the right range for the sea monkeys.
You should also avoid putting plants in the tank. Plants won’t survive in the salinity levels that sea monkeys require.
It’s a bad idea to put fish in the tank with sea monkeys. The fish will just eat the sea monkeys and that would be a shame.
Final Thoughts
Whether sea monkeys are cruel or not will be hard to determine. It all comes down to how you feel about the process.
Sea monkeys are a type of brine shrimp that were created in a lab. They’ve been around since the 1950s.
These sea monkeys are sold in kits and they’re kept in an extremely dry state. You bring the sea monkeys back to life by putting them in water that has been treated properly.
They hatch within four or six days when you do everything right. It can be a fun experience and many people use it to teach kids about the wonder of life.
The creator of sea monkeys made them for this purpose. If you think that the sea monkeys being kept in a suspended state of life is cruel, then you might not want to buy them.
Most people feel that sea monkeys aren’t cruel. They’re just an interesting science experiment that is performed using a non-complex form of life.
You can make up your own mind about the topic. There isn’t an answer to the question of whether sea monkeys are cruel because it’s up to you to decide how you feel.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and over 10 years of experience working in IT. I have a wife and two children and love taking them to the zoo to see all the animals. I grew up with dogs and fish and now have two dogs and two cats. I’ve also played guitar for almost 20 years and love writing music, although it’s hard to find the time these days.