Sorry I just saw this....
Life A can indeed be hatched, the decapsulation of the eggs doesnt effect their viability. At least according to ABushke.
I got mine from Marine Depot..........
From DR. Marini
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/dec2002/breeder.htm
Decapsulated cysts
The hard egg shell that covers a Artemia cyst can be completely removed by short exposure to a bleach solution. This procedure is called decapsulation and decapsulated cysts offer a number of advantages to the home hobbyist compared to non-decapsulated ones:
a) Brine shrimp egg shells are not introduced into the culture tanks. When hatching normal cysts, the separation of nauplii from their shells is not always possible. Unhatched cysts and empty shells can cause deleterious effects in the larval tanks when they are ingested by the fry, often times the egg casing can not be digested and may obstruct the gut.
b) Nauplii that are hatched out of decapsulated cysts have a higher energy content and individual weight (30-55% depending on strain) than regular nauplii.
c) Decapsulation results in a disinfection of the cysts. A culture infection due to contamination by “dirty” brine shrimp eggs is common in aquaculture facilities, fortunately not so much in home culture.
d) Decapsulated cysts can be used immediately as an energy-rich food source for fish and shrimp larvae.
e) The illumination requirements for hatching decapsulated cysts are lower.
The procedure to decapsulate Artemia cysts requires an initial hydration of the cysts (as complete removal of the envelope can only be performed when the cysts are spherical), removal of the brown shell in a bleach solution, followed by washing and neutralization of the remaining bleach. These decapsulated cysts can be hatched into nauplii immediately, or dehydrated in concentrated brine solution then stored for later hatching. Lastly, the decapsulated eggs can be used for direct feeding. Decapsulated Artemia cysts can be stored for a few days in the refrigerator without any noted decrease in hatching. Okay enough of the scientific background; let’s get into the important part.
