Many people struggle to find a difference between Mysis shrimp and brine shrimp. Even if they do find the difference, they face a dilemma in choosing the right one.
We understand your concern. Choosing the right kind of food for our fish is very important. This factor can make you love your hobby or even hate it.
Which one to choose, mysis shrimp vs. brine shrimp?
There are indeed many significant differences between the two kinds of shrimp. Mysis has more crude protein, and hence it is more nutritious.
However, fishes prefer brine for some obvious reasons nonetheless.
Wanna know more? Then read along. By the end of this article, you’ll surely be confident enough to choose one!
A Sneak Peek into Mysis Shrimp vs. Brine Shrimp
Yes, Mysis shrimps are richer in nutritional content. But, although veggies are more nutritious than pizzas, we would always choose pizza, right?
The same goes for fish. They would always prefer brine over Mysis. We cannot force these little fellas to have Mysis if they decide not to feed on them.
So, it gets difficult to choose one over the other, right? You might think the fishes are better off munching on good-quality algae wafers.
But these shrimp provide a lot of nutrition. To help gather your thoughts, here are the differences between the two:
| Mysis Shrimp | Brine Shrimp |
| Richer in nutrition, such as proteins and good fats in live form | Less nutritious in live form |
| Less nutritious in frozen form | Frozen brines are more nutritious |
| Larger in size | Smaller in size |
| Not all fishes seem to like them | Almost all fishes like them because their small size makes them easy to eat |
| Costs about a dollar more than brine | Cheaper |
| Not always available | More easily available |
So, which one do you prefer by reading through the table? Wait, don’t decide right away!
Let’s learn more about them in the next section!
Getting Down To The Main Debate: Mysis Shrimp or Brine Shrimp
In the table above, we have briefly looked at the differences.
Now we’ll learn about each of those in detail. However, make sure that nuisance alga is not breeding in our tank.
The fish would then feed on them instead of the food we provide. This can be prevented by installing the right reactor. Clear your confusion on whether rowaphos or GFO is better.
Cost
In terms of cost, brines are the more pocket-friendly ones. Usually, brines cost about a dollar or two less than mysis shrimps.
It is recommended to go for Mysis, nonetheless. We would get better quality over this 1-2 dollars.
Availability
In terms of availability, brines get the upper hand. Mysis are not always readily available due to a shortage of their supply.
However, there is a solution to this problem. It’s always advised to switch foods of fish at times.
Switching to brine for some time would be a good idea. There are also some other kinds of food which are good too.
Getting the fish habituated to eating Mysis from the start would be helpful.
We have to switch back to Mysis after a while. When we do, they will not show reluctance in eating it.
Nutritional Facts
We have said before that Mysis are richer in proteins and good fats. However, you may have heard that these differences are insignificant.
Now, a point to be noted. All brands of each shrimp type are pretty much similar in terms of nutritional facts. But it’s not as simple.
Frozen brine is richer in nutrients than frozen Mysis. Below is the nutrient chart of comparison between frozen brine and frozen Mysis. Frozen versions are also a good pick for your aquarium buddies.
| Brine Shrimp | Mysis Shrimp | |
| Minimum Crude Protein | 7.1% | 5.7% |
| Minimum Crude Fat | 1.1% | 0.1% |
| Maximum Crude Fiber | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| Maximum Moisture | 89% | 92.2% |
We can see that the differences are not that significant.
However, if we go for live ones, mysis wins here. They are much higher in the content of proteins and good fats than live brine shrimps.
If we want to fill up our fish with nutrition, live mysis would be the best pick.
Pro tip: You can even breed mysis shrimp to feed them to your aquarium fishes.
Size
Mysis shrimps are the bigger ones here. They can be as long as one inch. On the other hand, brine shrimps are tiny. They are usually 03-05 inches in length.
That is why, when it comes to feeding live shrimp to our fish, brines are the preferred ones.
Small shrimps are easier for them to eat. So, if they build a habit of feeding on brine shrimps from the start, that isn’t good.
It would be difficult for us to change their eating habits then.
The best solution would be to make them used to eat Mysis from the start.
In between, we could switch to other ones when necessary. This way, our fish would not go without eating when we give them Mysis.
Preference Of Fishes
As stated above, fishes prefer brine over mysis for obvious reasons such as their size and taste.
But, if we feed them correctly, this issue can be avoided. It would be better to train them to eat mysis as well.
However, we cannot really compare which food works best for the fish if other factors are not controlled.
We need to use the best t5 bulbs for maintaining light intensity in the tank.
Other important factors that affect the health of our fish include parameters, water quality, etc.
Our Verdict: Which Shrimp Is for Your Aquarium?
From our comparison, Mysis shrimps are a clear winner here if you’re more into nutrition.
Both of them have their perks, of course. But the downsides of mysis can be avoided, unlike that for brines.
However, if you already have other nutritious food options, go for brine shrimp as your weekly switch.
FAQs
Question: Can freshwater fish eat mysis shrimp?
Answer: There is one type of frozen mysis shrimp. It is PE frozen mysis shrimp.
These kinds are perfect for freshwater fishes. Freshwater fishes tend to be very energetic. PE mysis shrimps are naturally far richer in Omega 3’s and other fatty acids than brines are.
And these components are very much sought out by freshwater fishes. There is no better food supplement than this, which would be perfect for freshwater fishes.
Question: How often should I feed mysis shrimp?
Answer: Feeding one kind of food to fish for a long time is never a good idea. Switches should be done now and then.
Mysis shrimps can be fed to them a couple of times a week. Then some other foods can be provided to them on other days of the week.
Question: Can you feed fish brine every day?
Answer: When it comes to feeding brine daily, we recommend you go for live ones. Live ones are generally a little richer in nutrients.
However, sticking to one kind of food at all time is not a good idea. For best results, keep other items, such as mysis shrimp, flakes, etc, on the menu.
Conclusion
So, that’s all the differences between these two shrimp. Are you less confused about the mysis shrimp vs. brine shrimp dilemma now.