How To Grow Daphnia For The Aquarium
Author: Alden Smith The benefits of feeding live food to fish in a community tank are many: live
food will improve vigor and color, and more closely resemble the food found in
the fish's natural habitat. Live food is easily obtained.
Some drawbacks include the transmission of diseases or parasites to the
aquarium, it is time consuming to maintain the cultures, and a lot of space
needs to be devoted to raising live foods. The cost of equipment and supplies
needed to maintain cultures is also a consideration for the beginner.
In this article I will discuss how to raise Daphnia. This article will be
part of an on-going series on live foods. You can find many more related
articles on http://www.kingdiscus.com
Daphnia belong to a group known as the Daphniidae, and are close relatives of
the freshwater shrimp, and the brine shrimp (Artemia). Their generic name is
generally referred to as "water flea." This common name is derived
from the jerky movements of Daphnia in the water. The over 150 different species
can be found in North America, with a similar amount of species growing in
Europe. Some of these species find common ground on both continents.
Daphnia are a small crustacean, and are great to use as a fresh food because
they will exist in the tank water until eaten by the fish. Daphnia can also be
sterilized if it is felt necessary by placing in a 5% solution of Clorox for 3
to 5 minutes. Very few micro-organisms can survive this. Be sure, however, to
rinse them thoroughly before feeding!
Daphnia can be raised both indoors and outside. Many people raise daphnia in
a small children's wading pool. A more controlled environment, however, is done
indoors, and can be done year round if one lives in northern climes. This can be
as simple as a couple of two liter bottles, to a 20 gallon tub purchased from a
store such as Menard's. The ideal situation is to have as much oxygenated
surface area as possible, so if there is room for a larger container, by all
means use it. A shallower environment suits daphnia best for prolific growth.
Setting up the environment for daphnia is quite simple. Many methods are used
for collecting the water to use for the culture. The best advice I have heard is
from Joe F. of Circle City Aquarium Club in Indianapolis, IN. He gave a
presentation at the August meeting of Southwestern Michigan Aquarium Society,
and recommends using tank water saved from a tank change. Joe has been raising
live foods for a long time, and has had good success. His video presentation was
top notch.
PH levels for successful Daphnia cultures should be in the range of 6-8, and
should be more alkaline than acidic. If raised outdoors, no aeration is needed.
If raised indoors, aeration should be adjusted to produce large bubbles. Small
bubbles in the daphnia culture will cause the bubbles to become lodged in the
carapace of the culture, and they will die.
Water temperatures for Daphnia magna are not a high requirement, but the
optimal temperature should be in the 64-72 degree range. they are very tolerant
to changes in temperature, and can withstand fluctuations down to freezing. In
fact, Daphnia can be frozen and kept in the freezer, and then revived when
needed. Moina withstand a higher fluctuation in temperature than do D. magna.
Lighting should be in the neighborhood of eight or more hours light per day
and light intensity equal to or greater than 850 lux. A simple light and a timer
can accomplish this indoors.
Feeding the Daphnia is where most aquarists fail. Daphnia feed on dissolved
organic matter, yeast, various groups of bacteria, microalgae, and detritus, or
mulm. Organic fertilizers, such as fresh cow manure. It is not recommended by
our breeder, though, because of the antibiotics and supplements fed to dairy and
beef cattle. A much better mixture is a combination of one tablespoon each of
spirulina, soy flour, and active dry yeast, added to a pint of water. This
mixture should be added so that the water is cloudy, but you are able to see the
bottom clearly, and observe the Daphnia swimming in the culture. This mixture
should be added carefully every two or three days, being careful not to over
feed. At this time, you should see an abundance of Daphnia, and they can be
harvested to feed your fish.
Harvesting is quite simple - simply use a small aquarium net, observing that
the smaller Daphnia fall through the netting to grow further. In this way, the
adults are harvested, and can be fed to your fish. The younger Daphnia can go on
to produce still more fish food. Harvested Daphnia can be kept in the
refrigerator for several days in clean water.
Daphnia are high in protein, and a very good diet for tropical fish. Some
aquarists feed them exclusively. They provide up to 70% protein to your tropical
fish, and are an excellent source of live food for the aquarium.
Much can be written on the culturing of Daphnia. this guide is only meant to
help the beginner to live foods to establish a colony, and feed live food high
in protein to their fish. A series of article on live foods is forthcoming, and
can be viewed at http://www.kingdiscus.com
About The Author
Alden Smith is a published author who has been publishing on the internet for
7 years. Visit his website, for articles, software, and other resources. This
article is one of a series available at http://www.kingdiscus.com
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