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