Pets Information |
How To Grow Daphnia For The Aquarium
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 at 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. Alden Smith is a published author, and has been marketing on the internet for 7 years. Read more articles at his website, King Discus, an active gathering place for discus breeders and lovers of discus fish.His wife Betsy is the administrator of All The Best Recipes a site rich in free online recipes and cookbooks.
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Mommy, Can I Keep That Stray Dog? How many times have you seen this situation where a child comes through the door with a dog in tow? It looks skinny and skittish and is in need of a good meal and a bath. The child is looking with big eyes imploring, pleading, and desperately wanting a yes. Keeping Your Cat Healthy Cats need only be provided with decent shelter, food and water and they will be quite healthy most of the time. Like any other living thing, however, they can get sick and can come down with anything from a minor cold to a major ailment. Surprising Health Benefits for Pet Owners Did you know that there are key health benefits that canresult from owning a pet? Having one can enhance yourphysical, mental and social wellbeing.1. Seeing Past Cuteness When Selecting the Best Dog Breed For You: Part 3 of 3 Are there so many great dog breeds out there that you just can't decide where to begin? If so, let's break it down and sort through all the options. In Part 3, the final article in this three part series, we'll continue looking at the seven Groups of dogs that are acknowledged by the American Kennel Club. Responsible Dog Ownership With all the companionship and love that our dogs give so freely, it's hard to imagine that some owners just don't take responsibility for their dogs. But it's true. Female Dog Care As there are certain health issues that affect only the female dog, care should be taken to ensure that these are fully understood before deciding whether or not to buy a bitch.The most important dog health care concern is that of spaying. The Top Five Reasons to Rescue a Boxer What if you want a Boxer, but cannot stomach the thought of housebreaking, chewed up shoes and boundless puppy energy? Have you ever heard of Boxer rescue? These organizations provide loving care (and sometimes rehabilitation) to Boxers who have been surrendered by their owners, found abandoned or rescued from harmful situations.Too many people get a Boxer for the wrong reasons and thankfully there are rescue organizations to take these dogs into their homes and provide care until a forever family can be found. Improve Your Dogs Health With a Natural Diet It goes without saying that your dog needs suitable nutrition to remain healthy. Vets and pet food manufacturers often have differing views on appropriate nutrition for your dog. First Aid for Felines - How to Keep Your Car Safe from Harm Cats are known for their curious and adventurous nature. Curiosity doesn't always kill the cat, but can often cause injury. Treating Dog Arthritis With Natural Supplements Dog arthritis is one of the most common diseases that affect canines; especially large breed dogs (60-90 lbs) the best thing you can do is to prevent the occurrence of this disease with the appropriate supplements when your dog is 4 or 5 years old and not wait until symptoms show, but if your dog is already presenting symptoms and/or pain you should consider the option of natural treatment for your pet's condition.Osteoarthritis in dogs (or just dog arthritis) can be treated effectively with natural supplements that are as effective as commonly prescribed drugs and much safer because of the less risk of side effects. Grieving Our Pets Death Our pets give us so much. They entertain us, listen to our secrets, and give us unconditional love. Boston Terrier - Special Concerns For This Adorable Breed Beautiful as they are, Boston Terriers have some genetic traits and defects that you must always be mindful of. In order to keep your dogs' health in tip-top condition and ensure that he leads a healthy and happy life, you must ensure that you are aware of the breeds special requirements and of potential dangers. Im Allergic To My Cat! Having a cat allergy came as something of a surprise to me. Growing up, I had many pets - cats, dogs and birds. Essential Oils and Our Pets Before we talk about using the essential oils, we first should define what is an essential oil in the first place.An essential oil is a bioavailable nutritive liquid. Breeding Your Goldfish If you are keen on breeding Goldfish, you should know that it's not an easy task. It will take a lot of patience, a lot of space in the tank and quite a bit of money too. Online: The Fastest, Cheapest, Easiest Way to Buy and Sell a Horse Selling a HorseThe best new tool for people selling horses is the Internet. You can describe your horse in detail and publish pictures, list a pedigree, show record and accomplishments - all for a very reasonable price. How To Get Your Pet To Strike The Pose: Tips For Photographing Your Pet If you have ever tried to take a picture of your dog, you will realize how hard it is to capture the pups full personality and beauty in a photograph. Dogs aren't human, and they don't understand what we are doing when we try to take their photo. One Of The Benefits Of Using RecoveryPets.Com One of the benefits of registering your pet with a pet recovery service is that in the event your pet should ever become lost, the finder can get information to contact the owner.The main drawback to many of these services is that they use the information currently located on the pet tag to register the pet, and by doing this, the finder of the pet does not have a place to go to view the owners contact information. Tank Requirements For Discus Fish For Discus fish, there are 2 consideration in tanks - tank depth and volume. Because of their size and swimming habits, a minimum of 18" is needed for tank depth, the deeper the better. Antibiotics? I Think Not Have you noticed that doctors are now being much more reluctant to give you a prescription for antibiotics unless it's proven that you are indeed suffering from a bacterial infection? Well, I wish I could say better late than never, but in the case of antibiotics, we're far too late.Antibiotics were once touted as a modern miracle and they did indeed save lives, once upon a time. |
home | site map | contact us |