Frozen daphnia

[andywoolloo]

I had a question on Hilkari frozen daphnia.

Is it for fry or really teeny fish cause I bought a whole packet of it and it's so teeny!!

I gave some to my betta females and they looked at the surface while it whirled around their tank. Finally one of them found it and started in on it then the others caught on, so I guess they like it. The male bettas just kind of looked at it then at me like I was crazy. My cories ate what hit the bottom, majority floated thru the tank tho.

I haven't even attempted to give it my synos.

Should i not buy it again or should I just add it to the rotation and see what happens? I can just imagine it all going into the filter pad. I had no idea it was so teeny.

[corybreed]

Frozen daphnia will be enjoyed by your Synos. Just turn down the flow of your filter when you feed if you are concerned about it all going up the intake tube. I have fed it to all but the largest of my fish.

Mark

[MatsP]

I've given frozen daphnia to many of my fish, and even the big fish seem to like it a lot. Different "brands" seem to grow them to different sizes, but I don't think small ones is a problem even for quite big fishes. My Satanoperca leucosticta that are about 6" SL will eat it quite happily.

--
Mats

[andywoolloo]

thank you very much, it's officially in the rotation.

[Richard B]

Your fish will appreciate a wide & varied diet, so keep it in! If the piece is fully defrosted first it should sink readily & if the flow is reduced it shouldn't break up too much in the tank.

[andywoolloo]

maybe I am feeding it wrong then?

I put the cube in a teeny plastic container, I add some of their tank water like 3 medicine droppers ful. I break it up to help it defrost, then I suck it up in the dropper and put it close to the bottom and release it slowly.

Should I leave the cube sit in a no water and then just place it in whole when it gets warmer? And not break it up? Or put it in before it's totally deforsted? I didn't want themto get a belly ache from too cold food?

[bronzefry]

I tried this a few times. I put the cube of daphnia just sticking out of the substrate. This is what happened:

The white streaks are the daphnia. I decided, given the size of the substrate, it was better to dissolve the cube first, to give the others a better chance of eating. Also, when I did it the other way, only the alpha fishies got the brunt of the food. I give them the daphnia once a week. Even the Ancistrus sp. and Otocinclus spp. seem to eat it. It really seems to make a difference with Endler's livebearers(the male's colouring). I give it to them 2-3 times/week. The only ones I've seen ignore it are the Tatias.
Amanda

[andywoolloo]

thank you very much, also, beautiful picture!!

[andywoolloo]

Can I please ask another general frozen food feed question?

I feel pretty safe with the Hikari frozen fods. They seem to add vitamins and make sure they are parasite free or as much as you can I guess. Does everyone else feel safe with Hikari frozen foods?

Also I am having a bit of a hard time gaging how much of it to feed the syno cats at a time? Cause they do not eat like the cories. The cories nibble and the synos swallow, gulp and swallow!! The original four I have had since approximately Thanksgiving are quite substantially bigger and their colours and patterning is changing. The newest one is of course teeny and dark still.

O.k. I was giving them one cube of whatever frozen Hikari I picked for that day, they like them all! And they zoom at it like little speed demons, kicking up sand as they approach. So I started feeding two cubes at a time. But I just am not sure if that's too much. I watch their bellie and none are obese. Some get pleasingly plump after but it is gone by next day.

Also how many pellets and wafers do I put when I put those?? Cause they like the sinking shrimp pellets and the sinking canivore tabs and the sinking veggie rounds and the sinking NLS wafers. But how the heck many do I put when I feed that? They really freak me out that they scoop them up whole!