PlanetCatfish.com

Hi all,
just wondering if anyone has try'd to breed there own Daphnia??? I was thinking of filling up a large barrel of water in the garden, throwing a load of Elodea in there and a few bag's of live Daphnia to get it started. Wot do u think??????

Thank's all

Kev.

I'm not sure that the elodea is necessary, but there is lots of info on raising caphnia on the net.

Yes, avoid the Elodea, it'll compete for the nutrients that would be used by the algae the Daphnia feed on. What are you looking to feed the Daphnia to? With a barrel you won't be likely to culture enough to feed a large number of fish, but if you have looking to feed just a couple of small species that are heavily dependent on live foods you should be OK.
I find it better to go out and collect it and just store it in my garden tub until it's all used, then go and get some more.
Pete

hi pete,
it's only really so my few week old cory's can swim in food and eat when they want and also my 5 L-333's which im try'n to breed seem to like it.

Kev

Might be worth grabbing a Wigan street map and looking for any old mill lodges or settlement ponds close by. These can be great sources of Daphnia. Some of the old landscaped mine workings round there might have pools on them which could also be worth checking out, as are storage reservoirs.

I've often wondered about culturing Daphnia. I saw the incredible pics in one of the postings of the live Daphnia. The frozen sinks to the bottom and provides hours of hunting excitement. The freeze dried doesn't sink, even if you pre-soak. Is there any risk of parasites or disease, if you catch them from a local pond? Also, are there other zooplankton types of food to feed? I tried the wet "zooplankton" in a jar. It was a big hit, but it was not a hit with the family. It needed refrigeration. "EEEW, WHAT'S THIS!??!" And that was my 78 year-old Dad. He almost put it in his coffee.

Bronzefry wrote:Is there any risk of parasites or disease, if you catch them from a local pond?

Yes, certainly, if there are fish present. I only collect from waters where I'm pretty sure there are no fish, which is why mill ponds, storage reservoirs etc can be such good sources, as they may be drained periodically which should prevent the establishment of any ichthyofauna.
If in doubt look for the presence of anglers, herons or grebes etc. (Little Grebes excepted, these are not obligate fish-eaters).

Around here these kinds of ponds often get sprayed with insecticides especially near the larger centers but you can usually find out if and when they have been spraying.

Birger

I'll follow my instincts and stay with what I'm doing. I think it may be time to get a small refrigerator/freezer for all things fishy. My parents are so kind for letting my adult, handicapped butt live here and to have fish tanks. I love them so much! Time for some concessions.