Anyone Have A Daphnia Culture?

[constantine03]

I have one, but it's not very successful. I know you have to use RO/aged tank water without dechlor or anything in it. The instructional sheet that I received said to feed them yeast and try to get algae growing... I've done all this, but they still seem to die. The sheet also said that a water change should only be done every 6 weeks...but the water gets very old and stagnant with the yeast in it. I think this is why they are dying, but who knows! So, do any of you have a live daphnia culture? If so, how do you keep it going?

Thanks!!

 

[liz2]

I have one in the summer but it does itself in my rain water barrel....as soon as the sun hits it they start growing. After a week or so you can find me lurking next to the barrel with my net catching them...
ps also got a load of snails in there....

 

[constantine03]

Yeah, I have about 3 trumpet snails in there right now. I think I dumped most of the little guys with the last water change. I don't know what got in there, but that water was rank! I used a net to get out what I could, but I'd say I probably poured 80% out because I couldn't see them. I ordered a new culture to add to what I have, and hopefully it will be successful this time. :\

 

[Honeythorn]

It is so much easier to do what Liz2 does. Just get a water barrel, or even a bucket of rainwater ( Just leave it in the middle of the yard in a downpour or collect over the course of time until it's 3/4 full , don't let the rain hit another surface and run off into the container, it may become contaminated by what it ran off ) and leave it in the sun for algae to grow. Then add your culture. You will more than likely also get a natural supply of mosquito larvae, which most fish LOVE.

 

[blue_betta]

if you can get it, frozen microplankton is a good food for them. yeast seems a strange food to give them, it would just foul up the water and make it go a bit alcoholic i guess too.
i keep mine in direct sunlight on my windowsil and feed microplancton every couple of days. also, when cleaning out my fliter material, i rince it into a bucket with tank water and use the mucky water to feed plants and also to feed my daphnia cultures a bit too, it feeds them directly and encourages algae