IntroductionDaphnia, better know as water flea live in fresh water and swim around with jerky motions.
They are filter feeders, eating unicellular algae and other microscopic organisms. There are many different daphnia species but the two most frequently found are Daphnia Pulex (small & most common) and Daphnia Magna (large). |
Daphnia Pulex
Why breed them?
Daphnia are a popular live food in the aquarium hobby.
They are nearly transparent, so their internal organs are easy to study in live specimens.
Sometimes they are used to test water quality or the effects of toxins on an ecosystem.
And also because it's fun to watch and observe them.
They are nearly transparent, so their internal organs are easy to study in live specimens.
Sometimes they are used to test water quality or the effects of toxins on an ecosystem.
And also because it's fun to watch and observe them.
How to breed them?
First you need to find some Daphnia for starting your colony. Luckily they are abundant in nature, look for a local freshwater lake, pond, stream or river.
Scoop some water (best with a transparent pot or jar) and hold it to the light, if you see some white spots with jerky movements, then your catch is good. (Sometimes they are also available in pet shops)
At home, choose a container to keep them in, it does not really matter how big it is. It depends on how much you need of them.
Place the container in a light spot, artificial light works just as well as sun light.
If you use tap water, let it stand for 12-24 hours before using it. The chlorine is bad for them!
There are many possibilities of food to give to your Daphnia,
The best are green water (water with single celled algae in it) or yeast (mix it with a bit of warm water and wait a few hours)
Others that i've not tried yet are: yeast with a bit of sugar or soya flour, spirulina, a liquid from of some vegetable soup, ...
But do not overfeed them.
The daphnia has both sexual and asexual phases. Most of the time the population consists entirely of females that reproduce asexually. Under optimum conditions, a female may produce more than 100 eggs per brood, repeating every 3 days. The female will start to reproduce at about 4 days old with a brood size of 4 to 22 eggs.
Under adverse conditions, males are produced, and sexual reproduction begins. The result is the laying of resting eggs, just like the brine shrimp. Factors that can trigger this are a lack of food, low oxygen supply, a high population density, or low temperatures.
If you do everything right, you will have a large colony soon.
Don't forget to harvest regularly, as already mentioned, a too high population density is not good.
It's a good idea to move a part of the colony to another container as backup.
Scoop some water (best with a transparent pot or jar) and hold it to the light, if you see some white spots with jerky movements, then your catch is good. (Sometimes they are also available in pet shops)
At home, choose a container to keep them in, it does not really matter how big it is. It depends on how much you need of them.
Place the container in a light spot, artificial light works just as well as sun light.
If you use tap water, let it stand for 12-24 hours before using it. The chlorine is bad for them!
There are many possibilities of food to give to your Daphnia,
The best are green water (water with single celled algae in it) or yeast (mix it with a bit of warm water and wait a few hours)
Others that i've not tried yet are: yeast with a bit of sugar or soya flour, spirulina, a liquid from of some vegetable soup, ...
But do not overfeed them.
The daphnia has both sexual and asexual phases. Most of the time the population consists entirely of females that reproduce asexually. Under optimum conditions, a female may produce more than 100 eggs per brood, repeating every 3 days. The female will start to reproduce at about 4 days old with a brood size of 4 to 22 eggs.
Under adverse conditions, males are produced, and sexual reproduction begins. The result is the laying of resting eggs, just like the brine shrimp. Factors that can trigger this are a lack of food, low oxygen supply, a high population density, or low temperatures.
If you do everything right, you will have a large colony soon.
Don't forget to harvest regularly, as already mentioned, a too high population density is not good.
It's a good idea to move a part of the colony to another container as backup.