Reply With QuoteWhere did you get the cyclops in the first place? Many articles say they are a good life food source... Never seen them on sale...
Has anyone cultivate cyclops (see http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk/mdh/05822.htm) before? I have a one foot tank with a colony of cyclops which I have been using as a biological algae removal crew. Moss infected with BGA placed inside are cleaned within a couple of days. And there is no visible algae in the tank though it is by the window.
Now, I am thinking of using them as food for fries too; but I am not sure if it is safe to do so. Any advice?
The juggling apprentice fish
Where did you get the cyclops in the first place? Many articles say they are a good life food source... Never seen them on sale...
Most interesting....
I think most of us here don't cultivate live food for our fishes (though I may be wrong). However, the killifish hobbyists do have some worm culture. Not sure if cyclops are part of the assortment they cultivate to feed their fishes.
I would like to find out more too!
Cheers,
I have dwarf cichlids in my tanks! Do you?
Actually they came, I think with some tubifex worms. I was trying to breed a pair of betta. But did not put in much effort and the tank began to be covered with algae (due to sunlight). But one day i noticed the glass clearing up in patches. On closer examination, i noticed the cyclobs. I've taken out the bettas, and the cyclobs have cleaned the tank!
If you are interested i could try to catch a few females with egg pods for you.
*argh* this think looks like a magnified plankton in the sea. will the fishes eat them??
can give me some pls?? i desperate to try anything now.
Newbie in Aquatic Tank Setup....
The juggling apprentice fish
This is VERY interesting... Would they require well oxygenated waters? Would bigger fish not get interested in eating them? I dun have spare tanks but if big fish ignore them, then I most definitely dun mind having them... But then, will they breed well with filtration?Originally Posted by Johnc
Actually they came, I think with some tubifex worms. I was trying to breed a pair of betta. But did not put in much effort and the tank began to be covered with algae (due to sunlight). But one day i noticed the glass clearing up in patches. On closer examination, i noticed the cyclobs. I've taken out the bettas, and the cyclobs have cleaned the tank!
If you are interested i could try to catch a few females with egg pods for you.
The adult cyclop is less than 1 mm from head to tail. I doubt the bigger fishes will be interested in them. In fact, even the adult bettas did not seem very keen on them (or maybe they were reproducing fast enough to maintain a good population even when there were two predators around).
I was hoping that they may be used to feed the fries, but i'm not sure if they would eat them and whether they may attack the fries. Anyone know?
If your fliter pump is not to powerful i am quite sure they will survive in the tank much like the way baby shrimp sometimes thrive in the filter box.
Yokogi, if you would PM me your contact number i could get a small vial of the creatures to you. I'll experiment to see how long they can live in a rubber tube. If they can live a couple of days, I may even mail it to you!
But they do seem to have breeding seasons, so if you like the mature female with eggs, you may have to wait for i've not spotted any females these couple of days.
it's better to go collect from your place if u don't mind giving. =b
they're practically invisible. my concern is, if i put them into my tank full of algae & fishes, who will be the winner - algae / fish / cyclop???
Newbie in Aquatic Tank Setup....
Cool!! Perhaps I can get some to take pictures? Wonder if the pictures will come out.
Cheers,
I have dwarf cichlids in my tanks! Do you?
eh benny,
maybe if u have a 100x macro lens then it'll fill the frame?? somemore maybe take 100 shots then come out a focused one??
Newbie in Aquatic Tank Setup....
Nothing can escape your lenses..... maybe nothing visible to eye can escape your crutches...
The juggling apprentice fish
Ooh oh... Can I also have some? Just trying out... I have a tank with big fish that is just beside the window... Snails keep the glass algae free but water's a bit yellowinh/greenish... They might actually survive there...
Johnc, I would reconsider on culturing the Cyclops as a live food. The adult Cyclops will readily prey on tiny newborn fry if they come across any. However baby Cyclops are eaten by most tiny fry. The adult Cyclops however, are readily fed upon by juvenile fry.
They usually tag along with live food like tubifex or with plants. With the addition of water and some source of food, the cysts usually hatch out and produce baby Cyclops. You won't notice them at first until you start finding tiny jerking animals in the water.
Females seem to be carrying egg-cases most of the time. However all you need is a few of them and they'll be multiplying like rabbits if given the chance.
Fish.. Simply Irresistable
Back to Killies... slowly.
Thanks Stormhawk, this is what I was afraid of. I'll desist then.
Stormhawk also brought up a very good point which i was about to suggest for those who would like to have the cyclops. I can still give some to you; but a more convenient way may be for you to cultivate some.
Here's what you do.
Get a clean jar with an airtight lid. I use a plastic cookie bottle that they use to sell pineapple tarts.
Put some water (best taken from your fish tank).
Put some java moss (or any other small plants).
Buy a little tubifex worms - 10c or 20c (do not wash with tap-water).
Put a pinch of the worms in to the bottle (feed the rest to your fishes after washing them).
Blow some CO2 into your bottle (for the plants). Close the lid.
Leave near the window.
That's it.
Wait a few days and you are *very likely* to have a small colony of cyclops!
Then do what you want with them... Keep them as an algae cleaning unit (in a 1 foot tank); put them into your tank to clean it; photograph them; or feed them to your juvenile fries (remembering Stormhawk's caveat about tiny fries).
/John
May I know base on this method, How can we know if the cyclops are there? Since they are microscopic and cannot be seen from the naked eye?
Just curious? Do they help to reduce hair algae which always appear on my moss?
Please advise.
First of all, they're not that microscopic. The adults can clearly be seen with your naked eye. You don't need magnifying glasses to see the tiny jerking animals in the water.
As for the algae bit, I'm not sure if they eat the algae itself but I do know that the adults are predatory towards other micro-animals in the water.
Fish.. Simply Irresistable
Back to Killies... slowly.
Pic of a cyclop...
http://www.micrographia.com/specbiol...0/cyclop00.htm
Okay so they look like one-eyed monsters.
Fish.. Simply Irresistable
Back to Killies... slowly.
I think if we observe our tank close enough, we might actually find these tiny creatures or similar species in our planted tanks. They move in jerky motion and I actually dismiss them as some sort of shrimp fries that can never reach adulthood due to fish.
Now, perhaps that's the reason why my darios seems to zoom in on something which I cannot see and chase after it.
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