Daphnia Culturing

[tetrakid]

Hey guys! I'd like to know some of the results of the past few years of experimentation when it came to Moina monoculture. Seems that there's been quite a bit of difficulty in keeping one going locally. I might be interested in making a university project out of it. Researching on the viability of small-scale culturing on Moina locally. Any starting points? Or any pointers on what works and what doesn't?

Daphnia is the hardest to culture amongst all live cultures. They are the most sensitive to water conditions. Since they are so sensitive (die easily) to water impurities, they are used as a 'testing agent' to detect impurities in water. But daphnia are often abundant in the sewerages and farms where animal dung are found, since they feed on the dung bacteria.

[dinosauricon]

Guys I've been reading a bit. Apparently, there have been promising experiments co-culturing Moina with Dero worms. Though tbh I'm not sure how viable this is for small-scale cultivation. Do we even have Dero worm cultures in Singapore at the moment?

[boofeng]

Hi all

Here to resurrect this thread because I've managed to keep a number of populations of Daphnia sp. going for a few months now and will share my method briefly. (Special thanks to Bern C for the starter culture.)

Basically I start with old fish tank water, with a little bit of coral gravel added, in a tau huay tub (or bigger or smaller tupperware/plastic container). Add a few strands of rabbit hay (for gradual breakdown and infusoria growth). Add a few daphnia. Add snails. Feed greenwater or Liquifry No. 1 when necessary. Shine a light 12 hr++ each day. Add some hay once in a while.

Note: I don't use aeration to keep things simple - and it works - just be sure the water is shallow. And I do get mosquito larvae - just suck them out with a disposable plastic pipette and feed the fish too. A brine shrimp net works well for both harvesting and water changes. I also harvest virtually daily - maybe that prevents crashing - no idea. I've done this in tiny 10x6 cm tupperware bins to shoebox sizes from Daiso (30x15 cm) - they all work - just at different levels of production.

The populations don't boom or bust quickly, and the yield rate is nothing to boast about, but the tubs can go for weeks before fading away.

Here's a video of what a typical culture tub looks like: https://youtu.be/evMGFqcrT5c

Credits: This is nothing new - just an implementation of various ideas from teh interwebz (caudata.org especially), and the advice of some fellow hobbyists here (Bern C, UA, Ronnie).

Cheers
Bufeng

[tetrakid]

I used to be a fan of boons, but since I could only find Moina (a small variety of boons) , I have given up on it. I only go for big boons which were eadily available in the good old dsys of past years but have disappeared nowadays. I now go for fruitflies which I trap daily and my fish love them and always gobble them up with gusto..

[RonWill]

BuFeng, just keep an eye on the weather since it takes just one warm spell to wipe out all your effort, as it did to my Daphnia magna and D. pulex cultures.

The only difference now, is that there are lots more information and sharing of experience online, plus plentiful Youtube tutorials for the uninitiated.

Good luck, learn from it and do keep us updated.

[tetrakid]

Having searched high and low for boons everywhere, the only boons I could find are those tiny Moinas sold in LFSs. But Moinas are too small for my need unless I feed them to fish fry.

Thankfully I have found a great substitute for big boons in the firm of fruit flies. Ever since I used fruit flies to feed my fish, they have become more lively and unstressed, as they always beckon frantically for fruit flies.

[boofeng]

BuFeng, just keep an eye on the weather since it takes just one warm spell to wipe out all your effort, as it did to my Daphnia magna and D. pulex cultures.

The only difference now, is that there are lots more information and sharing of experience online, plus plentiful Youtube tutorials for the uninitiated.

Good luck, learn from it and do keep us updated.

Thanks for that tip - I'll try to keep some in the office as backup. I've been seeding many containers for fear of a total crash - would be a relief if fellow hobbyists would also culture this Daphnia strain. I've got a starter for you any time, RonWill. And anyone else serious about culturing them, you're welcome to pick up a starter from me.

And yes it's definitely much, much easier now to learn anything. Still, all you guys' earlier records have been extremely helpful - most accounts in English still come from temperate areas, and might not fit our equatorial context, e.g. nobody mentions heat waves killing daphnia off! I'm also hoping this strain Bern C brought in has been slowly adapting to our climate - and will in future become hardy enough for easy culture as we continue to work with them.

That said, the yield rate definitely can't compare with grindal worms. I still devote time and space for daphnia, however, because I've read their chitinous exoskeletons are fibrous and act like a substitute for vegetable matter - good for purging the digestive tract and preventing constipation in predominantly herbivorous fish being fed lots of meaty foods.

[tetrakid]

If I were to culture Russian Reds for example, I would definitely utilize chillers such as those used by shrimp keepers for their shrimp. When culturing bigger boobs, one has to be serious about it, namely willing to expend money on a chiller setup with good backup as standard.

But I am not going the boons route after I found out I could capture a lot of fruit flies easily with my own setup. And also because compared to boons, fruit flies are an ideal size for my fish likeTetras, Guoramis, Bettas and even my big goldfish, all of which grabbed them with visible gusto. Once my pair of precious big angelfish even refuse any other good except fruit flies.

[antjoey1122]

Hi tetrakid,

Can show us your fruit flies setup, I'm interested. Thanks.



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[tetrakid]

Hi tetrakid,

Can show us your fruit flies setup, I'm interested. Thanks.

@antjoey

Later I will draw a simple representation and post it here, but you will have to wait for it as I have other matters to attend to.

[antjoey1122]

@antjoey

Later I will draw a simple representation and post it here, but you will have to wait for it as I have other matters to attend to.

yes will wait patiently. This is part of the profile in this hobby.

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[tetrakid]

@antjoey

While waiting for the diagrams, perhaps you can start with it.

First get hold of any 1.5L soft drink bottle and a large transparent cellophane bag. Cut the top portion of the bottle so that it becomes a tall jar. The cellophane bag is important. You can get it from used ones used for packing grocery stuff, etc. Soft plastic bags will not do, as the bag needs to hold it's shape for the fruitflies flying around inside it. Cellophane bags work because the material is stiff and can hold a hollow space well.

The bait for the fruit flies can be orange peel or apple core waste. I have tried both and it works well. I consume orange juicing frequently, so I always use orange peel, with the juicy fibre attached,. Cut it up into small pieces and place it at the bottom of the bottle and placed the bottle where you wish to attract the fruit flies. In the morning, carefully place the open cellophane bag over the top of the bottle without disturbing it. All the fruit flies will immediately fly into the beg. Squeeze close the open end of the bag carefully without letting the flies escape. With the air and fruit flies inside the bag like a balloon, shake all the flies into a corner of the bag and the same time use your flicking finger to knock them out. You can also knock them out by microwaving the bag for 10 seconds. Empty the bag of fruit flies into the tank with the eagerly waiting fish. Only top feeders will relish the fruit flies. Basically that's it.

[antjoey1122]

Thanks tetrakid I'll try it per instructions.

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[tetrakid]

It is better to place the bottle outside rather than inside the house as it will attract more fruit flies. You may need to try a few spots to find the best location. Usually I leave it overnight and harvest at about 10 am the next morning. I normally get about 50 or more fruit fruit flies in the bag. To catch more, you may need to place more than one bottle, as the fruit flies are smart. They do not come back after the bottle is moved, so while gathering flies from one container, be very careful not to disturb the other one, otherwise all the flies will fly away. Sometimes, you may get less flies when the population is down, but it is a matter of time before they are replenished as the grub matures in their breeding places. As a side note, fruit flies are commonly used in universities for experimental work, though they are usually of the flightless variety which don't fly but hop as their wings are bred to be useless for flight. Such flies are also the staple diet used by frog keepers.

[ZIr]

When culturing bigger boobs, one has to be serious about it, namely willing to expend money on a chiller setup with good backup as standard.

Yes I know it's probably a typo but I ...

[boofeng]

Yes I know it's probably a typo but I ...

Lol that post is gonna get lots of hits on the internet

Thanks tetrakid I'll try it per instructions.

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Hey Antony - culturing more things? Want a daphnia culture?

BTW Fuel has wingless fruitfly cultures, not sure if you saw his post earlier on.

[antjoey1122]

Hi bro Bufeng, yes, culturing more live feed. Would find you after CNY.

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[RonWill]

When culturing bigger boobs, one has to be serious about it

Yo "kid", I've been an advocate for livefood cultures for erm... as far as I can remember but holy boons!! I'm definitely serious about keeping "bigger boobs", so... where do we start???

[tetrakid]

Yo "kid", I've been an advocate for livefood cultures for erm... as far as I can remember but holy boons!! I'm definitely serious about keeping "bigger boobs", so... where do we start???

LOL... Small keyboards on mobile tablets certainly do not make things easy when it comes to typos. But thankfully big boons are so rare here that the auto-spellchecker did the weirdest things by insisting that it has to be boobs! Talk about artificial intelligence!

[antjoey1122]

Culturing both are serious business, but both need green stuff: green papaya and green water. Just don't mixed up the options.

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