Sophia Posted January 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 They are like lots of tiny white dots built up in a hollow shape as if you made a cup shape with your hand and then cupped that against a flat palm. There is no jelly involved, they don't seem anything like snail eggs. They don't move when disturbed. I poked one and it seperated but it either reformed or grew back. The bugs take no notice of them. How do I know if daphnia are feeding? (don't say they get out knives and forks). I dropped some yeasted water into the tank, they just hoicked themselves up and down as usual. I'm pretty sure their numbers are dwindling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2011 Yes from around 16 earlier in the week I can count only 8 daphnia now. I've cut the air down to a stream of single bubbles in case that is part of it, and started a new bucket of green water to feed them. I still want to know what daphnia feeding look like. ----------------------------------------------------- It could just be that they have reached the end of their lives as more reading says they live from 40-56 days and I've had them for a few weeks. Which means they just aren't reproducing or not as quickly as I envisage. I watched one die earlier, it sunk to the bottom and jerked around erratically like in a death throe (very dramatic it was) and sunk. Then every little while it would jigger about a bit and sink again until I gave up watching it. . I still have my biggest green ostracod and a handful of small beige ones. Copepods/Cyclops are doing very well and there are also some white swimming worm or leech like creatures that are less than a mm wide and about 3 long. Tried to see if any thing was interacting with the mystery fungus creatures, as if eggs etc, but nope. And the (tubifex?) worms are also quite active. Some waving in the gravel, another crawling about in the leaves and another crawling about on top of the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 only 1 or 2 daphnia left now &c:ry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Probably just old age, it can be hard sometimes to culture them. Also I don't think they are fans of the tannined water from the peat. BTW the tiny damselfly larvae you found were probably hatchlings, maybe the eggs came in on plant matter you put in the tank? I have some in my tank - terribly cute! And my first actual damselfly adult hatched today! I didn't realise there were any large larvae left. A proud moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 I should have sent those damsels to you to appreciate instead of sending them to the big pond in the sky. I read that the adults lay their eggs on the surface of the water so I thought I must have picked them up at the last trawl. There haven't been any since but I am still keeping an eye out! I am going to have another go at daphnia when I get the green water going again so I know they are getting food. Zev - are you about? WHat substrate have you got in your daphnia and rasbora tank? Is there any peat in there? I remember the water looked brownish or maybe it was just the effect from the lighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 ooooh damselfly! Am so proud :happy2: (after looking all graceful the damselfly promptly fell over and made a real arse of itself trying to get up again :roll: ) Damselflies reproduce thusly: The male places his sperm packet in a pocket under his thorax then grasps the female around her thorax using special graspers at the end of his abdomen. She bends her abdomen up and takes up his sperm packet. They then fly to the water's edge and she repeatedly pokes her abdomen down against roots or vegetation, laying eggs as she goes. Sometimes they will reverse right down into the water, submerging the female. They spend a lot of time finding the right sites for their eggs, the male grasping her the whole time. The reason he keeps hold of her is so no other male comes along and mates with her, usurping his sperm and paternity. It is lovely sitting by a pond watching the damselflies laying eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 you are so romantic Stella.... :love: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Had a rearrangment today. Have removed most of the peat from the bugs tank, just a thin layer of gravel on the bottom and leaves. Surviving critters are snails-a-plenty, 2 shrimp, 1 green seed ostracod, some copepods. Have tried to hurry up my green water bucket with some actual green pea water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted January 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 This is probably the last post in this log for a while - tank is now bursting with mosquito larvae and I will use it for a fry grow out tank for my killies, with as much live food as I can grow or catch in the troughs. The 2 Shrimps are still alive and well, and the ostracod, only now they are not so alone 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted February 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 well, oddity of oddities... I cleaned out the bugs tank - it had 2 doses of snail rid, and multiple fresh water changes with the filter sponge and the driftwood over a few days. I figured everything would be dead, probably including the filter bacteria as it sat in a bucket of tap water for a few days. So after being put back together as a cory tank the water is now clear with no peat, sand on the bottom so the pH is quite different to before. Earlier in the week I saw what must be a copepod zapping around, and the little white worms/planaria are back on the glass. All these critters had disappeared when the killiefish were in there, I presumed they had been eaten. So today out of nowhere I found an ostracod! It could only have 'hatched' from the filter (if they do such a thing) after not being killed by snail rid and untreated tap water, or have been embedded in the wood somewhere and now emerged. It's unbelievable. And the shrimps are still going strong too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted February 22, 2011 Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 ha, awesome! resilient. The day after I removed a small fish from my critter tank, suddenly my tubifex came out of the peat in thier thousands and the other critters and building up again. Amazing the effect one small fish can have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted February 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 I would like to interview my solitary ostracod and see where he's been all this time. My bugs buckets outside are doing alright. Early last week all the daphnia in one bucket appeared to have died and floated to the top - I presumed that they got too hot. All I had left was mozzies. So I went to the park and got a truckload of daphnia to put in the greenest bucket but lo and behold by the end of the week there were daphnia back in the other bucket. Maybe they had been eggs :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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