Tillie Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 I had a pure culture in a 10L bucket which subsequently died after not having green water to feed them. I put this bucket outside ( I think I tipped out water or most of it) and it has been sitting there for months. Today I looked in and saw i the shallow green water lots of Daphnia! I think they are the 2nd generation eggs that must have hatched after to first lot died. Anyway, i would like to know if they are safe to use to feed my tropical fish and goldfish? I did find a dead and algae covered weta and bee in there too which I scooped out, but other than that the water is rainwater (they must have been living off their dead friends too!). I don't see any cyclops in there, or mosquito larvae, but then I haven't looked that hard. Can I use them? (Even if there is mozzie larvae?) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 Yes you can. You can rinse them under the tap when you net them. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 The fish will love the mozzie larvae too. My outside containers are left to their own devices and have all sorts of things floating in them but no harm to the fish when I net out critters for them to feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PENEJANE Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 now this is what I find weird. I have a bucket, baby bath and a bath tub outside with water in it and I don't have any mozzie larvae. Is it because its just to cold down here for them or what? Or could it be that the water is just in the wrong place? The only one that has fish in it is the bath tub. The bucket and baby bath is just water and the baby bath is soaking driftwood. :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 We have stopped getting Mozzie larvae up here at the moment, I think it's getting too cold for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 i always wondered why in the middle of summer when my room was swarming with them why id never get mozzie larvae in my buckets. antwan said i needed to put something in there for them to eat so i put a bit of yeast in. still nothing. then i find out you have to put something in there (like a stick or something) so the adults can sit on it to lay their eggs??? i thought they might just sit on the side but ill try that next summer, we have a grotty old bin thing out on the reserve and thats full of larvae but you have to pick out all the grass etc that goes along with it which takes a few hours :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 i went outside to my buckets today to have a look. I have three out there, and only one of them has some mozzie larvae in them, prob only about 10 in there though. Definitely must be the weather slowing them down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 At my flatmates last job all the smokers flicked their ash and butts into this old barrel which always had rain water in it. I used to get heaps of mozzie larvae from it. 5mins to collect, 3 hours to get to a state that I would give it to my fish but they loved it!!! Pity my flatmate doesn't work there anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 Did they show withdrawl symptoms when you stopped feeding them larvae from there, Keri? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 Haha yeah I was thinking they might need to watch that show "Cold Turkey" to help them through. Everyone, add a dry old wrinkled up banana to your bucket/bath/pond and you will have it teaming with mossie larvae within a few weeks. I tried this recently with a couple of bananas and was amazed how many mossies there were in there especially as it is getting cooler. Not only does the banana make the water very 'green', but the smell attracts the mosquitos to it like bees to flowers. On the same token, if you've just eat a banana you are 5x more likely to get bitten by a mosquito than someone that hasn't so if you have eaten one i recommend walking around draped in a mosquito net. Mosquitos pretty much die off during winter as it's too cold, but the good news is daphnia like it colder.....so time to invest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 Did they show withdrawl symptoms when you stopped feeding them larvae from there, Keri? LOL!! They only got it once a week so that feeding is now a frozen bloodworm feeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 Saw someone selling 100,000 daphnia on trademe for 100 start is reserve or 130 buy now.. How do you count 100,000 and how can you try and charge that much?? Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 take him a few month to count 100,000 daphnia and if he loose count he'll have to start all over again. That is why he's charging so much.LOL Ronnie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 1, 2006 Report Share Posted May 1, 2006 Be aware if you are buying daphnia from elsewhere - they do not travel well!!! Most will be dead by the time you get them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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