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Daphnia culture and keeping green water



Sylvia,

I have an almost identical problem (starter culture of daphnia eating a
well-furred bucket of old tank water to clean in a week.)  I've just set up
a light over the top of one bucket on the basis that the one thing that
seems to stimulate algae is light. Am considering getting one of the marine
'blue' lights which (allegedly) create massive algae - sod's law dictates
however, that they only stimulate huge amounts when you don't actually want
them. I read on the Krib (I think, or it may have been e-aquaria) that
daphnia like egg yolk so added some of that to both buckets today to keep
them happy....

will report on success...

m (in Newmarket, UK, where I didn't put up my rainwater barrel in time to
collect any of the heaviest rainfall seen in East Anglia for a century...:<)

Syliva wrote:

>I have an odd problem. I'd like to keep my green water.
>
>I borrowed some green water from a neighbor (who doesn't want it), put a
>starter culture of daphnia in, and threw in all kinds of sponge squeezins.
>I also had very slimy fur-algae-covered ambulia and watersprite, which I
>tossed in. I have the whole mess circulating in a 5 gallon tank in a sunny
>(half the day) window.
>
>The problem is the water is clearing. I tossed in a plant tab with N-P-K.
>The tank continued to clear, I've even discovered new growth on the
>plants, without algae. So I removed the plants, thinking they were helping
>clear the water. There was obviously no emerged growth, as the mess just
>rolls around in the current.
>
>So, I contemplated getting a small heater for the tank, and heating the
>water up a tad. Doesn't algae grow better in warmer waters? The only
>problem being that I found a mention in archives that daphnia do not like
>warmer waters, will die off if it's too high, and prefer it in the 70's.
>What a dilemma.
>
>I was wondering if turning the temp down on tanks with green water may
>help to clear the tank, along with some other measures--for folks who
>don't want green water. There has never been any mention of this.
>
>I am also wondering how the heck to keep the water green? Seems like I'm
>going to have to start feeding the daphnia . . .
>
>Any ideas?
>
>Sylvia

**************

 Manda Scott MA CertVA BVMS MRCVS

'Hen's Teeth':         The Women's Press 1996
'Night Mares':         Headline 1998
'Stronger than Death': Headline 1999

**************