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Daphnia Observations - Long
Hello,
The list has been quiet for a while, so I'll break the silence with some
personal observations on daphnia.
I've been raising daphnia pulex for about three years. All are descended
from one on-line purchase. I maintain four 35 gallon plastic tubs, two
inside, two outside, although the outside ones are dormant in our SE PA
winter.
The outdoor ones recover in the spring and contribute mosquito larvae for six
months in addition to the daphnia.
I fed them all a mixture of soy flour and yeast. The outdoor ones also get a
little natural algae, but not a lot.
The indoor tubs are each lit by 40 watt incandescent bulbs, two to three
inches from the surface. The daphnia swarm under these lights and are easily
netted. After netting, I mix in the flour-yeast mixture, and in an hour or
so I can net more than I did the first time.
I've noticed that the outdoor daphnia are larger and lighter in color than
the indoor ones. The indoor ones are quite red, said to be an indicator of
stress, but they reproduce merrily and consistently.
The indoor cultures consistently outproduce the outdoor ones.
My water is hard and alkaline. I think having the proper water is the most
important attribute of a successful daphnia hatchery.
I hope this is of interest to someone.
Good luck!
Bill