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Re: Live Foods Digest V3 #281
>But I am limited in space there so I am thinking about
>moving some of my daphnia containers to my garage. Being in
>the Deep South (North Alabama) the things in my garage do
>not freeze. However, I suppose I need to throw in an
>aquarium heater into the container to keep daphnia actively
>growing since the night time temp sometimes drops rather
>low. I also need to hang a small shop light or one of those
>PC light over the container to provide some light. Can
>someone give me advice on the wattage and the duration for
>the light?
It may depend upon the strain of the Daphnia, but many continental strains
can take the cold quite well. I
have gotten a good harvest from a barrel with three inches of ice on it in
northern Illinois. (At least the
harvest was possible after the throbbing moderated in my hands.) The colder
water is, the ,ore oxygen it
holds. Also the daphnia may metabolize less food and energy at lower
temperatures. Theoretically more of
the food could go into growth and reproduction. You may be pleasently
surprised by their output so long as
they have plenty to eat.
Your overhead light is a good idea so long as it is not going to get
splashed on. (We all should, but how
many of us have Ground Fault Interrupters in the electrical sockets around
our fish and food cultures?)
James Langhammer, daphnia raiser militant, has advocated leaving at least a
small light on directly over
the daphnia (as a moon?) so that the daphnia will not crowd into a corner
and suffocate.
All the best!
Scott