Re: Green Live Foods & Daphnia

[McDaphnia at aol_com]

I find that Najas graminea, hornwort, and filamentous algae will grow in a 
daphnia culture, but it is harder to harvest just one species at a time. I 
would not use an undergravel filter or a bed of gravel in a Daphnia culture 
tank. In a gravel tank, you see the Daphnia wending their way between the 
gravel grains with no assurance they will return. Peas, carrots, green beans, 
beets, spinach, sweet potato, broccoli, either as baby food, or liquefied in 
a blender are better foods in my experience than yeast, powdered milk, 
paprika, or dead mammals.  Vitamins for fish and trace elements intended for 
marine tanks boost the growth and color of the daphnia, and possibly their 
food value to the fish they eventually are fed to. Snails in with the daphnia 
cultures may make maintenance easier, but it is easy to miss a baby snail 
among the Daphnia and introduce an unwanted snail population to a tank. A few 
mashed snails do make good Daphnia food though.

  I have several tanks that I raise hair algae and/or Najas in to feed to my 
vegetarian fish. The idea of plants as live foods is a good one. Snails too, 
though some means of crushing the shells is necessary for feeding to many 
fish. I fold my wife's favorite credit card in half to make "snail tweezers" 
that pin down and mash the snails without having to get slivers of broken 
shell stuck in your  fingertips.

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