Daphnia

[FriedFlowerHornFillet]

my daphnia colony is gone. I was keeping them in a small 1 gallon guppy nursery by themselves and they're just gone.No little dead daphnia that I can see. My question is -Can they escape? Could they possibly be wiggling or hopping their way out? They seem incapable of this. Everything was fine for weeks and suddenly they're gone? Any thoughts on what happened? I would really like to be able to breed these guys to feed my Indian Dwarf Puffer.

 

[betta fish]

Do you have a filter in the tank? they are not capable of escaping, when did you last see them alive? they are sensitive to ammonia build up and will die and disintegrate quite quickly,how long were they in there and did you feed them? 

 

[FriedFlowerHornFillet]

Well it's good to know they're not crawling or hopping around somewhere. I was pretty sure but it's always good to get a little confirmation -thank you
No filter I've been changing the water from glass bottles I keep in the sun to de-chlorinate. I've been feeding them green water and tiny bits of shrimp pellet to feed the bacteria that feed the daphnia. I scooped up a few from my rain barrel about a month ago they seemed to be doing fine until they vanished. They're in a smaller container it's possible it heated up too quickly. The ones outside however- I see them in shallow dirty puddles that have got to fluctuate way more and they're doing fine why are mine dying?

 

[betta fish]

Hi, I also breed daphnia in two 80l sized bins that I use to catch rainwater, I never change the water the rain just refreshes it, over winter they all die off only for the eggs left in the detritus overwintering to hatch and start it all over again the following spring so I never have to buy anymore. I think it is best to leave them in a big container outside exposed to the elements and then catch a few as and when you need to feed your fish and only keeping them for a few days in doors gut loading them with nutritious food. I have never managed to keep them going for long indoors either, maybe it's to do with a lot of factors oxygen depletion may be one of them too. 

 

[FriedFlowerHornFillet]

Yeah I noticed all the colonies outdoors are fine. I would really like to be able to overwinter them for my goby and puffer. Yeah week and a half indoors and they're dead. Apparently airstones kill them and "new" water poisons them. I think there's something in the sediment that keeps them alive-maybe that is the only way their eggs survive. There has to be a way to replicate it without having a stagnant water container- Maybe some kind of drip system? I'm starting my next colony today and I'm going to try feeding them dry yeast and doing water changes soley with water from the aquariums.

 

[Greenthumbsaz]

Depending on the type of Daphnia, they go through a dormant period. This website has probably more than you want to know but is fairly thorough.
www.caudata.org/daphnia/
Have fun!

They are my next project to start for my daughters classroom.

 

[FriedFlowerHornFillet]

AWESOME SITE!!!Info overloads are the best kind thank you
I've been trying to find a steady food source throughout the winter that isn't just mud snails