Live Food

[mazitfc]

I was wondering if many of you raise your own live food? I have 2 water butts which keep me well supplied with daphnia, mosquito larvae and loads of bloofworms. My fish go mad for them and I harvest them every 3 days or so.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

I do live brine shrimp and infusoria cultures

 

[creeker]

What is a "water butt?"

 

[MBOU]

Water Butt is a uk thing i guess but used to collect rainwater, usually from the gutters alongside a house or garage.

 

[the_lock_man]

It's a very large barrel, as Mbou says, we use them to collect rainwater.

 

[creeker]

Ok. Thanks! I'm sure we don't get enough rain here for that, but very cool that mazitfc can grow Daphnia and Bloodworms in that. I'd skip on the mosquito larvae though, unless you can catch them all before they morph.

 

[mazitfc]

Erm, I just realised that butt means something very different where you come from! The mosquito larvae are the easiest to catch as the have to surface sooner or later.

 

[creeker]

There is a lake nearby where I live, and part of the inlet is a weed choked small pond. I went down there with a small aquarium net and took some swipes amongst the plants and moss. I came up with a crayfish, Gammarus, and a few Gambusia. I was hoping to find some Daphnia and mosquito larvae. Anyone know the best environment to find Daphnia? I have found them in the past in really slow moving moss covered creeks.

 

[mazitfc]

Mine just appeared in the the water butt and the population peaks and falls naturally. To keep them fed I put out a bucket of old tank water from a water change and leave it in the sun for a week til it turns green. Then I add it to the daphnia. The mosquito larvae just keep turning up all over the summer; they seem to be the favourite live food. If you want a starter batch of daphnia I'd look in shallow ponds that get plenty of light.

 

[creeker]

Mine just appeared in the the water butt and the population peaks and falls naturally. To keep them fed I put out a bucket of old tank water from a water change and leave it in the sun for a week til it turns green. Then I add it to the daphnia. The mosquito larvae just keep turning up all over the summer; they seem to be the favourite live food. If you want a starter batch of daphnia I'd look in shallow ponds that get plenty of light.

Thanks! Those won't be hard to find. I know of several shallow ponds, and the sun is brutal all year here.

 

[ShaedM]

It's a very large barrel, as Mbou says, we use them to collect rainwater.

why would you collect rain water?

 

[mazitfc]

People collect it mainly to water the garden. I also use 50/50 fresh rainwater and tap water for water changes in the tank. This helps keep my Ph down as the water in my area is very hard.

 

[Louiseness]

why would you collect rain water?

Mostly for gardens. Lots of people in Britain are on water meters which means they have to pay for the amount of water they use rather than one flat fee per year. Also in summer we get lots of hosepipe bans due to drought.