Perhaps they are Ceriodaphnia? The reason I asked if anyone had cultured
them was that I had never heard of them before. I think Moina would be more
suited for culture in Queensland as they handle the higher temperatures better.
Adrian.
These are the notes of Cal Him
"Ceriodaphnia dubia is a small crustacean which rarely exceeds 1 mm in
length and
is oval in shape. The neonates are smaller than brine shrimp nauplii. This
makes
them ideal for most killifish fry, with the advantage that the adults are twice
the size of brine shrimp nauplii, which still is not too large. The other
advantage is that C. dubia will not die in the aquarium like brine shrimp
nauplii or microworms. The best temperature is 25 °C (77 °F) with a pH of
6.0-8.5. Ceriodaphnia dubia is capable of producing 3-4 broods per week, far in
excess of Daphnia magna or Daphnia pulex. I use a 5-10 gallon aquarium,
although
you can use a larger or smaller one, with a cool white fluorescent light which
is on 12-16 hours per day. To keep the tank from fouling I have added about 12
ramshorn snails and partial water changes once a month. Ceriodaphnia dubia are
sensitive to water and temperature changes. Be careful not to overfeed. To feed
them, I use the following recipe:
With four 8 ounce glasses of water I add (to each glass):
½ teaspoon of yeast
½ teaspoon of fry food
½ teaspoon of Spirulina algae
½ teaspoon of small Trout Chow
Place all four glasses into the refrigerator for 4 days. Then stir each glass
and pour through a brine shrimp net to remove any large particles. Mix all the
strained solutions together. I then separate this into smaller containers and
freeze. Using an ice cube tray is ideal. The food is only good for 12 days
after
thawing and should not be used. Feed the C. dubia about ½ teaspoon per day or 1
teaspoon every second day and increase as the culture grows. A starter culture
is usually 30-50 specimens. This prepared food usually lasts me about 2-3
months."
Adrian.
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Adrian R. Tappin
"Home of the Rainbowfish"
http://www.ecn.net.au/~atappin/home.htm
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