feeding mosquito larvae to a rosetail betta

[The Dave]

Has anyone here ever fed their mosquito larvae to their Betta ? They love it, and it's fun to watch them chasing the larvae all around the tank. I put out several containers of water in a shady area near my home every year to allow mosquitos to lay their eggs in the water. I check it everyday, so no adult mosquitoes ever hatch !!! Every year I am provided with highly nutritious live food that costs me nothing but a little time.

You should give it a try. Make sure to feed only a few larvae at a time, so that they all get eaten. Your fish will then be able to do what comes naturally to them. They will be happier, healthier, and more likely to breed. After all, fish get bored with flake food, just as you would if you ate nothing but potatoes everyday. The following high definition video will show you just how fun this can be. Enjoy.


https://youtu.be/hU1GezJo79M

 

[Teddy's Mom]

Wow, that's really cool (amazingly sharp video!), but how the heck do you make sure no larvae develop into mosquitoes? We had a stagnant fountain full of mosquito larvae last summer, but didn't have any fish yet at that time to eat 'em.

 

[OrionGirl]

The fish will make sure--they're very good about tracking them down. I put out fish in tubs during the summer, and they love them. The mosquitos will quit laying their eggs in the tubs with fish in after a while.

 

[Teddy's Mom]

Crazy. Oddly enough, this afternoon I noticed some mosquito larvae squiggling around in a defunct fountain in the backyard (it is normally empty but we've just had some heavy rain), so I scooped some up and put em in with my Betta, and he did indeed seem to like them.

 

[The Dave]

Wow, that's really cool (amazingly sharp video!), but how the heck do you make sure no larvae develop into mosquitoes? We had a stagnant fountain full of mosquito larvae last summer, but didn't have any fish yet at that time to eat 'em.

Hi thanks for watching my video. When putting larvae in the tank, make sure to only put a few at a time, so that none are missed by the fish. It only takes a couple days for them to hatch at tropical temps.

 

[chenning]

All my fish get these each spring as I let the outdoor pools cycle for 6 weeks. My bettas love them and good conditioning food.

 

[Teddy's Mom]

Hi guys, I should have asked more clearly, I mean how to keep any of the larvae in your outside container (before you take them out to feed your Betta) from hatching into mosquitoes?

 

[chenning]

I just leave them there and you know what happens if you don't use enough! Here is a trick, using an empty plastic coffee 2/3 way full of water from outside and net up as a bunch of larva. Put them in the fridge and the temp will slow their growth down to a cral. The will not mature for 3-4 weeks that way. You can also freeze them in an old fashioned ice cube tray in the freezer. I only fill the ice cube holes about 1/5 of the way. When ready to feed, put the cube in a little cup of fresh water until it melts and feed them using a large eye dropper.

 

[Teddy's Mom]

Wow, you really love your Betta if you're doing all that for him!!!

 

[chenning]

I breed Bettas off and on so when I move a lot of my fish outside the Bettas get set up for breeding. The moquito larva get the breeders conditioned very rapidly. Even with just one Betta, by harvesting and freezing mosquito larva 3-4 times you have enough to last all year for most people. As for me I never have less than 200 fish in the fishroom, so you can see why it is worth doing this daily.