There are loads of them on aquabid. I was planning on getting mine from there (once I check to make sure my LFS doesn't have any starter cultures)/
Stupid 1g tank....
- Thread starter Opicana
- Start date
There are loads of them on aquabid. I was planning on getting mine from there (once I check to make sure my LFS doesn't have any starter cultures)/
No need to buy daphnia. Now's the time to get them- they are abundant in spring and fall. Go to a fishless pond with a fine mesh net and a bucket. You should be able to scoop up plenty of daphnia, copepods, ostracods, and other assorted goodness. Just sort out any insects or leaches before you put the bugs in your tank.
That's great if you want to just feed them a few times, but if you want a long term culture, that sounds like a bad idea to me- unless you are a pro at picking ID-ing zooplankton. As you will also be picking up things that eat Daphnia....like bythotrepes, for example, and you will not be able to maintain as long. I suggest a culture. I had to do this for my research last summer, and the containers didn't last a week even w/ copious amounts of algae for food. One bythos can eat a lot of the little guys.
It can happen, but I've had little trouble with predators. Bythotrephes in particular has not yet spread to my region; I believe it is currently still restricted to the Great Lakes area. In any case that's all part of the fun!
I'm going to restock my daphnid colonies soon; I'll be happy to send you some bugs if you like, Opicana.
