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Need help culturing daphnia for axolotls

Marino1310

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So ive been trying to culture daphnia for months now so I dont have to buy and hatch brine shimp for baby axolotls (my local store charges $8 for 3 packs!). But i have had no success... I get conflicting results when researching online but I figured id try here since you guys seem to know your stuff better than most.

I currently have a 5 gal bucket filled with water from my axolotl tank. In that bucket are 4 nerite snail and a bunch of those pond/bladder snails that reproduce like crazy. I also have a small 10gal sponge filter as well. I feed a mix of yeast and spirulina powder but Ive noticed it fouls the water quick and these seed looking things accululate on the bottom of the bucket (I assume this is from the yeast even though its strained before being added). What can I do to help this culture start? Is there a safer food I can use?
 

Viking

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How many are you trying to feed? You need a big culture before they hatch. Last year I had a group of 40 that I raised on Daphnia. I was harvesting them from a 3000 gallon cattle tank. I wiped them out after 6 weeks. The temperatures got too warm. They crash around 80 water temp.



Greenwater is best food for Daphnia. A tub outside with dirty aquarium should turn green. Once you have green water never remove than half. It can darken quickly. Aeration can be hard of daphnia. If they get a bubble inside they be stuck floating and die. Clean sponge filter will remove the feed that Daphnia eat. A clogged sponge filter will leave the food in the water.



I would suggest buying a pound can of brine shrimp eggs. Keep it in freezer and pull small amount as needed.





This is a how to at this site:

https://www.caudata.org/daphnia/




It is a long to answer question.
 

Herpin Man

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I use clear plastic canisters for culturing daphnia. I keep them under a strong light, and use banana peel or timothy hay to create green water. I find that with food, a little goes a long way, and too much will foul the water. Daphnia can also crash when they become overpopulated, but this is easily prevented by feeding them off frequently, or making new cultures.
 
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