Raising larvae in the daphnia tank?

[Bathbomb]

So basically I have 7 tanks and two hatcheries running currently. It's excessive but it's been working. I have my main daphnia tank 40 and a back up 20 just in case. Parent axolotls are in a 55 and I have about 120 larvae spread across a 30, a 10 and a 20 (no reason, just available).. Been trying to experiment with different feeds and filters etc.

I tried the Tupperware methods in all the videos I've seen on YouTube and tiktok and i had terrible results. Water quality would muck too quick even with daily water changes, too easy to screw up temperatures. I tried feeding less, and that had it's issues. Also it was just slot of effort and took up way too much space. Couldn't find a happy medium, I accidentally shot a larvae into the daphnia tank during this time. I didn't know until i found it later. I had only 5 survivors of my first attempt of about 30 eggs, 1 whom was in the daphnia tank. The lone daphnia dweller was significantly larger than the other 4. Probably just a coincidence and luck right? So second time around, I have 100+ eggs. I tossed the Tupperware and stuck with what I'm familiar with, aquariums. I brought close to 80 to juvie stage and have almost finished rehoming them all.

So now on my 3rd clutch, I'm feeling more confident. I'm also feeling curious. I put about a dozen larvae in the daphnia tank, no BBS ever. Flame me if you want, but same as the first. It's hard to see the wilds in there, but my Lucy's are again almost twice the size as the ones I have in the larvae community.

I live in a small house. Do I really need all this? Has anyone ever attempted to just all out raise their babies in a daphnia breeder? Ive put a bunch of time and money and care into most of these tanks except for the daphnia tank, and go figure that's where they are taking off. Curious if any of you have ever done this with results good or bad.

 

[Viking]

My first batch of eggs I bought. about 45 hatched. Did a combo of baby brine shrimp for 1st food and green water daphnia culture over the eggs. It was early in the spring like now. I have a 3000 gallon pond full of daphnia. I used everything in the pond. I was dumping 5 gallon bucket full of daphnia using a large net. They would would be gone in faster and faster time. I had 6 inch axies in about 6 weeks. I would use both at first but you might get them big to eat pellets when they are 2 or 3 inches which can happen very quickly.

I used 24 hour light to grow the green water for daphnia. I am sure that daphnia ate brine shrimp live and dead. The daphnia also swirled to water and helped with solis waste when they were small. I later hornwort to help absorbs nitrogen. The BBS was fed 2 or more times a day. The larvae are basically eating machines.