The proper care for even an aquarium that is small and simple system can be quite time-consuming, which leaves many fish keepers eager to cut corners or two in order to save some time. One way fish keepers achieve this is to use prepared, pre-made, store-bought fish food.
For certain, the careful use of premium prepared foods of high-quality is typically acceptable. Incorporating some frozen foods is much more beneficial. A wide variety of frozen and prepared foods is superior. However, regardless of the food regimen using live foods has been demonstrated repeatedly to improve digestion, immunity and growth, as well as coloration and overall health of the species in captivity. Additionally, it gives an opportunity to witness the natural reaction of aqua species.
Meet the Cladocerans: Daphnia and Moira
Daphnia Spp. and Moina spp. How Long Do Birds Live are closely related and are part of the Animalia family Cladocera.(Editor’s note Note: To ensure conciseness, the author uses an animal name Daphnia throughout the majority of this piece to mean both Moira and daphnia.)
The cladocerans is a species of primitive, small and mostly freshwater planktonic filter feeding crustacea. They have a carapace that completely covers the body, excluding the head. The flattened, leaf-like legs (or phyllopodia) serve as suspension feeding and for breathing. Cladocera are often called water fleas due their hopping motion while moving around in water.
Daphnia Reproduction and Lifecycle
Cladocera can be able of sexual and sexual reproduction. Parthenogenesis (which loosely translates to “virgin birth”) is the birth of offspring out of eggs that are not fertilized by male. The offspring born in this way are exact copies from their mothers. Therefore, males are likely to be outnumbered by females. Parthenogenetic reproduction, which is uniparent, is extremely important for the cladocerans.
The majority of eggs laid in spring and summer are amictic eggs – eggs that do not require fertilization by males. Amictic eggs are partially (developed with no fertilization) females that can reproduce via parthenogenesis. This is commonly referred to as the process of cloning.
When the population is exposed to stress from
the environment or crowding (e.g. adverse seasonal changes) females shift into the sexual reproduction mode. In these conditions, females can produce two kinds of eggs mystic eggs – eggs that require fertilization and comprise just one set of chromosomes (haploid) as well in male haploid eggs which produce parthenogenetic males. Males fertilize mistic eggs,
leading to the development diploid eggs (eggs with two sets of chromosomes) that then turn into resting eggs. Females can create up to four or three broods of resting eggs out of one fertilization. These offspring born sexually ensure genetic diversity within the population, which increases their capacity to adapt to the ever-changing environment.
Where to Buy Daphnia Eggs and Live Daphnia
Daphnia and moina starter culture can be easily obtained by anyone who is a home aquarist (primarily through the internet). The sources for starter kits for daphnia and starter cultures are numerous from Amazon and eBay to numerous companies that sell scientific and aquarium supplies. (Always verify the background and customer feedback of any seller prior to giving money to them.)
It is important to have your culture system in place prior to ordering your first starters (details about how to set up the first system of your culture are provided the next section). When you receive and open your parcel, don’t be concerned about it if your culture appears weak. If you wait a while and have good lifestyle, even handful of healthy people will grow into a vast, stable healthy and well-nourished population. 
What Size Daphnia is Best for Culturing
Daphniids differ greatly in dimensions. However, even the smallest of them can be larger than the newly born artemia (brine shrimp). So, even though daphnia is good for older and juvenile fish, they’re not the best food source for larval fish because of its dimensions.
The larger daphniid species appear to have a smaller carrying capacity; that is they will attain their tolerance for population size earlier than smaller animals, thus limiting the number of individual Crested Birds als that can be maintained within a protected population. The egg production of the massive D. Magna drops as the population density rises to 25-30/L. Daphnia is not able to be kept in continuous culture with a density of more than 500/L, while Moina is able to be maintained in densities of up to 5000/L. Moina has been found to be three times more productive than daphnia.
Starting Your Daphnia Tank
This easy method for culture will provide sufficient live fish to satisfy the requirements of many aquarists at home. This method blends aspects of continuous and batch culture to ensure a smooth and trouble-free operation that is able to be used for a longer period of time. All you require is a few containers and an air pump and a light that has an alarm, and a small amount of flooring.
The vessel for culture could be any clean, small container that is a standard 5-20 gallon fish tank or plastic storage container or a larger bucket (e.g. the 5-gallon Homer bucket). The vessel should be kept from areas with high winds and in direct sunlight or in any location where there are large temperatures.
