Daphnia Culture - Live Food for Nano Fish or Fry

Daphnia are a great live food source for Nano fish such as Pea Puffers, Scarlet Badis and many others. Daphnia are easily cultured in the home aquarium making them an ideal live food for home hobbyists. Below we will outline how to culture daphnia as well as what fish they are best suited for. 

What fish are Daphnia suited for? 

Daphnia are a perfect food for almost any Nano fish.  When daphnia are born, the babies are about the size of a spec of dust. They are extremely small which makes them great for fry as well. A huge benefit to daphnia over other live foods is that they will not foul the water. Since daphnia live and breed in freshwater, they will not die in the home aquarium thus they will not pollute the water.

Many fish sold today come from the wild and are accustom to eating live foods. Daphnia make it easier for fish to make the adjustment from the wild to our home aquarium. 

Daphnia Setup

We recommended using a separate aquarium or container from your aquarium with fish to ensure the culture thrives. Our biggest advice is using a container that is wider than it is tall. The more surface area will allow a higher exchange of oxygen into the water. Daphnia prefer shallow water as well. We try to keep our colonies at 6 inches or less of water height. It is important to ensure that your water is aged prior to adding it into the colony. We recommend using water with GH and KH at a 2:1 ratio. The KH will ensure a stable pH and long term success of your colony. If you have soft water, you can add some crushed coral to stabilize the pH. Lastly, the addition of an air stone is needed to ensure good oxygen exchange. A filter is not needed as you should remove / add a small amount of water daily.