Please school me on Daphnia magna

[Guppysnail]

I’m picking up a bag of 300+ Daphnia magna from a friend at the Keystone Clash on Saturday. 
 

I know nothing, zip, zero, zilch about their care. What I do know is they make great food for my smaller kiddos. 
 

I was going to dump them in and let the kids eat them. I have shrimp and snail only tanks. Can these survive and reproduce? I have Sera micron to feed if they will eat it. 
 

I can also set up a little hornwort container on my windowsill if that will keep them going so I do not need to keep buying them. 
 

If they require any type of green water culture I’m out. I’ll just buy them. Hubby is greatly offended by green water no matter how good it is for fish. I’m also LOUSY at green water cultures. More like toxic swamp cultures in my care. Probably why hubby is adamantly opposed to the stench my green water attempts caused 🤣😝

[Biotope Biologist]

I’ve never been able to maintain cultures for longer than a few months. They always seem to crash, I kept them in just a lightly aerated jar with some hornwort and fed them flaked fish food

 

They would reproduce readily for a few months then bam! Wake up next day whole culture is dead. Not sure if it’s in their nature or what.

 

I think @modified lung had cultures journals

[HelplessNewbie]

A guy in my fish club keeps his in a tub outdoors. He feeds every week 1 gallon of very green water he grows in a 2 gallon jug outside. He alternates between 2 such jugs. Each jug has crushed coral, potting soil and fertilizer.

I am trying to grow small batches. Am struggling right now.

[Odd Duck]

@modified lung is going to likely be the best to help with growing Daphnia or Ceriodaphnia.  His recommendations had my most recent culture attempts lasting longer than anything precious, but I think I’ve lost my cultures again.  Too many scuds showing up despite trying to clear them out repeatedly, they still end up winning.  I need to try again and sort them better.  Maybe put them into one tank to start, then move only the Daphnia avoiding scuds more carefully.  I started with an empty tank but there were a few scuds that came along for the ride.  I thought I got them all out and yet they show up again.  Why is it the scuds won’t grow where I DO want them but grow well everywhere I don’t want them?  🤦🏻‍♀️ 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

Edited September 22, 2023 by Odd Duck
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