Luis Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Just went to a well hidden local pond that has (no fish as it dries up in the summer) to collect some live food to see if I could culture some daphnia. I managed to get tons of daphnia with a couple scoops with the net, however I’ve also caught a bunch of other stuff like some small black worms, mosquito larvae, and other stuff which I don’t have a clue they are. I wasn’t planning on introducing this freshly caught live food to my fish until like 2 weeks in. Should i be scared of what I introduce? Or do all those critters pretty much have the same effect? I can’t really find valuable info anywhere so if anyone knows a good clear chart of common critters found in ponds in the UK, any previous experiences and any helpful links would be highly appreciated. thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotope Biologist Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 (edited) I usually like to cultivate these live foods for a month, just to make absolutely sure that the population is healthy. You likely won't have anything to worry about as parasites tend to be specific to a small group of fish and invertebrates only local to your own locale. My main concern when I pull a net up from a pond is some hitch hiker that loves to prey on fish coming along for the ride. If you're anal retentive and have high value fish a small inline UV filter for the live food tank will zap any unwanted protozoa and bacteria. Just make sure to have micron mesh blocking the inflow, because UV filters will also kill macro invertebrates given sufficient exposure. Edited March 23, 2021 by Biotope Biologist 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 I collect some live foods in local vernal pools in North Carolina, USA. I get: bloodworms mosquito larva daphnia fairy shrimp (return these to pool) isopods seed shrimp beetle larva amphipods tadpoles - (I return these and salamander larva back to the pool) dragonfly larva damselfly larva glassworms various ostracods etc Here is a photo of one of the glassworms in a recent batch I must be anal un-retentive because I always feed my fish everything right away when all the live food is at its peak health. I have had dragonfly larva eat some fry, but the dragonfly larva were cooler than the fry they ate so it was a net plus. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis Posted March 23, 2021 Author Share Posted March 23, 2021 Have you had any die offs or bad reactions from feeding that? thanks for the detailed responses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJV Aquatics Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 When you think of it, what might be available to fish in the Amazon? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 The only reactions I have had to feeding the live foods I have collected are sudden increases growth rates and an marked increase in the willingness of my fish to breed.🙂 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotope Biologist Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 When I used to feed live foods my main concern was going to the fish store and getting a batch of fouled black worms. That wreaks havoc on fish tanks. For all intent and purposes feeding live foods direct from a pond is pretty safe. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 44 minutes ago, Luis said: I can’t really find valuable info anywhere so if anyone knows a good clear chart of common critters found in ponds in the UK, any previous experiences and any helpful links would be highly appreciated. I did a little research and discovered that in the UK what I call 'vernal pools' in American English are called 'temporary ponds' in British English: This publication had this chart: Which will at least give the common names of little critters to begin to look up what you might have collected. Also feel free to post photos of what you have. I know I would be interested in seeing it. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis Posted March 23, 2021 Author Share Posted March 23, 2021 Thanks for this! Maybe what I have so much of is not daphnia?! hahaha, I’ll get a picture of the catch tomorrow and post it up for you to see! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anita Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 55 minutes ago, Daniel said: The only reactions I have had to feeding the live foods I have collected are sudden increases growth rates and an marked increase in the willingness of my fish to breed.🙂 ORD 😄 1 hour ago, Daniel said: I must be anal un-retentive because I always feed my fish everything right away when all the live food is at its peak health. I have had dragonfly larva eat some fry, but the dragonfly larva were cooler than the fry they ate so it was a net plus. ORD 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis Posted March 24, 2021 Author Share Posted March 24, 2021 Here are some pictures of what I caught with a couple swishes with my net in under 2 mins. Do you all reckon it should be safe? If so, I’m not the anal retentive type of guy however I do want the best for my fish. Does anyone have a process I should follow or is it really most likely safe and just feeding it with a baster? thanks for the replies once again! hopefully this gives more clarity to others in the hobby too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis Posted March 24, 2021 Author Share Posted March 24, 2021 1 minute ago, Luis said: Here are some pictures of what I caught with a couple swishes with my net in under 2 mins. Do you all reckon it should be safe? If so, I’m not the anal retentive type of guy however I do want the best for my fish. Does anyone have a process I should follow or is it really most likely safe and just feeding it with a baster? thanks for the replies once again! hopefully this gives more clarity to others in the hobby too Also this would be used in my case to feed a 55gallon mostly adult barb tank, with a 3.5 inch RTS and krib. The one that worries me is the fourth image, the black elongated one. thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 Mark Cauvain from the YouTube channel "Mark's Aquatics" Has done a few shows on collecting wild food from puddles in Great Britain. He's got a pretty good channel. He recently dropped a rock through the base of his palaudarium (sp?) and is regrouping from that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotope Biologist Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 Looks good to me! It is striking to me how many similar species we have all the way over here in Washington State. The one you are concerned about looks like an aquatic isopod of some sort, but I lack the confidence to properly I.D it. I see a caddisfly larvae halfway through building its home, stone fly larvae, cyclops, daphnea 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis Posted March 24, 2021 Author Share Posted March 24, 2021 On 3/23/2021 at 8:39 PM, Daniel said: I did a little research and discovered that in the UK what I call 'vernal pools' in American English are called 'temporary ponds' in British English: This publication had this chart: Which will at least give the common names of little critters to begin to look up what you might have collected. Also feel free to post photos of what you have. I know I would be interested in seeing it. I’ve posted some pictures for you to see when you can. Let me know what you think 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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