© Ralph Richter
What are water fleas?
Water fleas are small crustaceans that are often used as live food for fish. Fish species such as guppies and other livebearers love to consume water fleas such as daphnia and within a few seconds. Water fleas grow to a size of about 5 mm and live mainly in ponds, ponds and also in rain barrels. In the aquarium trade you can buy the animals alive, frozen and dried. Many aquarists simply breed the water fleas themselves, which saves time and money.
What is live food good for?
Many species of fish particularly enjoy eating live food. This challenges their hunting instinct and is therefore the most natural type of food there is. Animal food provides a particularly large number of proteins and nutrients that cannot be absorbed through purely plant-based food. With many fish species, however, feeding water fleas or mosquito larvae also increases their willingness to spawn. That is why live food is often used to support breeding in the aquarium.
How to breed water fleas in the aquarium?
Breeding water fleas is easier than many aquarists imagine. All you need is a vessel for the water, in which you put the water fleas. This can be an old, small aquarium or a large glass vase. The vessel is best placed in a darker, light-protected place and does not require a lamp. A little daylight is enough. The vessel can then be filled with tap water. The temperature should ideally be between 20 and 25 °C. If it is too warm, the water fleas will not multiply. A filter is also not required for breeding water fleas.
However, an air stone should be used to supply the water fleas with oxygen. If you also put snails, such as the popular ramshorn snails, in the container, you have created a self-cleaning ecosystem. The snails eat the dead water fleas so that the water is not polluted by them. At the same time, the water fleas eat the snails’ droppings, which means that there is no need to feed the water fleas. In addition, you can make the water fleas and snails happy with small amounts of food. Dissolved yeast is recommended as feed. This not only fills up the water fleas, but also encourages them to multiply. Plants must be completely avoided, because they hinder the reproduction of water fleas.
What you need to breed water fleas:
- a container or small aquarium
- in a dark place
- The water temperature should be between 20 and 25 °C
- use an air stone instead of a filter
- Put the snails in the tank
- one or two bags of water fleas from specialist shops
How often should you feed the fish water fleas?
It is very important not to put too many water fleas in the aquarium. This can mean that not all water fleas are eaten and that they multiply in the aquarium. This worsens the water quality. So only feed as many as can be eaten in the shortest amount of time. Pay attention to the stocking and the size of your aquarium to cover the need for live food.