# daphnia as shrimp food?



## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Wouldn't that be like feeding chickens to cows?

I thought most (small, cute) shrimp are vegetarians (in nature at least). While they might be able to eat them, I don't see the point.

What shrimp are we talking about?


----------



## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

RCS and tigers...they eat molts though, so I thought maybe the dahnia would be good no?


----------



## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

Shrimp eat the molts just to regain back lost calcium, do they not?


----------



## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Shrimps are scavengers. They'll eat anything. Think of them as omnivorous vultures 

They will eat the daphnia but only if it's dead.


----------



## mfgann (Dec 16, 2010)

mistergreen said:


> Shrimps are scavengers. They'll eat anything. Think of them as omnivorous vultures
> 
> They will eat the daphnia but only if it's dead.


More like aquarium cockroaches.. but pretty ones!
:icon_lol:


----------



## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

make daphnia ice cubes out of an old hikari or sf bay frozen food blister pack


----------



## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

oh, and yes I feed my shrimp frozen daphnia and bloodworms and brine shrimp


----------



## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

good idea on the blisterpacks...thanks all


----------



## Asgard (Feb 8, 2008)

My crs & amano shrimp eat dapnia & cyplops 
It's no so much for replacing calcium as for a good and quick source of chitin which otherwise they must make themselves eating cellulose.


----------



## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eooG_4T42c

couldn't resist


----------



## v369 (Nov 14, 2010)

cold water works just as well to shock daphnia and will not 'cook' the good stuff out of them.


----------



## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

I gathered my daphnia from water that is at 4 degrees celcius...and they are in 10 degree water in my basement...so I think even warm water is more likely to kill them than cold water.


----------



## Asgard (Feb 8, 2008)

9am53 said:


> thanks.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eooG_4T42c
> 
> couldn't resist


Y'r welcome.

How about these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awYHfEYUQmk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0giIDVbrBo8&NR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egwSY7aha90
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_1yaAcNV3Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0HfiaV6X5I 

I'm so popular :hihi:


----------



## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

Don't forget SG-1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0HfiaV6X5I


----------



## Asgard (Feb 8, 2008)

9am53 said:


> Don't forget SG-1:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0HfiaV6X5I


Was already listed  :icon_wink
But curious..., how do you breed daphnia?, I live next to water so I have no need to, but most people fail at breeding them (in serious amounts)


----------



## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

oh, I must have missed that one...

I gathered them from my work, put them into a 10 gallon tank, filled it with water from the river in my back yard, put in a diy sponge filter and thats all I did...as far as I know the daphnia (all females) have babies like every 8 days or so, and there are like 25-30 babies in each brood. I just change about a liter of water ever day or 2 with water from my shrimp tank to keep the water somewhat clean, and feed mostly yeast, some spirulina and mushed up peas and paprika. I have a tank full of likely tens of thousands so I have to keep throwing them out as they clear the water up too fast...


----------



## 9am53 (Jan 23, 2008)

btw, if you have a little quarantine tank you might want to start growing them...it's actually fun!


----------



## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

Frequent water changes seem to be a big factor in avoiding population crashes. I think many overfeed also. Sometimes other copepods can overrun your culture also.


----------



## v369 (Nov 14, 2010)

Mine usualy end up becoming ostracod(seed shrimp) cultures as they are less picky about what they eat and will breed well even in old water (tend to out compete the daphinia once the green water is gone). in my opinion way easier to culture.


----------

