Description
Live Daphnia (Daphnia magna)
Why does AlgaeBarn like Live Daphnia?
Water fleas (Daphnia spp.) are small, shrimp-like branchiopod crustaceans that are an important component of many freshwater, brackish and marine food webs. Readily accepted by all sorts of fishes and highly nutritious, aquarium hobbyists have relied on them as a live food for generations. While most daphnia are rather tiny, the relatively giant Daphnia magna is comparable in size to adult brine shrimp. Daphnia are an ideal size of live feed for most small- to mid-sized reef fishes (wrasses, dwarf angels, mandarins etc.). Nutritionally enriched with OceanMagik (fatty acids) and PNS YelloSno (B vitamins), these live Daphnia magna are a particularly healthful addition to the mixed reef fish community diet.
Live Daphnia magna Information:
For quick and easy feeding, simply pour the daphnia through a net (discarding the shipping water) and release them into the tank during daylight hours. Though a predominantly freshwater/brackish species, these rugged pods survive long enough in full saltwater to get devoured to the last individual. Their jerky swimming motions make them tantalizing to even the most finicky zooplanktivore.
Daphnia magna Key Benefits:
- Large and easy to catch, they are the perfect live feed for slower/clumsier fish species.
- They are loaded with protein and fatty acids.
- They are enticing to virtually all fish and thus can be used to get sick or newly imported fish specimens to resume feeding.
- They are especially useful for feeding seahorses and pipefish.
- They are easily gut-loaded for enhanced nutritional content.
Important: This species of daphnia only lives for a short time in a saltwater environment. They serve as a highly nutritious and affordable meal to serve to finicky fish, but will not breed in marine aquariums!
