[little dutch]

Anyone in CO have a daphnia supply that can hook me up? I want to get a supply to feed my guppy fry, so I am hesitant to attempt to gather them from a pond and start a colony. I am looking more for someone who has a colony and would part with a 2-liter bottle (or however much it takes).

I have not checked the local fish store, but I get the feeling I will have to go with frozen BBS if I have to get it through them.

Also, anyone ever tried feeding fry egg yolk? That would be a simple solution if it works.

taken from: Guppy Fry Needs

Another good fry food that you probably have in your refrigerator right now is egg - specifically the yolk. It can easily be made into a paste that is simple and inexpensive. It is a great source of protein that is eagerly consumed by fry and adults alike. Simply take a hard-boiled egg and remove the yolk. Place it in a small, re-sealable container and add a few drops of water while mashing it with your finger or a spoon. When made into a paste you can feed TINY amounts to your fry. It creates a cloud of protein for them which they will devour. If you feed too much, however, you will foul your guppies' tank. You can feed them yolk twice a day. Adults will enjoy some egg too, but use less water to create chunks for them to eat. Liquid fry foods are also available in tubes similar to toothpaste. Use sparingly, as it can easily pollute the water.

BBS = baby brine shrimp



EDIT: as an aside, I have raised a lot of guppy fry using frozen brine and crushed adult flake food. I was thinking Daphnia as a change of pace and because I read somewhere that the resulting guppies were larger and more vibrant in their colors (hard to prove, I know). I have heard that the egg yolk was good because it was an easy way to "power feed" the fry to get them to a survivable size faster.

 

[Oldman]

You might want to try a continuous BS feeder Little Dutch. I recently got one and it is a marvel to see my fish hovering at the place where the BBS leave their home and swim right into waiting mouths. The essence of it is that it provides a hatching area and a path that the BBS will follow into the tank itself when they swim toward the tank lights. The water in the BBS breeder is salty but as the BBS swim toward the light, they pass into an area that has almost no alt and keep swimming until the fish fry waiting for them manage to consume them. It took my mollies about 2 days to figure out where to wait for the newly hatched brine shrimp to emerge. I use one like this, it may even be this one Hatch n Feeder - Brine Shrimp Hatchery | Breeding Accessories | Breeding & Refugiums | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com

 

[little dutch]

Okay, that is pretty cool. Thanks Oldman.

EDIT: As a stopgap I went ahead and bought some frozen BBS and frozen daphnia. The little dudes love the the BBS, we'll see about the daphnia. I need to get a decent camera, I would love to grab a picture of one of the fry eating. They are very dull to watch for extended periods, but I am always fascinated by them anyway.