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		Culture Techniques of Moina: The Ideal Daphnia for Feeding Freshwater Fish Fry
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		Containers Cultures have been maintained in 10-gallon (38-L) aquaria. However, this volume usually only yields enough Moina for the hobbyist culturing live food. For larger scale and commercial operations, tanks or vats (concrete, stainless steel, plastic or fiberglass) and earthen ponds can be used. Wading pools, plastic sinks, old bathtubs, discarded refrigerator liners and cattle watering troughs also work well. Do not use unpainted metal containers unless they are stainless steel. In these larger containers, water depth should be no greater than 3 feet (0.9 m). A maximum depth of 16­20 inches (0.4­0.5 m) is probably optimum. The shallow water depth allows good light penetration for photosynthesis by phytoplankton and provides a large surface to volume ratio for oxygen diffusion. Diffuse light or shade over of the water surface of the Moina culture container is recommended. A greenhouse covered with shade cloth (50-80% light reduction) is ideal. Outdoor cultures should be protected from rain to help stabilize production and screened to prevent entry of predacious aquatic insects. Containers to be used, whether aquaria, tanks, vats or ponds, need not be particularly clean. However, filamentous algae and predators of fish larvae or fry (e.g., Hydra, back-swimmers, diving beetles, dragonfly larvae) can be especially troublesome in Moina cultures. Tanks can be disinfected with a 30% solution of muriatic acid or by drying in sunlight. Earthen ponds should be drained and sun dried. Water Moina are extremely sensitive to pesticides, metals (e.g., copper and zinc, which may be prevalent in municipal or well water), detergents, bleaches and other toxic materials in the water supply. Ensure that toxins are not inadvertently introduced into the culture container. Well water should be aerated for at least two hours. Municipal water should be aerated for at least two days to neutralize the chlorine, or sodium thiosulfate or a commercially available chlorine neutralizer can be added to shorten this process. Natural spring water is ideal. Rain water is also excellent for Moina cultures if it is collected from an area that does not have excessive air pollution. Filtered lake or stream water may also be used. The optimum water temperature for Moina is 75­88° F (24­31° C). Moina continue to thrive at temperatures in excess of 90° F (32° C) for short periods. However, low temperatures reduce production. Aeration Gentle aeration of the Moina pool oxygenates the water, keeps food particles in suspension and increases phytoplankton production; these result in an increase in the number of eggs per female, the proportion of egg-bearing females in the population, and the population density. A small trickle of fresh water into the culture container may also improve production of Moina. Only one or two aquarium air lines are required in culture containers up to 400 gallons (1.5 m3). Extremely small bubbles should be avoided as they can get trapped under the carapace, causing Moina to float at the surface, eventually killing them. more...

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