Detailed Explanation of Daphnia Breeding Methods and Technical Key Points

Daphnia refers to two major categories of planktonic animals, aquatic cladocerans and copepods. They are nutritious, easy to digest, and are a palatable food for loach fry and fingerlings. Artificially culturing Daphnia to feed loach has low cost, fast loach growth, and good yield-increasing effects. Today, the editor of Qiannong Network will introduce the Daphnia breeding methods to everyone!

Building Ponds

Both earthen ponds and cement ponds can be used. The pond depth is about 1 m, and the size is preferably rectangular, from 10 sq m to 30 sq m. 

Filling with Water

Fill the pond with water to a depth of about 50 cm. The suitable water temperature for Daphnia is 18°C to 25°C, the pH is 7.5 to 8, and the dissolved oxygen saturation is 70% to 120%.

Fertilizing

For earthen ponds, apply 4 kg of cow dung, horse dung, or other livestock manure, and 1.5 kg of rice straw, wheat straw, or other non-toxic plant stems and leaves per cubic meter of water as base fertilizer. After 10 days, apply a topdressing once, with the same amount as the base fertilizer. After that, apply topdressing as appropriate according to the water color to keep the water color yellow-brown. For cement ponds, apply 1.5 kg of cow dung, horse dung, or other livestock manure per cubic meter of water, add 1.5 kg to 2 kg of fertile soil, and then apply topdressing once every 8 days, with the topdressing amount being 0.75 kg of cow dung, horse dung, or other livestock manure. 

Cultivation

Whether earthen ponds or mud ponds are used, the mixed culture method of yeast and inorganic fertilizer can be adopted. Apply 20 g of yeast per cubic meter of water. The yeast can first be soaked in water for 3 hours to 4 hours, then splashed into the pond. Apply 65 g of ammonium carbonate and 37.5 g of ammonium nitrate per cubic meter of water, and then apply once every 5 days thereafter, with the amount being half of the initial amount. After adding the yeast, expose the pond water to sunlight for 1 day to 3 days, and then Daphnia can be introduced as seed stock, with a seeding amount of 30 g to 50 g per cubic meter of water.

Harvesting

After the Daphnia seed stock is put into the pond for 15 days to 20 days, it can multiply in large numbers and cover the entire pond. At this time, it can be harvested in batches to feed loach. Generally, harvest once every 1 day to 2 days, harvesting 10% to 20% of the total amount each time. Under a water temperature of 18°C to 20°C, it can be harvested regularly and continuously without interruption.