Urgently Looking for Green Water / Insoforia

Hi everyone,

First post on the forum and I'm urgently looking for a few litres of green water to feed to the 20-50 zebra danio fry (3-4 of which are free swimming already). Anybody got extra?

I'm around the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town.

Thanks in advance.
Hope to hear from somebody.

 

Welcome Jack! Enjoy the forum.
Please go to the new member section and give us an intro!
I will pm you...

 

Hello and Welcome to TASA.

As for the Infusoria,
Add old aquarium water, along with any snail droppings, dead plant matter or detritus to a glass jar (250ml) or similar container. Allow this container to sit in a window sill for a few days, catching some sunshine, or place it near another light source. In a few days it should be cloudy or green tinted. It is then ready to harvest and with very little smell.
You can either harvest some from the top, with a dropper, taking care to not get any of the mulm or solid material, and then squirt this directly into the fry tank - or - you can float a small wad of filter floss in the jar for a few hours and then swish it around in the fry tank.
Another alternative, to is to just put some Java Moss in the fry tank and let them feast on the abundant microscopic organisms that live in its foliage.

Uh-Oh.Saw your Fry is.

 

Liquifry dude - availeble from most good LFS's... G'luck!!!

 

Must remember this!

 

Thanks everybody,

I've just put some java moss in the tank, will add my apple snail once all/most of the fry are free swimming, should get a few survivors.

Will be more prepared for next time by starting a green water culture first... I read about a method for a more permanent (and regularly harvested) greenwater setup, it basically involves keeping a couple slightly overfed goldfish in an under-filtered and well lit tank/container-that-allows-light-to-penetrate-through-the-sides (probably kept outside during summer). The goldfish keeps out unwanted pests and provides nutrients for the algae to thrive.

The living conditions could become uncomfortable for the goldfish unless we regularly remove some (around 10%-20%-30%, some) green water every now and then (couple of days or so) and top it up with fresh water, even if we have to put the green water down the drain or in the yard.

This should create a permanent supply for insoforia and daphnia cultures.

---------- Post added at 23:01 ---------- Previous post was at 23:01 ----------

Will have a look at the price of that Liquifry stuff too, not into paying money for things that don't have to cost money. Though I admit it's not worth too much time to save R10 every 6 months and my method would mean another tank to look after and another mouth to feed... the live food is probably more natural too... not sure what liquifry actually is.

 

Rather look at some smaller fishes like white clouds. They are hardier than goldies and also keep out nasties.

 

I would not advise that gold fish route. The goal here is to purposefully provide a less than adequate environment for the fish for the purpose of creating greenwater. Not something we as TASA strive for. Rather go the other routes.

 

I agree, don't sacrifice gold fish for the sake of not being willing to spend money on fry food. Thats plain cruel. No offence, but if you are not willing to spend money on the fish rather don't keep them. You can maintain a greenwater tank very easily without any fish in it. So rather use the fishless methods.

 

@ Firefly - the reason for using goldfish is that they are waste producers of note. The comet goldfish (the one I've chosen) is one of more hardy species often kept (very successfully) in outdoor ponds. Will keep the white clouds in mind, are they much more tolerant than zebra danios?

@ Zoom - although it may seem like we're providing a less than adequate environment green water is actually one of the lowest foods in the chain, it is a singular cell algae that hangs in the water (as far as I understand). It's actually very healthy stuff, it's the same "green water" you find in some/most outdoor ponds. All in all, it's not bad for the fish, so long as the water parameters are kept in check (with more than regular water changes, which means you get to harvest quite a lot of the algae).

@AquaS - please see my response to Zoom's input. It's not harmful to the fish as long as the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are kept in check (by water changes every other day) and of course you don't put other chemicals and things in the tank.

Fish keeping doesn't need to be that expensive... I've got danio fry, active danios and a constantly hungry goldfish by cycling with fish in dechlorinated water (stick an air stone in the water and leave it for 24 hours with an open top), a DIY filter made from coke bottles running my 300litre tank (powered by a 600 litre and hour submersible pump for R80) which was seeded by some gravel of a previously cycled 45 litre tank. The trick to safe cycling, I think, is lots of plants and of course, if you can seed the tank with bacteria from another tank, you're a for away. I think I've got two cycled tanks, ready to stock them up slowly.

That lettuce trick just doesn't seem to work for me. The goldfish method knocks many birds with few stones and will provide a near continuous supply, although it'll probably be a bit more maintenance, depending on largely on the amount of nutrients and light it receives. I'm not trying to kill the goldfish, that would get expensive... and that was a joke, albeit not that funny.