Seed Shrimp / Ostracod culture

I know these little guys are considered a pest to most, but they seem like an excellent start to live food cultivating; from what I can understand, they are very hardy and it's as easy as adding some water-change water to a container (an unused 25L tank, in my case), putting some flakes in every now and again, and they'll pretty much take care of themselves.

However, I'm unsure if I need to add an existing culture to the water or if they'll produce on their own? Like Grindal worms, there doesn't seem to be anywhere around me that has any....

 

You are WAY too far away to come over and borrow some of mine. Both of my 29s have plenty! They do provide some entertainment, watching the platy fry chase them.

 

They likely won't appear in a culture on their own, you may have to either purchase some to start with online or find a source locally. I would find them in buckets of water I left out on my porch or in old plant containers and just harvest them from there. I am not sure exactly where they come from, I know some small animals can come in with rain or in leaf litter that once was in water that contained reproducing adults.

 

You are WAY too far away to come over and borrow some of mine.

I don’t know; who doesn’t like a quick trip to America for some Ostracod! Joking, of course

Both of my 29s have plenty!

Are you purposefully cultivating them? If so, would you mind sharing your routine for looking after them/the container they are in?

They do provide some entertainment, watching the platy fry chase them.

The main reason I want to cultivate them is for my
Betta sorority, angels, Wapogas, killifish and raspboras. Presumably the Ostracod aren’t only good enough fry?

They likely won't appear in a culture on their own

Ah ok. Bugger

you may have to either purchase some to start with online or find a source locally.

I’ll have to ask around some more my LFS don’t seem to have a lot in the way of live food unfortunately.

Thanks BigManAquatics & fishydaddy

 

I had seed shrimp in the past but none of my fish, chocolate gourami, dario (not in the same tank of course), would go after them. Ended up tearing down the tanks completely, because once they start populating in a fish tank it is hard to get rid of them. And yes, I didn't serve my fish, artemia, copepods or worms at the same time. There was no choice.

 

Oh interesting! It’s a small unused tank so tearing it down wouldn’t be the end of the world.

 

I don’t know; who doesn’t like a quick trip to America for some Ostracod! Joking, of course



Are you purposefully cultivating them? If so, would you mind sharing your routine for looking after them/the container they are in?



The main reason I want to cultivate them is for my
Betta sorority, angels, Wapogas, killifish and raspboras. Presumably the Ostracod aren’t only good enough fry?



Ah ok. Bugger



I’ll have to ask around some more my LFS don’t seem to have a lot in the way of live food unfortunately.

Thanks BigManAquatics & fishydaddy

Not on purpose, they just kind of showed up. The fry can't catch them, the adults mostly ignore them. The betta tries eating them. I vaccuum them up when it is convenient to leep the population in check a little bit.. but mostly no bother.

 

The fry can't catch them, the adults mostly ignore them. The betta tries eating them.

Ah, ok. Perhaps they're not a great live food to cultivate then, if the majority of my fish wouldn't be bothered with them