Culturing live food for a thriving Betta surge
Fish keeping has been popular in society for centuries. People even consider it as one of the interesting hobbies of pet keepers. But it is not only schools of fish that are cared for and reared. There are also other creatures that need time, attention and care in order for fish to survive. These microorganisms, called live food, are carefully cultured and propagated for Betta surge to thrive and grow healthier.
Culturing live food for a thriving Betta surge
Betta and its origin
If you’re not quite familiar with it, Betta fish (scientific name: Betta splendens) or also known as the Siamese fighting fish serves a vibrant color. They’re often seen swimming solo in brandy snifters and ornamental vases in both the office and home. Many fish hobbyists choose Betta fish as their pet to keep and breed due to its alluring color and attractive fins and tail.
Betta fish are native to Thailand and can be seen in neighboring countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. These fish live in shallow freshwater bodies such as rice paddies, stagnant ponds, marshes, and slow-moving streams.
Live food for Bettas
Tubifex worms and Daphnia are two of the most common microorganisms used as live food for Bettas. Almost since its inception, Tubifex worms have actually been a popular food for fish tank trade, and collecting them from open sewers for this function was very common until lately.
On the other hand, Daphnia or common water fleas are extremely widespread and common throughout the world. Daphnia pulex is the most common species of the water flea, an organism found in almost every permanent, eutrophic (nutrient-rich) water body.
The hunt for live food
“Live food is better than pellets when we are growing out our fry (baby Betta fish) and conditioning our pair for breeding.”
This is Ralph Avellanosa’s advice, a newbie at fish-keeping residing in Cavite, as he shared in an interview how he cultures and propagates live food for his Bettas.
Acquiring a starter or a parent is essential in the beginning of the culture process. These live food also needs several water-change and nourishment.
As a newbie in fish-keeping, Ralph’s source of live food are in any slow-moving or stable bodies of water. He hunts Tubifex in polluted creeks or slow-moving waterways where there is a decaying matter.
“As for Daphnias, I hunt mine in fish ponds or even flooded pavements in our subdivision. As long as the water is stable and there is green water or lumot, you can always find a Daphnia,” Ralph shared.
Culturing Tubifex worms
There are two ways to culture these worms: frequent water change and water system. According to Ralph, you can simply culture Tubifex just by changing its water 3-5 times a day to renew oxygen since it is sensitive to dirt and needs oxygen. For the water system, he uses two containers: one for tubifex and one for water filtration.
“I am using a water pump to recycle the water between the filtration container and back at the Tubifex container. I also feed Tubifex worms near-rotting vegetables like cabbage,” said Ralph as he shared the process of culturing and propagating these live food.
Culturing Daphnia
This newbie fish-keeper cultures two kinds of Daphnia: the magna and moina. Magna and moina should have different containers where you put green water or water with chlorella. You can make green water using fertilizer, PO1, urea, stock water or used water in aquariums. Combine it all and place it in direct sunlight to create green water in just 5 days.
“I get my green water in ponds since I have a friend who owns one. I put Daphnias in green water and feed them an activated yeast with spirulina powder once a day. Daphnia propagates rapidly so every five days, I reduce Daphnia by separating it in another container where the culture restarts.”
Alternative live food
These live feeds become the main diet of the Betta fish. But if Daphnia and Tubifex are absent, there are also alternative live food like artemia, mosquito larvae or kiti-kiti, blood worms and even earthworms. You can also culture and propagate them for the growth of your Bettas.
Culturing and propagating live food for a thriving Betta surge serves a great advantage for the Bettas’ health and vibrant growth. But disadvantages also occur due to propagating and culturing these live food.
If not taken care of properly and hygienically, a new study of tubifex worms has highlighted their potential to introduce harmful diseases to fish. As a responsible fish-keeper, never forget to take precautions when culturing live food for your Betta or any kind of fish.
