Brine Shrimp - An Overview

Brine Shrimp is a species of crustaceans which lives in saltwater.  It is a popular live food for aquarium fish.

Brine Shrimp can be cultured at home.  It is also widely available in a frozen form which can be broken and fed to fish.

There are also dried shimp and shrimp in gel form.

Infusoria for baby fish - An Overview

Infusoria is a collective term for many species of tiny organisms such as ciliates, algae and even small invertebrates which exist in fresh water bodies. Infusoria are considered ideal food for baby fish.

Hence, many aquarists have their own infusoria culture tanks. Infusoria can be easily cultured from decomposing vegetative matter.

Place a lettuce leaf in a jar of water

Add an algae wafer

In a few days, you will see that the water is cloudy as both bacteria and infusoria establish themselves.

The cloudy water is due to the bacteria.

Over a few days, you will notice tha the water has cleared as the infusoria have eaten the bacteria.

At this point, it is possible to see minute creatures swimming in the water.

Aquarists will keep a culture of infusoria in a bottle. This culture can be used to produced infusoria when necessary in a short period of time.

Live Food for Aquarium fish

Live food is the feeding of food which is alive. This includes small microscopic organisms such as infusoria, brine shrimp, nitrosomonas, etc.

Fish are always consuming live food in the aquarium in the form of algae and microscopic organisms which grow in rocks and on the glass walls of the aquarium. However, many aquarists prefer to add live food as part of the main feeding.

Common live food include worms, microscopic plants like daphnea and infusoria.  Some even resort to the controversial practice of feeding other fish such as gold fish and guppies as food.

Even common insects such as mosquito larvae, houseflies, earthworms and ants are used as food for fish.

Live food is free of preservatives and other processing chemicals.

Many aquarists culture their own live food. Worms and other microscopic foods such as infusoria, daphnea can be cultured at home. Earthworms can be cultured at home too.