How to Keep Water Fleas Lasting and Not Easily Die

The presence of water fleas is very important for friends who keep ornamental fish. Water fleas can provide essential nutrients for the development of ornamental fish. As much as possible, keep the water fleas alive and not easily die if you want to benefit from this ornamental fish feed.

There are several ways to ensure that water fleas remain alive and do not easily die. Some of these methods are:

Use a Soil Pond as a Place for Water Flea Cultivation

Water flea cultivation can actually be done in containers such as buckets or tubs. However, if you want your water fleas to last longer, you can use a soil pond as a container.

In addition to making water fleas last longer, a soil pond can also be used to increase the quantity of water fleas. To be more optimal, make sure the soil pond is located in a place that gets plenty of sunlight.

Also, make sure to cover the pond when it rains. Rainwater can increase the water volume and cause the water fleas to wash away.

Add Fertilizer to the Soil Pond

While the water fleas are in the soil pond, you can add fertilizer to the pond. The recommended fertilizer to use is manure.

Manure can produce plankton, which will later become the main food for water fleas. Make sure the amount of manure used is not excessive. As a recommendation, you can use manure at a rate of 2 kg/square meter. Once the pond has been fertilized, you should let it sit for 3 days.

Add Lime to the Soil Pond First

Before adding fertilizer to the soil pond, you must first add lime. The method is to dry the soil pond first, then add lime at a rate of 1 to 2 kg/square meter. Lime can neutralize the pH in the soil pond and can suppress pathogenic organisms that could harm the water fleas.

Add Water to the Soil Pond

After the fertilizer has been left for three days, you can immediately add water up to 30 cm high to the soil pond. After that, let it sit for 3 to 5 days until the pond turns brown.

Do not panic if the pond turns brown. The brown color in the soil pond water is actually a sign that the manure that has been added has released plankton. Once it has turned brown, you can add water again up to 50 cm high.

You can directly introduce water flea seeds into the soil pond. There are two types of water fleas to choose from. Monia and magna are both options. You can choose one or both to introduce into the pond.

Harvest Enough Water Fleas When the Time Comes

When the water fleas are ready for harvest, we recommend not taking all of them. Just take enough water fleas. This is done so that the water fleas can continue to breed. This way, the water fleas can remain alive and not easily die.

One characteristic of water fleas that are ready for harvest is the appearance of water fleas in red-colored colonies. This characteristic will appear a week after the water flea seeds are introduced into the pond.

Make sure to wash the harvested water fleas with clean water before giving them to the ornamental fish.

These are some ways to ensure that water fleas remain alive and do not easily die. We hope this is useful and can be practiced by you. Happy cultivating water fleas!