1 Live Foods from the Wild Part IV – Types of Wild Foods A presentation for The Angelfish Society March 20, 2010 by Tamar Stephens

2 About this presentation This is Part IV in a series of presentations on live foods from the wild. Previous presentations in this series: Part I Nutritional value of wild foods. (Sept. 19, 2010) Part I Nutritional value of wild foods. (Sept. 19, 2010) Part II Where to find wild foods. (Oct. 17, 2010) Part II Where to find wild foods. (Oct. 17, 2010) Part III How to Collect Wild Foods (Feb. 11, 2011) Part III How to Collect Wild Foods (Feb. 11, 2011) (Previous presentations can be found at The rest of this series will cover: Part V: How to culture wild foods Part V: How to culture wild foods

3 In this presentation  Daphnia and other small crustaceans  Brine shrimp and larger crustaceans  Microworms  Earthworms  Aquatic insects  Terrestrial insects

4 Daphnia and other small crustaceans Photo from Wikipedia commons

5 Daphnia aka “water fleas”  Daphnia are among a group of small crustaceans commonly called “water fleas” because they move in short jerky movements, reminiscent of the jerky jumps of fleas. Their body shape is also similar to that of a flea.  Daphnia and other “water fleas” are not insects. They breath through gills.  Size varies with species, ranging from 1/50 of an inch up to about 1/5 inch in length.  They have no swim bladder and are denser than water, so need to constantly move their branched “swimming arms” to keep from sinking.

6 Branched “swimming arms” are in constant motion to keep daphnia an other “water fleas” from sinking. From Wikipedia commons

7 Where can you find daphnia?  Daphnia eggs can lie dormant in the mud over winter, and hatch in the spring.  Daphnia are present in most freshwater aquatic habitats, but large concentrations are most likely to appear under these conditions: Water temperature between 65 – 75 °F Water temperature between 65 – 75 °F Calm water, such as pools, ponds, swamps Calm water, such as pools, ponds, swamps Decomposing organic matter (produces bacteria that Daphnia feed on) Decomposing organic matter (produces bacteria that Daphnia feed on) Absence of fish as predators Absence of fish as predators They seem to be attracted to light so will come near the surface on sunny days. They seem to be attracted to light so will come near the surface on sunny days.

8 Brine shrimp and other large crustaceans

9 The most common larger crustaceans are:  Brine shrimp (Artemia)  Amphipods  Fairy shrimp (Eubranchipus)

10 Brine Shrimp (Artemia)  Newly hatched brine shrimp are widely used for feeding angelfish fry, and fry of other tropical fish species.  Brine shrimp are found in the wild in salt water lakes worldwide, but not in oceans.  Adults grow to be about 1/2 inch long. From Wikipedia commons

11 Amphipods  Sometimes called “freshwater shrimp”  Very active, swim backward and upside down  Usually found in the bottom of streams, ponds, or swamps, where they may hide in the gravel From Wikipedia commons

12 Fairy Shrimp (Eubranchipus)  Close relatives of brine shrimp, but live in fresh water.  Adults are 1/4 to 1 inch long.  Usually found in seasonal freshwater ponds that dry up at some time during the year. They can be found under the ice in late winter and early spring.  Defenseless, so they don’t appear in ponds with carnivorous insects or with fish.  Very nutritious; excellent food for adult angelfish. From Wikipedia commons

13 Microworms

14 Microworms (nematodes)  Microworms, sometimes called “threadworms,” are nematodes. They are tiny, colorless, cylindrical worms. Some species are aquatic and some are terrestrial.  They make an excellent food for fry.  Aquatic species can be found in the bottom of freshwater bodies where heavy growths of aquatic vegetation and soil are present.  Terrestrial species are often cultured by aquarists for feeding newly- hatched fry. Panagrellus redivivus from Wikipedia commons

15 Earthworms and Relatives

16 Earthworms  Earthworms are segmented worms.  Feed in humus-rich soil.  Burrow deep to avoid the cold.  Light sensitive, so will be found at the surface during warm nights, where they come to feed on decaying vegetation  One way to collect is to lay a burlap bag in a shaded moist place and cover it with tea leaves, coffee grounds, and other bits of organic garbage to attract earthworms. From Wikipedia commons

17 White Worms (Enchytraeidae)  White worms are a relative of the earthworm. They are smaller, growing to a little under to a little over an inch in length, depending on species.  Usually found in moist soil feeding on remains of vegetation.  Easy to culture, so it is probably easier to buy a starter culture than to try to collect from the wild. From enky.JPG enky.JPG

18 Aquatic insects, insect larvae, and related  Springtails  Mayflies  Caddisflies  Bloodworms  Mosquitos

19 Springtails  Springtails get their name from their ability to leap into the air several inches to either escape predation or simply move to another location.  They are very small, from 1/100 to 2/5 of an inch long.  They live on the top of the water and can be found on the surface of ponds from temperate to arctic climates.  They contain more digestible material per body weight than daphnia.  Have been reclassified – no longer classified as an insect. From Wikipedia commons

20 Mayflies  Mayfly nymphs or naiads live on stream bottoms under rocks, decaying vegetation, or in sediment. They mold several times as they grow, and are in the nymph stage for 6 months to a year. Adults only live a few hours – long enough to mate and lay eggs.  The adults are eaten extensively by fish in the wild, especially trout, but the nymphs are more useful for aquarists as fish food. Adult mayfly – from Wikipedia commons

21 Caddisflies  Caddisfly larvae live on the bottom of moving waters. Concentrations may be found underneath flat stones.  Caddisfly larvae construct cases that they live in. In some species the cases are in fixed locations, but many species have movable cases that they live in. Cases are constructed from various materials such as leaves, bits of vegetation, sticks, stones, etc.  They need to be dislodged from their cases to feed to tropical fish. Caddisfly larvae emerging from its case. From Wikipedia commons

22 Bloodworms  “Bloodworms” are not really worms. They are larvae of midges (Chironomidae) and are usually bright red in color, hence the name “bloodworms.”  The larvae are often referred to as chironomids.  They can be found extensively in freshwater habitats in almost all kinds of water. They are most abundant on or in the mud bottoms of lakes, ponds, pool, or streams.  They are a very nutritious food for angelfish. An adult midge resemble a small mosquito in appearance. Photo from Wikipedia commons.

23 Mosquitos  Mosquito larvae make an excellent food for angelfish.  Mosquit0 larvae can be found in calm waters throughout the world.  Egg rafts can also be collected and the larvae hatched. From

24 Many more insects Many more insects and insect larvae can make excellent nutritious supplements to the diet of your angelfish. Maybe this presentation will inspire you to research this topic more fully. Just a caution – not all live insects or insect larvae are safe for your aquarium fish, so get a good guide to identifying insects, and research them a little before adding an unknown to your aquarium.

25 I hope you enjoyed this presentation! Please return to the chat room for discussion.