klw Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 hi all,just a question about mozzie larvae,i am cultivating some atm and theres a few in the bucket,but,i have been told to get the "rafts"out of the water,these are the coccoon like black things that hold all the eggs from the mozzie before they turn into wrigglers.my question is,every time i look into the water i cannot see these "rafts"because i dont know how big they are.i dont know what im looking for,theres always a mess of floaty bits in there and i dont know whats the raft and whats not.can anyone tell me how big these rafts are so i know what to look for.its just the larvae are much cleaner when hatched in a jar straight from this coccon rather than risk a disease coming in through the icky water. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod54 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 If in Doubt.... GOGGLE IT! mosquito rafts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klw Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 i had done that and couldnt find the size but i have now got it,thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Let the rafts hatch in the "icky water", catch wrigglers out with a white fine net (that the wriggler can't "wriggle" through) and rinse under running water. The "icky water" is what they feed on, if you remove the rafts and put them in clean water they will starve. If you want the newly hatched wrigglers for young fry they won't have to grow, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klw Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 thanks for that advice,i just hate sifting through the bits you get in the strainer that i cant identify,and i worry about disease coming in.i suppose thats the risk with any live food.i dont know if anyone remembers in the 80's(yes im that old )wardley did a freeze dried mosquito larvae,wish theyd bring it back again!!or maybe someone else can do it!would save a lot of worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod54 Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 The mossie raft look like oval specks of ash....they sit on the water and don't break the water surface They are black or grey or charcoal depending on specie of mossie....easy to identify once you know what you are looking for If you don't want to stick you finger in the water....stick a paddle pop underneath them Great food for fry....especially surface feeders I add a teaspoon of liquid fertiliser each week to a 20 litre bucket to keep bacteria going...alway has mossie larva and at times bloodworms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I add a teaspoon of liquid fertiliser each week to a 20 litre bucket to keep bacteria going...alway has mossie larva and at times bloodworms break a banana in two and throw the two halves into water (200 l barrel). Will feed wrigglers and daphnia etc for weeks i just hate sifting through the bits you get in the strainer that i cant identify a big enough container and you can net out wrigglers without "bits" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiel Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 The cleanest method is to use clean water but add normal baking yeast to the water. It stinks but the added yeast makes for a tasty and nutritious wrigler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 The cleanest method is to use clean water but add normal baking yeast to the water. It stinks but the added yeast makes for a tasty and nutritious wrigler. True. But as they will be outdoors, the extra difference At the end of the day, bits and pieces will fall into the containers used which will stop the water from being debre free. So if there is one or a hundred pieces of debre, not collecting any is as effective either way. Using yeast is also more time consuming and more expensive to maintain a constant food supply. You can add potatoes cut in half should QLD have another storm that knocks out the banana supply. A single banana broken in two in a 200-litre barrel can supply food for weeks and weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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