Water Fleas
Water fleas are aquatic crustaceans that make a jumping motion when they move hence; the term “fleas.” There are many different varieties of these aquatic fleas such as Daphnia, Cyclops and Diaptomus, among others.
These aquatic crustaceans mostly dwell in fresh water environments but some are also found in marine environment.
Daphnia
Daphnia are small aquatic fleas that measure about 0.2 millimeters up to 5 millimeters. If you have an aquarium, you can actually benefit from this type of water flea.
Daphnia can be fed to small aquarium fishes and they on the other hand, feed on algae, bacteria and protozoa. You can get them from any pet shop both online and in traditional brick and mortar pet shops.
Cyclops
Cyclops are freshwater copepods or a group of tiny crustaceans that are generally found in freshwater environments. They are about one to two millimeters only with a body shaped like a teardrop.
Cyclops are also a food source for different fishes, particularly those that are kept in saltwater aquariums or reef tanks.
Diaptomus
Diaptomus is similar in appearance to Cyclops, with one difference: they have longer antennae as compared to the latter. They are also copepods and are about the same size as that of the Cyclops.
There are over sixty different species of Diaptomus and they mostly dwell in freshwater lakes.
A Note on Water Fleas as Aquarium Food
As mentioned, a good number of water fleas are used as food source for several varieties of small species, particularly those being bred in freshwater and saltwater aquariums or tanks.
This is primarily because these are relatively easy and simple to culture, plus they reproduce quite rapidly, too.
However, while they are an excellent food source for your small aquarium fishes, you should take note that they should be fed to your fishes sparingly. These aquatic fleas can sometimes act as a laxative which means that if ingested quite regularly, your fishes may develop stomach problems.
You can get dried aquatic fleas to feed your pet fishes with and these are also commercially sold in most pet stores both online and offline. The most popular dried aquatic fleas are Daphnia.
Water Fleas and Ecology
Today, these fleas are also being studied by ecologists particularly in the aspect of population dynamics in the hopes of shedding light on the effects of shifts in environmental conditions on ecology.
By studying the behaviors of the aquatic fleas, particularly Daphnia, ecologists hope to understand the consequences of environmental changes on the rise and fall in population of certain species based on, among other things, the availability of food supply in different seasons and its effect on population growth.
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