Microworms
In stockPanagrellus redivivus
The go-to first food for betta, gourami, tetra and cory fry
Size±1–3 mm
Culture mediumOats / instant porridge paste
Temperature18–27 °C (room temperature)
DifficultyVery easy
R50 · 15 ml starter culture
Species feeding guide
Live food for danios
Danios breed so readily that most keepers raise their first fry by accident — and lose most of them the same way, because free-swimming danio fry are tiny and the parents are fast. A microworm tub and a daphnia culture turn “a few survivors in the filter” into a tank of juveniles, and live-conditioned adults scatter bigger, more frequent spawns.
Photo: Roundish, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
The feeding plan
| Stage | Feed this | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Fry, free-swimming (day ±3–7) | Microworms (+ vinegar eels) | Danio fry are too small for daphnia at first; microworms are the staple, eels cover the smallest fry and the surface |
| Fry, weeks 2–4 | Newborn daphnia / moina | The growth gear-change — danio fry on baby moina reach juvenile size weeks ahead of dry-fed siblings |
| Juveniles | Daphnia most days | Cheap, clean and always moving; keeps a fast-growing shoal growing evenly |
| Conditioning adults | Daphnia + microworms for a week before spawning | Females fill with eggs noticeably faster on live food; set the spawning tank up while the cultures do the conditioning |
Practical tips
- Separate eggs or parents: adult danios eat eggs and fry with enthusiasm. A marble or mesh-bottom spawning tank saves the spawn.
- Start the microworm tub when you set the spawning tank — fry are free-swimming and hungry within days of hatching.
- Fry tanks: feed little, 3 times a day, and siphon the bottom — microworms that are not eaten within a day foul small volumes.
Watch out: Danios are jumpy, fast and always first to the food — do not judge a mixed tank’s feeding by the danios’ bellies. Slow tankmates need food delivered where danios are not looking.
Common questions
What do zebra danio fry eat?
Microworms from the day they are free-swimming, with vinegar eels for the smallest fry, then newborn daphnia (moina) from about week 2 — that ladder is where the fast growth comes from.
Can danio fry eat daphnia straight away?
No — even moina newborns are a stretch for day-one danio fry. Start on microworms and graduate to the smallest daphnia in the second week.
How do I get danios to spawn?
Condition the group on live daphnia and microworms for a week, then move a plump female and active males over a marble or mesh bottom in the evening. Most spawns happen at first light the next morning.
Start these cultures
In stock in the Western Cape, dispatched Monday to Wednesday, door-to-door across South Africa.
Daphnia (Moina)
In stockMoina sp.
The small “daphnia” that suits fry and small fish — and breeds fast in warm water
Size±0.4–1.5 mm (adults ±1–1.5 mm)
Temperature20–30 °C (fastest at 24–28 °C)
FoodGreen water, yeast, spirulina
DifficultyModerate — keep a backup culture
R50 · starter culture
Vinegar Eels
In stockTurbatrix aceti
The tiniest first food — cultured on oats, despite the name
Size±0.3–2 mm
Culture mediumOats / instant porridge paste (like microworms)
Temperature18–27 °C (room temperature)
DifficultyVery easy
R50 · 15 ml starter culture
Fry Starter Kit
In stockAll four fry cultures in one parcel
Every fry size covered, from first bite to grow-out, in one courier parcel
IncludesDaphnia (moina), microworms, banana worms, vinegar eels
Culture mediaWater tub (moina) + oats paste (worms & eels)
TemperatureRoom temperature (moina warmest, 20–30 °C)
DifficultyVery easy
R200 · 4-culture bundle
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