killimike Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 I'm very slow to catch on, but on reading that Lilli is feeding her current spawns mozzie egg rafts, I thought I would give it a go. I have been missing out on so much! This is a fantastic live food!! There are dozens of mozzie wrigglers in a single raft, and they don't hatch all at once, so it's like time release feeding. While I'm sure everyone else is already doing it, if anyone isn't, give it a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyrical Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 What is a mosquito raft and how do l go about making some and where do the eggs come from please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 A raft is just what you call the egg mass, they are tiny and all stuck together it looks like a small bit of bark floating on the surface of the water. So you just stick a bucket outside, fill it with water, and someone else's blood does the trick :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 A banana skin works as well to get the mozzie culture going, if nearest and dearest run for cover at the sight of you approaching, knife in hand. I haven't tried feeding mozzie rafts to fry. The adults eat the rafts straight away so it's not much good as a time release food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 vegemite is also pretty good Here is an article from PeterJ on mozzie harvesting http://ausaqua.net/files/mozzies1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 when the fry are very small (ie, still eating bbs small), I add the rafts directly to the tank. What I am doing now is, I hatch the rafts in a cup, grow them on a bit, then strain the water and feed the wrigglers at whatever size I want to, to the fish. For older fish I just suck the wrigglers out with baster and add to the tank, water and all. Razzi - I think Mike meant that the female will only lay rafts when she's had a feed of mammalian blood I don't think he was suggesting a blood sacrifice to get the water attractive to the females mozzies! I also have found vegemite is useful - I spread some on a piece of paper towel and suspended that in the water. The water got stinky and I got mozzie rafts galore. Also, a bit of duckweed for the female to sit on while she lays seems to be appreciated. Disclaimer: - I collect all rafts every day without fail - none hatch outside so as to develop into mosquitoes and create a health hazard. I love harvesting them! It makes me feel all pagan and stuff. I should get a primary producers tax deduction ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anasfire Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 ahhaha al pagan? I am pagan and never been much into harvesting mozzie rafts lol. If I ever want any though my ex seems to love breeding them at his place lol...unintentionally of course so if I ever need them or blood worms I can go strain the bucket of water out the front of his place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 Razzi - I think Mike meant that the female will only lay rafts when she's had a feed of mammalian blood I don't think he was suggesting a blood sacrifice to get the water attractive to the females mozzies! Are you sure about that? Mike's looking very alternative these days. Making up for his crew cut childhood I guess. I can see him brewing up a concoction by the light of the moon. *lol* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 Human blood . . . No, the mosquitos can do the letting for me, I'll just be alternative in my own way. Harvesting -mosquito- babies is a great source of fry food that I will be using from now on. Lilli seems to have raised it to an art! I wonder, can we gut load wrigglers? I didn't think of growing them on as I thought that they would be nutritious when first hatched. They are so teeny tiny tho hey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 I put some spirulina-based fry powder in the water with them, which they may or may not eat - which would gutload them I have been finding lately (after a bumper harvest) that if I have too many rafts per cup, a large percentage of the wrigglers die within the first days. I suspect it may be competition for nutrients. I have been splitting the rafts between cups now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUNGLE Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 My mate Horst [former owner of Aquapets] harvests mossies from pools at the beach. He then puts them in fresh water in a bag,adds Sera fish vitamins and leaves them in the fridge. I feed mine with a little powdered yeast and powdered Spirulina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted March 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 Well, that answers that question. When you think about it, if they thrive in a bucket of water with a few leaves in it, they can't be too hard to feed. I will look for some spirulina powder. Guys, is yours fish food or from a health food shop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 mine's Sera Micron. Always did wonder what to do with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninoid12 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 That is an EXCELLENT article. I now understand what to look for and what to do!!! I know what i will be doing tomorrow on my day off (hmm, maybe i shouldnt advertise my sad, sad life.... lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anasfire Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 I'm giving this a little bit of a bump and letting you all know that i'm about to make up my own Mozzie rafting container of wonders....lol It looks like this I've added the wording on the lid as I live in a unit block with many nosey neighbours, this is in the hopes that it won't get tipped out! I'm going to add tank water from my 3.4ft (which is in dire need of a WC anyway!), some paper towel with a good smearing of vegemite, some duckweed and some of my own blood (this is where having body piercing needles laying around comes in handy!) Will let you all know how I go. I doubt I'll get any to harvast for tomorrow though as it's quite cool and rainy here tonight. Might have to wait a few days but rest assured I will check every day and make sure I'm not adding to the mosquito population. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilchard Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 i only seem to get rafts sporatically but seem to have wriglers without them, i assume there are diferent species of mozzies that dont lay on a raft. Also the adition of human blood to the water is not needed as the fem mozzy has to feed on blood from a living mamal to initiate the laying of eggs, she does not feed from the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninoid12 Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Sometimes it takes me AGES to find any rafts. They are usually there somewhere, or else broken up by the time the wrigglers are bigger. I am being attacked by mozzies every evening when i go toilet the dogs. So i might start up my little container again too. Havent done so over winter. And good idea about the "school science experiment" label. They wont think you are a wierdo then. Unless you dont have kids :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killimike Posted October 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 I would hope noone is adding blood to the -water- :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anasfire Posted November 16, 2009 Report Share Posted November 16, 2009 (edited) over 3 weeks on and I still have no mozzie rafts. Starting to think either the water isn't feral enough yet (even though it's gone all greeny) or the hole in the top isn't big enough for the females to realise they can get in to lay so i've taken the lid off and still no rafts! GAH!. Maybe i just dont get the rafting breed of mozzies around here? Edited November 16, 2009 by Fighters4U Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anasfire Posted February 14, 2010 Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 Just thought I'd update! I have mozzie wrigglers! FINALLY. I set that water out there 4 months ago and only now have I got anything from it! I think it's dried up a few times though and then been filled back up with the recent rain. I added some tank water and a heap of algae and plant cuttings from my amazon swords etc and now I have live bloodworm and mozzie wriggles in there. At the moment I'm trying to suck up the wrigglers and not too much debris, sounds easier than it is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 Cassie if you suck them up debris and all then add some clean tank water to your holding container, the debris settles and you can suck the mozzies of the top as they surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anasfire Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 Thanks Julia, that's what I've been doing. As they come up for air I stick my dropper in and suck em up quickly. I even managed to get most of them out by straining the water through a larger strainer, it caught all the leaves etc and let the wrigglers through. They weren't that big, about 5mm, but they were perfect for the size fry I have at the moment. I'll leave it a few more days before I check it again. I've replaced the lid too, so hopefully I won't have so much debris in it next time. There's still the hole for the females to get in to lay, it seems the water is adequately feral enough for them to lay in now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goody3714 Posted April 7, 2010 Report Share Posted April 7, 2010 Ok so what i was wondering was if any one in melbourne area / vic has found mosquito egg rafts i was thinking mabie the mosquitos that lay egg rafts are from the warmer northern parts of the country ? my tub of water only seems to attact a differnt type of mozzie not nearly as many as ive seen in the pics on this site and the odd bloodworm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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