How to Raise Mosquito Larvae to Feed Fish

Some species of fish require live food for full growth and development, for others it is a great way to diversify the diet, and some require live food for breeding when the body of the fish needs protein. Using mosquito larvae is a simple and free solution to the problem of providing your pets with live food. The recommendation below is focused more on residents of the suburbs or provinces with a private house.

Step number 1. Capacity selection

All you need is a bucket (any large container), water, and some extra tools. Take a plastic bucket or barrel with a volume of 20 liters or more, preferably black or dark in color, so it heats up more efficiently. Fill the container with water, the best option is rainwater, you can also use tap water, but it often contains chlorine, in which case it may not work.

Step number 2. Choosing a place

The bucket should be placed outdoors, such as in a garden. An important condition is that the container must be constantly in the shade, otherwise the water may overheat on a hot day.

Step #3: Waiting

In the water, unicellular algae begin to multiply, which the mosquito larvae feed on. Finding the container in the shade will not allow the algae to multiply rapidly and turn the water into a green broth, but their number will be quite enough for the larvae.

Step number 4. “Harvest”

After some time, midges and mosquitoes will lay dark brown eggs, about the size of a sesame seed, in the water, and larvae will emerge from them within 48 hours. These eggs are also food for fish, they can be caught with a net from a fine mesh net. The larvae grow and eat the algae, which you in turn feed to your aquarium pets. “Harvest” can be filmed every day. As a nice bonus, bloodworms can also start in the tank.

Step #5. Collect mosquito larvae

Regular catching of larvae will prevent them from turning into pupae and then into adult insects. The rate of development into a chrysalis directly depends on the temperature, the higher, the faster, on especially hot days, mosquitoes can appear in a few days.