Mosquito Larvae!!!

[aamir]

Mosquito larvae.
Here we have what doudtless forms the bulk of the food of the food consumed by most tropical fishes in nature.Many regions in the tropics would be practically uninhabitable to man if the larvae of these pests were not eaten by fishes.An active fish can consume its own weight in mosquito larvae in the course of a day.Many of our wellknown profilic fishes have been introduced into waters which are far from their homes for purpose of mosquito control,and collectors are often astonished to find in some far-off country which does not belong to that part of the world at all.
The aquarist who does not mind running the risk of having some of them developing to maturity in his home will find that mosquito larvae are among the finest foods for aquarium fishes.Development from the larval through the pupal stage to thier adult form is much more rapid in a heated aquarium than in the great outdoors, and if feeding is too generous or the larvae too far developed, there is sure to be some unpleasant swatting afterwards.
The eggs of the common mosquito are laid in masses of 20 or 30,all stuck together in a bunch which floats.These are known as"rafts"and soon hatch into tiny larvae which swim with a wriggling motion and feed on infusoria,Growth,especially in warm weather,is very rapid,and they soon reach the third stage of development,the pupal stage.The forward half of the body becomes round,and instead of swimming with the wriggling motion, they propel themselves much more rapidly with a series of lobsterlike kicks with the tail.if you feed any of these to your fishes,beware!In a short time they are destined to havetheir skins split open at the head, and a fully grown mosquito will emerge.Your only consolation at this time will be the knowledge that only the females bite!
Despite all these disadvantages,the fact remains that an occasional feeding with mosquito larvae will do wonders.They lack the hard shell of Daphnia,and are more easily digested by a fish.Learn to recognize the little "rafts"and float them in your tanks whenever you find some;in this way you may fairly sure that the mosquito larve will be eaten before they attain maturity.
pics are coming soon;
romi please see that if i need to add any thing more.

[sushant]

well done Aamir for this well written post.

[Romi]

nice, amir

The only thing i can think of adding at present is that the water being used to culture larvae should be occasionally changed. this is because, i believe, it is depleted in minerals that the larvae need, after some time, and this reduces their population in proportion to time elapsed since the last water change. it will not stop entirely, but it will go down. so add fresh water from tank that you would otherwise throw away. i never throw away tank water if i can help it. it is full of good stuff for other life forms, so it goes either into the larvae tub or into potted plants.

[ishaan]

how to culture them

[SCORPIO]

All of you helping Government to getting rid of Mosquitos. So you should be awarded by Health Departments of State/Central Govt.

[Arjun Tandon]

I also caught some young larva from terrace and grew them in infusoria(made one by adding activated yeast and kept in diffused light for a few days)
My betta loved them!

[marsaiko]

Great news

Few doubts sir,

The aquarist who does not mind running the risk of having some of them developing to maturity in his home ... there is sure to be some unpleasant swatting afterwards......Your only consolation at this time will be the knowledge that only the females bite!

Is there chance of these mosquitos having to carry dengu or malaria. I and my sibling have suffered a lot with these two disease, and I swear tell you its hell to take a chance with them!!!

The eggs of the common mosquito are laid in masses of 20 or 30,all stuck together in a bunch which floats.These are known as"rafts"and soon hatch into tiny larvae which swim with a wriggling motion and feed on infusoria,Growth,especially in warm weather,is very rapid,and they soon reach the third stage of development,the pupal stage.

What to use for rafts? my observation is that, fish keep chasing when ever mosquito comes near aquarium, so doubt if they ll ever feel secure to lay eggs.

[Arjun Tandon]

Those Rafts of mosquito eggs can be collected from stagnant waters if you are lucky enough to see one
You can float these rafts directly into your aquarium and the larva will be consumed as soon as they hatch
or you can let the eggs hatch and let larva grow to full size
I guess that's why Amir sir explained what "rafts" are