mosquito larvae

[bigbanker]

I live in the south and after it rains any water left standing becomes a possible home to mosquito larvae...

my grandmother collects rain water in large drums to water her gardens. Today while doing that for her I noticed all the babies swimming about and contemplated feeding them to my fish. Has anyone ever done this before? Why or why not? What was or is the possible outcome?

 

[alLexX]

as long as there are no chemicals/contaminants in the water it should be fine

 

[Deep Seven]

Just to add, I believe some misquitos may carry parasites that may infect the fish? I know thats one of the reasons some people don't do it. Thats just second hand information though, not sure how accurate it is.

 

[bigbanker]

Interesting! Good to know.... I was contemplating ways to control that as well

 

[alLexX]

Just to add, I believe some misquitos may carry parasites that may infect the fish? I know thats one of the reasons some people don't do it. Thats just second hand information though, not sure how accurate it is.

some carry west nile,but i havent heard of any others,and unless youve had an outbreak i think youll be ok

 

[bigbanker]

Can fish even get west Nile?

 

[Deep Seven]

I did some quick googling and all I came up with were malaria and dengue fever and such.

 

[bigbanker]

I did a bit more research and found a lot of people have done it without any ill effects. They recommended rinsing them again in some clean water after collecting them.

 

[bigbanker]

I'll try it in my qt tank and watch it for a few weeks. It should be an interesting live food

 

[jetajockey]

Its fine, lots of people use them. There are several writeups on the subject through Google. I've used them but prefer other easier cultures instead.

 

[bigbanker]

Good to know. I can't seem to find the probability of introducing a parasite though.

What easier things do you grow/feed?

 

[jetajockey]

A Primer on Live Food Cultures - Aquarium Advice I did a writeup here.

The risk of parasites from mosquito larvae is pretty minimal. There's a potential for something to be in a wild source, like a pond or something, but a rainwater bucket is not nearly as risky.

 

[bigbanker]

And you sir are pretty awesome. Thanks darlin!