Quote:
Originally Posted by rayjay
No, using only non live foods for dwarfs has not been accomplished in the long term. Some have occasionally had them feed a bit on other foods, but not enough to sustain them in the long term. I have seen claims that some individuals have, but I've never seen anyone reputable state that it can be done. I had a bit of luck myself using freeze dried copepods, but they were not near as interested enough to sustain themselves, with some eating a fair bit but many others not eating any at all.
Over the years I've been in the hobby, there has been a LOT of experimenting but to no avail that I'm aware of.
Artemia are used for the main foods because it's the EASIEST way to supply what they need. Copepods are a great addition to the menu but they don't multiply fast enough to supply the needs of the dwarfs unless you have one heck of a large culture on the go. Mysids work well too as the dwarfs will feed on the nauplii which can be caught fairly easy, but he adults generally move too fast for them. Mysids also don't reproduce fast enough to be the main source.
I don't know how you find culturing copepods to be easier than hatching and enriching artemia. The culturing is a lot of work to get any significant numbers to harvest.
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Hmm...okay, that answers a lot of the questions. Maybe dwarves aren't for me then. I think(emphasis on think) that copepods would be easier, as I do plan to attempt breeding fish in the future, and it would make sense to culture copepods due to their smaller size and suitability as prey items for fish larvae, and why not kill two birds with one stone? Keep copepod cultures up, and feed seahorses, while the fish are resting/breeding and the larvae aren't active yet. If they are active, then switch to artemia, that way it's easier to feed copepods to larvae, then there'll be artemia ready when the fish are ready to graduate to that food item.