Project Idea

[Amie]

Furthermore are we doing any harm in this adaptation? Look at the issues with Caulerpa sp. and other cross contamination instances. What were to happen if these "adapted" specimens were to enter an existing eco system? Will they voraciously out compete some other plankter that is functioning in an area where the daphne are not? What changes to the areas ecology would occur if faster breeding FW pond snails were "adapted" and released in a different environment?

It's a novel idea, as Brian mentioned I too am not here to discourage. These are just things we need to look at when we attempt our little "projects".

I completely agree, I think there is a huge responsibility that rests on anyone's shoulders if they thought they were doing a certain area of a reef a favor by introducing a new species to that area. We think we know so much, and yet we really know so little about the 'whole picture', when it comes to a complete ecosystem and how every little creature functions so beautifully together.

It's hard to imagine that introducing something so tiny as a copepod or daphnia to a new environment could make a huge impact, but it definitely could, and I certainly wouldn't want to be the one that caused that. Luckily, that's not the intent of my project. The reason I'm converting the daphnia is because I'm looking for a good food source for larvae, something easy to grow, has a high nutritional value, is pelagic and has an extremely small larval size. If I was doing this just to see if I could do it, well,....I've got better things to do. ;-)

I don't think you could convert just anything. I had actually heard from a friend of mine in Germany that daphnia are tolerant to brackish if you adjust them slowly. I'm just trying to push that limit.