Does anyone use mosquito larvae as feeders?

Yes, I have fed my tetras and clown loaches mosquito larvae several times. They are all consumed within 1 minute. My girlfriend has a rain barrel in her backyard that sometimes have them. Of course I wash them in a net under running water for 2 minutes first. Never had any problems.

Ponera said:

their nutritional value is not great.

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How can you say something like that? Mosquito larvae make up a large part of a fish's diet in the wild. I have never read a study stating that mosquito larvae are a poor source of fish nutrition.. I have grown many fish outdoors in tubs in the summer. Most fish I never feed. They survive on mosquito larvae and other insect larvae. The fish grow rapidly, have vibrant colors, and spawn readily. Only problem with feeding mosquito larvae indoors is that a few of them will always escape and buzz around the fishroom and house.

It's a good natural food source, can be part of a good balanced diet, remember "variety is the spice of life"

There is a web site that talks about various live food nutritional values http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/1/inverts

I like feeding as much variety as possible, to try to cover all nutritional requirements and mimic more of what fish would find "grazing" for food

Mosquito larvae are great, but their best characteristic is that they give fish the stimulation of hunting love food. That is where I believe the vibrant colors comes from. I have also read that the act of hunting keeps fish's brains healthier, and makes them more active.


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Here are package details for Frozen Mosquito Larvae:

San Francisco Bay Frozen White Mosquito Larvae (glassworms)

Crude Protein Min 5.40%
Crude Fat Min 1.10%
Crude Fiber Max 1.00%
Moisture Max 93.00%
Dry Protein 77%

I am a proponent of "the more varied the diet, the better" concept. As long as you are certain of the source of the Mosquitos, I wouldn't hesitate to feed to species that will take them.

Mr.Manaconda said:

Here are package details for Frozen Mosquito Larvae:

San Francisco Bay Frozen White Mosquito Larvae (glassworms)

Crude Protein Min 5.40%
Crude Fat Min 1.10%
Crude Fiber Max 1.00%
Moisture Max 93.00%
Dry Protein 77%

I am a proponent of "the more varied the diet, the better" concept. As long as you are certain of the source of the Mosquitos, I wouldn't hesitate to feed to species that will take them.

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Glassworms are the larvae of midges, not mosquitoes.