Spring or bottled water can also be used for the Daphnia. Be sure to provide light for the Daphnia cultures. Daphnia typically do well with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark a day; this is critical for reproduction.

Does Daphnia need direct sunlight?

Feeding. Daphnia can be kept in green water (water with a high concentration of single-celled algae) at room temperature or a little cooler. Don't place them in direct sunlight.

What do Daphnia need to survive?

Daphnia, unlike vertebrates, do not need to maintain a high level of hemoglobin to survive. However, synthesis of hemoglobin does provide a survival advantage when water conditions are low in oxygen. Interestingly, under stressful environmental conditions Daphnia can increase hemoglobin production.