Outdoor moina culture regime...thoughts?

Hi everyone! I have come up with a possible outdoor culture regime for Moina for next summer...how does it sound?
MOINA CULTURE SETUP
- Two 5 gallon buckets, used outside during the warmer months (might not keep
the culture over the cooler months)
- Uses a lid with a hole with insect screen attached over it and a smaller hole
for the airline (1/2-1/4th of an air line). Will not use a heater.
- Use water dechlorinated with ClorAm-X and using the persian killifish salt mix.
- Set up culture with 16 liters water, .875 ml (5 * .175 ml, coming to .125 grams
per gallon) yeast, and 400 moina.
- Use floating plants to help control ammonia, but do not allow them to cover more
than 1/2 of the surface.
- Harvest culture 5-7 days later or when culture has roughly 15 moina/ml. Reset as above. If
culture clears before moina reach that level, feed again.

MAINTENANCE COSTS;
-2 watt air pump; .11
-About 9.05-13.58 ml yeast a month; .17-.26

TOTAL; .28-.37/month (coming to 79,000 moina/day)(84,760-64,142 moina per penny)

Thanks for your thoughts

Hi everyone! I have come up with a possible outdoor culture regime for Moina for next summer...how does it sound?
MOINA CULTURE SETUP
- Two 5 gallon buckets, used outside during the warmer months (might not keep
the culture over the cooler months)
- Uses a lid with a hole with insect screen attached over it and a smaller hole
for the airline (1/2-1/4th of an air line). Will not use a heater.
- Use water dechlorinated with ClorAm-X and using the persian killifish salt mix.
- Set up culture with 16 liters water, .875 ml (5 * .175 ml, coming to .125 grams
per gallon) yeast, and 400 moina.
- Use floating plants to help control ammonia, but do not allow them to cover more
than 1/2 of the surface.
- Harvest culture 5-7 days later or when culture has roughly 15 moina/ml. Reset as above. If
culture clears before moina reach that level, feed again.

MAINTENANCE COSTS;
-2 watt air pump; .11
-About 9.05-13.58 ml yeast a month; .17-.26

TOTAL; .28-.37/month (coming to 79,000 moina/day)(84,760-64,142 moina per penny)

 

Thanks for your thoughts

Is there a reason for the air pumps?  In my experience, little air bubbles can get trapped in the shell of Moina/Daphnia species and float them to the surface and trapping them there to die.  I have only raised Moina this spring/summer, so it may not be an issue with Moina.  But I have been raising Daphnia pulex and Daphnia magna for probably 10 years and I would avoid any kind of water aeration.  I try to avoid agitating the water as best I can, and I harvest the Moina and Daphnia using a small plastic container by gently submerging it and collecting water from the surface containing Daphnia.  Moina and Daphnia don’t seem to have an issue getting enough oxygen even without aerating the water.  
 

My set-up is either 5 gallon buckets or 50 gallon white translucent barrels.  I fill about 80% with water.  I add Miracle Grow fertilizer and some Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate).  The concentration is variable depending on how dense you want algae growing in it and I’m still experimenting with this.  Add some algae from another source or let algae spores germinate from those that fall into the bucket from the air.  Once the water is green from a thriving algae population, I add in either Daphnia or Moina.

If you have questions, I can clarify further.

I keep daphnia in a big outdoor flower pot filled with water and I do nothing to it--no aeration, no feeding, etc. They thrive like crazy and survive outside over winter in Minnesota.