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Microworm cultures

Ajm200

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19 Feb 2010
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Location
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I’m thinking of starting a microworm culture for my Pygmy corys and ember tetras but as my husband struggles with the smell of repashy, green and the infusoria culture I started recently I need to find the least smelly option.

They really aren’t great at eating anything. They take some micro food intended for fry but ignore pretty much everything else. Here’s a shot of the live foods in one corner of that tank having a little dance off as they have nothing to fear from the fish and are breeding fast enough that can I harvest them for the other tank.

I’m hoping that smaller microworms and newly hatched baby brine shrimp get them hunting and feeding

Any advice please
 

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I have a tank with pygmy corys, clown killifish and neocaridina shrimp. I feed the tank mostly flakes, pellets and granules, occasionally micro worms and baby brine shrimp. I see the corys snuffling around but I don't see them go for the food specifically. I've had them for almost two years now, so they must be eating something.

I culture Walter worms with mashed potatoes and keep them below the tank in the lounge. They don't smell at all.
 
I keep Grindal worms in damp coconut coir, fed on cat biscuits, it always amazes me that after almost 18 months it has no odour what so ever.

I have micro worms too - they do smell, but only when you take the lid off - but they are tiny, and not much good for anything but fry and the very tiniest of fish.

I have to say I’m amazed your Embers aren’t chowing down on those worms in your tank though! Maybe catch some and chop them smaller, and feed them with food you know your fish eat, and they may start seeing the worms as food.
 
I have cultured micro worms. It's a pain because you need a source of sugar (bread for example) and yeast. It can get messy and smelly. Plus they are extremely small.
So I switched to grindal worms. The best. The don't require as much attention as other worms and are much easier to take care of. I give them fish/frog food. I used to culture them in coconut coir but then switched to Scotch Bright green pads as I was getting annoyed by the coir. It also made things cleaner. I have a small pice of plastic on the pads and simply pick them up and dip them in the tank for feeding. Done. No coir dust or anything. I do change water every week though. But that's a 5 minute process.

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I culture grindal worms too, they have no smell and are extremely easy to culture. I keep them on coco coir and feed them cat biscuits. Give them the odd spray with water and that’s about it.

Cheers
 
Hi all,

I use <"rolled oats"> and the containers you <"get hummus etc in">. I've had the same culture (continually re-cultured) since 2008.

cheers Darrel

That's a serious commitment Darrel! How long do you keep them before restarting the culture?

I've been using oats too. I've been doing mine every two weeks so far, with a thin layer of fresh dry oats added at the end of the first week to extend its life. I couldn't see me being able to carry on with that for another 13 years as its a bit labour intensive - is there a way to extend the time between restarting the cultures?

Hi, could anyone point me in the direction of a starter culture, please? TIA

I got mine from Amazon - hard to complain at £3.50 delivered:

Amazon product ASIN B00CQR2SAK
 
Thanks for all the advice. I ordered some Walter worms for now. I did find a reasonably priced listing for grindal worms but they sold out so I’ll see how the first lot work out and order some others later.

Going to give vinegar eels a go too storing the bottles in the garage. Might be interesting as apples make me itch and wheeze but as if I wash my hands well it should work out ok.

Off to buy wine, crisps and hummus tomorrow as I need the containers. At least that’s my excuse when hubby asks 😂
 
@Ajm200 I can't comment on repashy as I've only used their gecko products, which smell really nice. Infusoria cultures often smell really bad though.

What are those worms you're feeding / inadvertently culturing?

Personally I'd not bother with vinegar eels, especially if you have that much of a reaction to apples. From the limited info I've been able to find, they don't have much nutritional value. I think that they'll also be too small for your tetras or pygmy corydoras to bother with.
As others have said grindals are a good culture to have. Very little to no smell and take very little work to maintain.
Brine shrimp are taken by just about all fish and for the first 8 hours of their life, they have high nutritional value. You can get small numbers to hatch just by adding eggs to salt water but to get the best results they need to either be tumbled using an air pump or you can decapsulate or buy decapsulated cysts.
If you buy decapsulated cysts check whether they can be hatched. The listing should say. I'm currently trying the non-hatching variety and I'm not particularly impressed.
 
can't comment on repashy as I've only used their gecko products, which smell really nice.

The fish foods I have contain a lot of algae and pong. My beagles come running from everywhere to investigate

What are those worms you're feeding / inadvertently culturing?

Tubifex. Added a tiny pinch to see if the fish would take them. Thought a few survivors might turn the sand over and the fish would pick them off but they are thriving
Personally I'd not bother with vinegar eels, especially if you have that much of a reaction to apples. From the limited info I've been able to find, they don't have much nutritional value. I think that they'll also be too small for your tetras or pygmy corydoras to bother with

Thanks. I was trying to find nutritional info but failed.
As others have said grindals are a good culture to have. Very little to no smell and take very little work to maintain.

Not found grindals under £15 for a few ounces yet. Missed out in the sensibly priced ones. Have walter worms coming in the post.
Brine shrimp are taken by just about all fish and for the first 8 hours of their life
I have setup a Hobby hatchery last night. Video reviews are good and the setup allows multiple easy harvests per day. No pump needed. Small amounts will be perfect

Daphnia in that tank and on the window sill too. If it all works I’ll have a good selection and at least the bigger tetras will appreciate them
 
Am I weird in that I actually quite like the smell of a ripe microworm culture? :lol:

There's definitely an element to fishkeeping that normalises stuff like this over time lol, normal fish flake food for example I don't even smell anymore, but to anyone else it stinks!
 
Am I weird in that I actually quite like the smell of a ripe microworm culture? :lol:
If you are, I am too. Which is quite possible. :)
I think they small nice for a few weeks, then start to smell bad and it's time to bin it.
I didn't want to be the first one to admit it but like sparkyweasel. I like it for the first few weeks. It reminds me of yeasty smell you get when brewing beer or making bread.
There's definitely an element to fishkeeping that normalises stuff like this over time lol, normal fish flake food for example I don't even smell anymore, but to anyone else it stinks!
The smell of certain fish foods remind of feeding fish as a child.
 
I feel like we’ve gradually uncovered a secret worm sniffing society, hidden from view like the Illuminati of the fish keeping world.

For me the most fun part of the micro worms is wafting the container under the kids noses whilst feeding the fry at breakfast time, and watching their faces as they recoil in terror! 😆👹
 
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