info on culturing microworms

[killifan]

I've been given a microworm culture but need a bit of advice. How often should I start a new culture off and when making up the creal base, how do I know if there is enough yeast in it? Also at what stage do I start harvesting the worms?

Thanks for any help.

Wendy

[Rob]

Have a look here, should answer most of your questions Microworms

[Interfecus]

I just grab a handful of rolled oats, then add up to a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of yeast. I either add boiling water to that to make a thick porridge or add cold water and microwave it for about a minute. The trick is not to add too much sugar or the yeast breeds too fast and liquidises the culture. Basically the rule for replacing them is that the culture starts to smell really bad well before it actually dies so you make a new culture as soon as the first smells too much.

[killifan]

I just grab a handful of rolled oats, then add up to a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of yeast. I either add boiling water to that to make a thick porridge or add cold water and microwave it for about a minute. The trick is not to add too much sugar or the yeast breeds too fast and liquidises the culture. Basically the rule for replacing them is that the culture starts to smell really bad well before it actually dies so you make a new culture as soon as the first smells too much.

Thanks, that makes sense-I was wondering if the yeast needed sugar to work on but hadn't seen it mentioned anywhere.

Do I just harvest the worms that climb up the side or scrape them off the surface?

[Matthew]

harvest the worms off the side, that way the culture doesn't end up in your tank, just the worms.

[Alan]

You don't add HOT water to yeast,

otherwise you will kill it.

Yeast is a live culture

it must be only lukewarm water.

[killifan]

harvest the worms off the side, that way the culture doesn't end up in your tank, just the worms.

Only problem now is that mine don't seem to be multiplying. Plenty of life, they are shimmering away, but only once has there ben a very thin layer up the sides. Do they have any other requirements, like dark/light or temperature that might affect their growth? Currently they are on the bench but not in direct sunlight. What actually do they eat and what is the purpose of the yeast?

[Interfecus]

Sorry, Alan's right. I usually make the mistake of adding yeast first then adding more when I realise what I've done . You don't actually need to add more yeast at all though- you get it with the microworms you bring over.

To harvest I place a piece of wet paper on up to half of the surface of the culture. The microworms crawl onto it, with many more worms than you would get off the sides. You can just scoop these off with a teaspoon. Don't leave the paper on more than a day or the microworms drag quite a bit of medium onto the paper and the yeast in the medium below goes anaerobic and smells terrible.

[Matthew]

if you put your culture on top of a heat source (like your fish tank light) they will multiply quite quickly, however the culture fouls quicker. As far as collecting off the sides I just wait for a week or two and the worms will crawl up the side en masse. opportune time to collect them.

Matt