Microworm cultures

[Rob]

If you already have a microworm culture then just start up a new one - seeding it with a spoonful of 'goop' from the old one - providing there's still at least some movement in the bottom of the container you shouldn't have any problems.

This article has some details of a possible culture medium:

http://www.fnzas.org.nz/microworms.0.html

[Interfecus]

Stick a reasonably wet mix of rolled oats, tap water, and a teaspoon of sugar in a bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes, making it significantly thicker. Spoon into a plastic container and let it cool. Add a spoonful of medium from your old culture and stick a lid on the container.

If you prefer, you can boil the porridge in a pot instead of microwaving. The end result should be thick with a little bit of surface water. Whenever it gets too dry, add a sprinkling of tap water.

Result: thick porridge with a small amount of sugar. The yeast will be transferred with the microworms but a bit extra can be sprinkled on if you like. Simple but extremely effective.

I wrote an article on it in the May 2004 edition of Waterlog, the Kapi-Mana Aquarium Club newsletter, which is available here. My method there is slightly different as I keep changing it. Both are equally effective but I now prefer the microwave method since the resulting mix is smoother.

[fins]

Ok. I put a mixture of rolled oats and corn flower 2 cm thick and a sprinkle of yeast. It is quite wet and like a hard jelly. I put a teaspoon of my other microworm culture. I expect it to be a while till it starts producing. Does anyone know how long?

[Rob]

I generally see them starting to climb the sides after 3-4 days.

[fins]

Woa. A much shorter time than I thought.

[Rob]

It does depend on what size container you've got them set up in - the containers I use are about 9cm in diameter - I'd expect that it would take longer in something like an icecream container. Other things that will have an affect are how strong or weak the seeding spoonful was and also how damp the new culture is (I find that a mix that's on the dry side will take longer to get to the climbing the walls stage). I usually check how wet/dry the mix looks a day after I set it up - sprinkling on the dry yeast soaks up some of the moisture so what started out looking OK actually may need a little more water - if it does need more water I just use a water spray bottle and mist the culture.

[Luke*]

Hello-

I picked up a culture a little while ago from my LFS for a good price. The culture went fine for a long time but recently I noticed they had all died. Now it is really my fault because I didn't look up their requirements, but what do you think I should've done? Added water/mist as mentioned or yeast/sugar/oats?? There was still the thick jelly type stuff in the bottom as there always had been.

[Alan]

You should have made a new one as soon as you got it

What price did you pay at the LFS for it

I know Bio-supplies are pretty steep

Alan

[Interfecus]

If you need another one, PM me your address and I'll send one out. I'm already about to post one so I might as well do two.

It will just arrive as some worms in some water, double bagged, so you'll need to set up a container when they arrive.

If you think a culture of microworms is dead, try starting a new one from it anyway. You'd be surprised what they can survive and you may not see them if they're only present in small numbers.

[Luke*]

Wow thank you Interfecus! I'll PM my address to you.

Alan: I paid $8 for it. Brian at the GoldfishBowl here is really reasonable when it comes to stuff like that. He was saying himself some place was selling them for more like $16. I knew I should've started another one was just too lazy/late reading up how but now I know.

Anyone willing to take a stab at the cause? Lack of food/water?

Cheers

[Jf2003]

I havent kept a culture for a while, when i did i use to feed them a little bit of bread soaked in milk (advice given to me from Organism)......... they would chow it down in a couple of days.

[Alan]

OLD

Alan

[Luke*]

What do you mean Alan?

[Rob]

Alan's meaning that the reason for the culture not doing well any more is that it's old. Cultures can only keep going for a certain amount of time regardless of how much yeast you put in or misting it with water. Lack of food or water are the two other possible reason for a culture not producing (if fixing these still doesn't get your culture pumping then it's time to start a new culture).

[Pegasus]

I think the stop producing due to the buildup of waste products, that the worms must produce, and of course the greater the numbers, the more waste there is.

Seems like re-seeding every two to three weeks is the way to go if you want continuous supplies.

[Alan]

Like I said

OLD

That's why when you get a starter culture,

the first thing you do, is set up a new one.

Set one up and keep it, carefully labelled, in the fridge.

They don't produce too well there,

but,

if ya loose ya culture, you've that one to fall back on.

Alan

[bikiegirl]

i agree with alan make a new as soon as u get one i made the mistake by not doing that and now i got no mico worms to feed my fry

cheers bikiegirl

[Interfecus]

Cultures tend to run in a boom and bust cycle, especially if they're in a large container. The numbers of worms increase massively at first, but as the toxins from decaying dead worms increase also the culture reaches a peak then dies off again. The dying off cycle can be quite rapid or quite slow, depending on culture size.

When getting a starter culture make a new one from it immediately. After that, make several new cultures as soon as an existing one reaches the climbing up the walls stage. You should always have at least two cultures in different locations so that a backup is always available.

[Luke*]

Just the way OLD was written I thought it was an acronym or referring to JF2003's post about bread and milk.

It's funny how you don't get this kind of information at the petshop. I remember vividly saying "and you just leave it and it'll be fine?" "yeah" unconfident as it was, it was still the response.

My batch was in a smallish Chinese takeaway plastic container and it was totally jam packed, they crawled right up to the lid and there tonnes in there. Sounds like a bit of work but if you always have a backup or 2 it should be sweet.

Thanks for the info