Ultra-fast microworm farming

[twinkles]

I've figured something out lately which I thought might be of use for anyone else who has a memory as bad as me.

I always forget to make sure i have a newer microworm culture going before my old one starts to slow down. Suddenly one day its hard to scrape enough worms and i panick about what i'll feed the fry in a day or two. So i've found that you can get a new one ready in 1-2 days. I use a little yoghurt pot, small spoon of porrige in the bottom so its only 1/2cm deep, sprinkle maybe 1/2tsp yeast on it, and add some of the old culture in dots all over the new one, so there's a fair bit on it in different places. Then i cover it and put it in the fish cuboard (22c) and within about 24 hours i can harvest enough to feed the fry, and by the second day there are heaps all over the sides. I'm not sure if its the small amount of space and food, or the warmth, or the large amount of starting worms i put on, but it works so much faster than the normal way of starting a new culture.

They don't last as long, maybe a week or so, but by then i've made another proper one and i can relax until i forget again a couple of weeks later lol. So if you run out of worms try it out

[SamH]

Thanks Twinkles!

I always forget to redo my cultures but have a really good one going at the moment, Platy fry are gunna get fat!

[rox]

I've figured something out lately which I thought might be of use for anyone else who has a memory as bad as me.

I always forget to make sure i have a newer microworm culture going before my old one starts to slow down. Suddenly one day its hard to scrape enough worms and i panick about what i'll feed the fry in a day or two. So i've found that you can get a new one ready in 1-2 days. I use a little yoghurt pot, small spoon of porrige in the bottom so its only 1/2cm deep, sprinkle maybe 1/2tsp yeast on it, and add some of the old culture in dots all over the new one, so there's a fair bit on it in different places. Then i cover it and put it in the fish cuboard (22c) and within about 24 hours i can harvest enough to feed the fry, and by the second day there are heaps all over the sides. I'm not sure if its the small amount of space and food, or the warmth, or the large amount of starting worms i put on, but it works so much faster than the normal way of starting a new culture.

They don't last as long, maybe a week or so, but by then i've made another proper one and i can relax until i forget again a couple of weeks later lol. So if you run out of worms try it out

I like you Twinkles have a small container that always has a newish culture ready to use as a starter for the next. And I never redo all my cultures on one day cos........... you never know what could go wrong! At the moment I have a fantastic young culture, an equally good older one and one that has plenty to look at but getting a bit whiffy :roll: tonight I scraped the top off and made a new little one, then stirred up the remainder, tomorrow if if doesn't improve it'l be out and the little culture will go into some new rolled oats. But I expect it will improve for at least the next couple of days giving the little culture time to mature. :lol:

[ryanjury]

You can also revitalise a new culture by adding yeast and bread. Some people keep a culture going indefinitely but tipping half out and adding more bread/yeast..

If you want a fast culture (that doesn't last very long) use bread and yeast, but if you want one that is a bit slower but lasts longer use porridge.

[Guest]

I always use bread for mine. I jus put a few bits of bread on the bottom of an ice cream container them pour water over it till it's really soggy. I then blobs of the old microworm culture all over it then put on top of a tank that's not too hot. 4 or so days later you haver heaps all over the sides, usually lasts for about 8 weeks if you add a little bit of bread to it once it starts to die.

[SamH]

Started up a new culture today as the two old ones are dying.

2 parts Oatmeal/porridge, 1 part cornflour and alot of yeast. Added some warm/hot water and chucked it under a lightbulb this morning. Already starting to go up the sides.