malawi_man Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 i am ordering some stuff from biosuppliers and i see on the list they have "paramecium culture" what is this and how do you culture it/them. i read it is a fryfood so i take it that it is some sort of small organism any help would be much appreciated :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi_man Posted October 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 also does anyone have a recipe for the mixture that you culture wingless fruit flys with?? oh and is there anything else out of waxworms blowflies locusts and crickets that can be cultured and fed to fish?? trying to get as much variety with live food as possible also what day does brian at the goldfish have daphnia?? or do you order it?? i want to buy some but forgot to ask him last time i was there :roll: oh and is there any other types of live food that can be cultured that i haven't mentioned excluding bbs whiteworms mealworms and microworms?? thanx in advance for all of the help :bounce: hehe :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandS Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Last time i got daphnia from brian, it was on a thursday afternoon and he had just got it in, will try to confurm it for you tomorow (if i remember :roll: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi_man Posted October 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 ok thanx for that Shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Fish will eat all critters small and wriggly Culturing Paramecium: Paramecium is a ciliated, slipper-shaped, single cell protozoan. Easy to culture and feed to small fry. It has 2 advantages over infusoria. 1. Infusoria reproduces rapidly and if not eaten by fry will pollute the tank. Paramecium use very little oxygen and if cultured in a sealed jar, a pure culture can be maintained as other infusorians die due to lack of oxygen. 2. Paramecium can be seen with the naked eye but are still small enough to be eaten by the smallest fry. Prepare a jar or wine flagon by filling with tap water and letting it stand overnight. Add paramecium culture. They feed on any rotting vegetable. One of the best methods of feeding a culture is on a sliced turnip (approx 40mm x 20mm x 30mm) dried in the oven. 2 or 3 pieces will keep a culture going for 3 - 6 weeks, when the culture should be restarted. The frying of the turnip prevents a scum forming on the surface. Place cap on container and stand in light, but not direct sunlight. If a starter culture is not available, a banana skin is placed in an open container for a few days until the water turns cloudy. Remove banana skin, add some dried turnip and seal container. Spoer will have settled in the water from air and in a few days will clear and the paramecium will appear. Feed to fry by siphoning from culture, replacing the water removed with fresh water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 I've got a book called "The Encyclopedia of Live Foods". There are quite a few little critters than can be cultured to feed fish :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 If Brian has the sign up on the til saying "Daphnia 1L for $3" that means it's available and he just has it outside the shop probably in a bathtub or something. I've tried to use some of the 1L to start my own culture in a bucket of green water but doesn't seem to work, yet. Thanks for info Caryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HandS Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 :oops: i never seen that sign :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Luke try putting a bit of Banana skin in the water for a week or so before you put the daphnia in, bacteria grow to eat it and the daphnia eat the bacteria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 My water always went yucky and slimy when I added banan skin. I don't seem to have trouble with daphnia. Indeed, all I have to do is fill a container outside (not with green water either) and daphnia just appear in it, without me adding a culture! I don't feed them either. Occasionally I feel sorry for them and add some green water from the goldfish pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted October 13, 2005 Report Share Posted October 13, 2005 Wingless fruitflies can be cultured using a medium similar to that used for microworms (ie a porridge type mix from rolled oats and cornmeal in about a 2:1 ratio - cornmeal seems keep it smelling OK for a greater length of time; sprinkle on yeast and a little sugar, add fruitflies - keep someplace warm (hot water cupboard) - cultures will start to smell pretty foul after a while so you should be regularly starting new ones. Waxmoths can also be cultured - their food is a bit more complicated - most successful recipe I've tried so far is mix of honey, bees wax, glycerine, skim milk powder, wheatgerm, flour and brewers yeast (PM if you want exact recipe). They are voracious beasts though and munch through the food quite quickly. Also need to be in quite a sturdy container - they ate there way through an icecream container and the fabric mesh I used the first time - I now use a thicker plastic container and stainless steel mesh. Keep in warm place to get best results. Mostly feeding out the larvae but adult moths also get fed to fish - adults can fly - so need to be careful opening container so they don't get too disturbed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi_man Posted October 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2005 so is it worth getting wax worms from biosuppliers?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza Posted October 23, 2005 Report Share Posted October 23, 2005 have a word with your local beekeepers as waxmouth are a bit more common than what people realise,every so often a hive becomes infested with the larva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 23, 2005 Report Share Posted October 23, 2005 Many years ago I obtained my fruitfly from the local university and I have 2 x formulae that they used, contains agar and preservative and doesn't stink. Let me know if any one wants them. I have used them in a previous life when I was breeding killifish, they work well but some of the ingredients are not that easy to get. I got them from a medical supplyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi_man Posted October 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2005 do you have the recipe?? :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted October 23, 2005 Report Share Posted October 23, 2005 Fruitfly media 1 10oz sugar, 7ozmeal (oatmeal,cornmeal),3oz brewers yeast, 1oz agar. Will store dry and 1oz = 28.4g. Add7oz to 20oz water and boil 5 mins. Stir well. Add 5 cc Nipagen M (methyl parahydroxbenzoate a common preservative available from the chemist) and boil 5 mins. pour into containers and allow to cool,add fruitfly--10 days at 25deg C fom egg to adult. Fruitfly media 2 Add 4g inactivated yeast to a 600cc cold water and allow to stand for an hour or so. Add 150g samolina,30g agar and200cc treacle to yeast mix and stir, add to 1250cc boiling water and stir for 10 mins and allow to cool. Add 20cc propionic acid, stir and pour into containers Propionic acid is pretty nasty stuff so you might want to replace with a salt of propionic acid or the preservative in media one. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserole Posted October 26, 2005 Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 Does anybody esle still culture confused flour beetles?? I use the larve as a spring and summer treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 Rob was a few years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserole Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 Yes I know Caryl, thats were I got mine from :lol: But is he culturing them now ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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