microworm culture

[recycling goddess]

i just bought a microworm culture and it came without any instructions. anyone have any info on these?

i know you feed them a cooked chow with a little yeast... so how much is a little yeast? a pinch, a tsp... more?

what do you grow them in? a little covered dish or something larger?

how do you get the worms out of the culture and into your tank?

oh man... i need heaps of info. hope someone knows the answers to this for me.

thanks!

[cirrus]

Hi,

>>know you feed them a cooked chow with a little yeast<<

Ummm...not sure what chow is <BG> but all I use on mine is the yeast. Just a pinch (depends how big the container is...but I use maybe 10-20 grains) every now and then...usually when there is abit if vinegar smell to them.

I grow them in those clear plastic containers you get salads in from the super market salad bars. The containers need covers...just poke a few holes in top.

I use REGULAR oatmeal...dont use the quick stuff. You can just cook it like the instructions say....let it cool....then add in the micro worm culture....plus a pinch of the yeast to get them going. Its going to take a few days. Once the worms get going they will climb up the sides...you then can take your finger (or whatever) you want to use and scrape them off...then add them to the tank.

Also make a few up....I always keep at least 3 batches going as sometimes you'll lose one for no good reason. I use these worms and the "NO BShrimp" food to raise livebearers...works very well as a replacement for brine shrimp plus alot less work.

Some guys dont even cook the oatmeal...and I do that now and then when I'm rushed but watch how watery it is...some have other tricks to feed them....but they are pretty easy to keep alive. Also on many of the livebearer sites there are even better instructions than mine....Good luck!

[recycling goddess]

thanks so much!!!

[cirrus]

Hey np...:)

One thing I meant to add....start a new culture before the old one dies...you'll start to see it looking yuky...getting dark brown. This way you can keep on producing them without buying anymore starter cultures.

[recycling goddess]

there's this white "covering" on the top... is this normal???

[cirrus]

>>there's this white "covering" on the top... <<

Is this in the container they were shipped in? Fill me in what you have done with them so far. Once they are growing you will get some on the tops if you havent been wiping the sides clean of the worms. If you look closely at them...or use a magnifying glass you'll see them wiggling like mad.

Speaking of this...time to give some to my fry. :)

[recycling goddess]

when they were shipped the 'meal' was brown/beige... then this morning we found a white covering on the top. we've done nothing with them so far as we weren't sure what to do.

i wonder... are the worms white? or is it molding?

it doesn't smell like mold... you can, however smell the yeast.

[cirrus]

>>shipped the 'meal' was brown/beige... <<

Okay...as soon as you can get them into their own containers before they die in the shipping container. The white could just be the oatmeal getting milky or worms trying to get out. The worms are very tiny and white.

Very surprising they didnt send directions...or was this a freebee from another breeder?

The vinegar smell means they should be fed abit of the yeast. I use the Fleischmans normal active dry yeast.....the packs are red/yellow.

[recycling goddess]

Here's the email I just got from the company I ordered them from (and nope, he hadn't sent any directions with the order)

The white layer is actually the yeast becoming fully active. The worms
feast on the yeast, so this is a great indication that the culture should
explode with worms within the next day or so. It will look like a thin,
translucent sheet over the surface, almost like glazing on a cinnamon bun.

[cirrus]

and nope, he hadn't sent any directions with the order)

Thats odd...the place I use sends a nice detail explantion and its also on their site.

>>The worms
feast on the yeast, so this is a great indication <<<

Thats right....they will feast on the yeast...sounds like a Spinal Tap album...LOL.

Without seeing what the "white" looked like its tough to say...could be the yeast though I've never had it on the lid...then again I use bigger containers than what they ship it in. Other times it wasnt the yeast at all but abit of milkyness from the water in the oatmeal.

>>It will look like a thin,translucent sheet over the surface, almost like glazing on a cinnamon bun.<<

Right....and if you look closely you'll the little critters. Some guys I know will tilt the container to one side then suck out the worms...but I never liked doing that...always worried about somehow fouling the water in the small fry tanks I use with something other than the worms. I just scrape them off the sides of the containers.

[cirrus]

RG,

I want to correct something...this morning I was talking with the company that sold me the microworms(I was looking at another worm to try)....and they said recently they have been trying the "quick" style oatmeal....just adding hot water and stirring...they said its been working pretty good. When we tried that years back it never seemed to work as well as the regular oatmeal. Maybe then they had alot more salt in the quick stuff...which is bad for the worms.

Maybe I'll try a box of the quick type again.

[recycling goddess]

i emailed them and suggested they label the containers and give instructions as to what is what... i placed an order for $150 and everything came in little containers with no labels... it was a 'trying' time to figure out what was what LOL