mysterious microworm problems

[scott]

ok, i have never had any trouble with them before but i can't seem to get a "reculture" to start. i have tried the same way as always: plain oatmeal, a pinch of yeast and a glob of the old culture and nothing happens. i read an article about cuturing them using a slice of bread and a pinch of yeast- still nothing. could the original culture be to old? it is still producing rather prolificly. i have been using plain oatmeal same as always. the only difference is the yeast. the only market locally that carried brewers yeast know only carries "flieschman's active dry yeast" they assured me it is the same. i have been feeding my daphnia with it and have had no problems. at this point i'm stumped and the 2 cultures i have producing now are going to die out pretty soon. anybodies thoughts on this would be appreciated. i don't want to have to mail order another starter culture.

 

[mummymonkey]

Try it without yeast.

 

[tjudy]

I use bread yeast.. no problem. Any other changed variables, such a temperature? Do you use a top for the container, and if so is it too air-tight?

 

[Lisachromis]

Fleischmans is the yeast we use for ours. Works great. Never had a problem with it.

 

[scott]

i have been keeping the cultures in the closet and have never had a problem before. i just moved them into the stand of my 55 gal showtank in the living room it is probably a little warmer there. temp is the only thing that i can think of causing the problem. hopefully they start growing.

 

[scott]

after only 2 days under the tank the culture that i made with a slice of white bread a pinch of yeast and a small amount of an old cuture took off faster than the standard oatmeal culture ever did. i think that i will use this method of cuturing micros from now on. in 2 days the cuture went from nothing to covering the sides and cover of the container completely with some worms coming out the airholes and on the outside of the cover. another plus about this method is all you have to do is ad another slice of bread when the first one has been consumed.

 

[Blackshark667766]

Microworms

Microworms are susceptible to the strangest of things; did you know that fish flake can harm them, for example? I did have have my recent cultures for over 4 years (constantly re - generated of course!), until I foolishly decided to leave them in (in their) entireity in the unheated kitchen overnight. Guess which night it decided to freeze! Needless to say, I neglected to leave a single culture within the warmth. let that be a lesson to all of us.

I have rarely heard of using baker's yeast, or bread to sustain a culture of microworms. I sometimes use baker's yeast to accelerate a culture if I am in a hurry, but there should be enough yeast in the 'dollops' to provide room for both to grow. Never use brewer's yeast by the way - this gives off CO2 which asphyxiates the poor blighters. Try quickly transferring the donor culture using a teaspoon that has recently been 'sterilised' in near boiling water, and always make sure that your recipient vessels have been treated in a similar way.

Always make sure that your receptive 'substrate' is cool enough <24 degrees Centigrade (75F), after preparation and don't make the same mistake as I did. When properly separated and regenerated in batches, you should have no lasting problems. I usually have 8 -12 batches of varying vintage stored within various places in the house. Make re - generating them, part of your weekly tasks list - good habits are formed as easily as bad ones!

An alternative/and or tandem method, to covering the containers with (pin - pricked) covers, is to use sections of nylon tights, as secondary protection. This will help to prevent the ingress of Drosophila sp. (fruit flies), and the spores of fungii and/or mould (mold), which may potentially cause harm. Again, it is also a good idea to keep a few cultures exposed to such risk; if only as a kind of resistant back -up.

Hey. Nobody said that fishkeeping was easy!

Personally speaking, I rate this food as highly as brine shrimp nauplii - it is indispensible fry - food.




Nick ([email protected])