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14K views 141 replies 23 participants last post by  Subtletanks91 
#1 · (Edited)
For those who keep live cultures to feed their fish or for those who appreciate a little Karma Chameleon from time to time...



I will keep the master list here in the first post and will add members here as they join. To join, just make a post saying you would like to join.

Do to the feeding requirements of my new fish and the search to provide my fish with a more natural and nutritional diet i have committed to live cultures against the resistance of my wife to allow these Tupperware containers in our house.

I hope to spark some good discussion in culture techniques, medium, feeding, and pest removal.

Anyone else interested?

Club Member List
  1. hambone870
  2. aquarium hippy
  3. dprais1
  4. cah925
  5. shambhalove.
  6. 0live
  7. Razorworm
  8. kimboden
  9. Water7
 
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#7 ·
I've had live cultures 10 years ago, got out of the hobby and now I'm back. Once I get my breeding tanks setup I'll prob be using live food so I see a lot of good things coming from everyone contributing good ideas,tips and tricks. Just gotta find out how to convince the wife it's ok and they won't escape.

Speaking of which tip or trick #1) how to convince the spouse.
 
#9 ·
So I'm new to the live food thing but growing my own is easier then having to go and buy feeder guppies every week.

I just received my grindal worm culture in the mail. I found them under the live food section on aquabid. I'm pretty happy with the amount of worms this came with and had enough to break it in half for 2 different smaller Tupperware containers. I'm not aware of the shipped media they came in if it was just some potting mix or actual coconut coir? I guess I'll find out when I go and buy more.

One container, not intentionally, received quite a bit more worms then the other. With the more robust culture I plan on using for feeding now. The second smaller container I plan to feed heavy and grow it. That smaller culture then I'm planning on breaking up into four new cultures once it gains speed. I plan on trying some different media in each of those new ones. Sponges, coconut coir, potting mix. My understanding is the cleaner the media the less yield on worms but the dirtier the media the bigger chance for infestation. Trade off I guess.

I'm not to keen on feeding organic cat food to my cultures. I've started with algae wafers and shrimp pellets so far and also have some organic dog food in the house but haven't tried that yet. Both cultures took down an entire algae disk and two shrimp pellets over night!

Hand Water Drinkware Food storage containers Fluid


Food Fluid Ingredient Cuisine Staple food


For these grindal worms, any recommendations on media and foods?
 
#10 ·
Well, you know I'm in.

I culture white worms, micro worms, green water and daphnia(because it likes my greenwater).

To get the discussion going I use a mix for my worm cultures.
about
-50% expensive dry cat food
-25% spirulina wafers
-25% asst fish food

everything goes in the coffee grinder.
I feed this to my white worms and since adding the cat food the productivity has gone crazy.
I mix this in my micro worm medium (mashed potatoes) and sprinkle a little on top of the microworms every couple days
 
#11 ·
I was counting on you. I am making your container of grindals this weekend. I didn't know your doing daphnia also?

Now I got my badis I'm all in on cultures

Few things, my new micros haven't really exploded as well as I wanted. Maybe my container is just much bigger then the one you gave me. Maybe it's too loose with too much medium. It was drier when I first filled it. I did use yeast again, maybe not a good type.

Any thoughts?

I'll add your name when I'm off my phone but your number 3
 
#12 ·
I don't intentionally raise daphnia, they are just in my greenwater.
I don't intentionally raise greenwater, it's just how my water barrel on my deck ended up.

microworms?? not sure, the cooler temps the past week may be impacting them. and then it depends how much medium and surface area.
-I'm using a chinese food takeout container. transparent, cylindrical, type. 1/4-1/2" medium. hole in the top lid plugged with filter floss. if you have a much bigger surface area it may take a while for the population to get to the point they crawl up the sides? IDK

I don't think they crawl up the side unless the ambient air humidity is pretty high as well. Temp would also factor in to this. I'm thinking too dry is more of a hindrance than too wet. I'd add a few tablespoons of water and see how it does in 24 hrs.


I'm using Orijen cat food because it was the most expensive one I could find in a little bag. which still makes it about 4 times cheaper than a premium brand fish food. And it has a crazy list of good-sounding ingredients.
 
#16 ·
I used peat moss(no ferts or poisons) and fed mine the Quaker oats (dampened) and fish flakes. They seemed to do well. However mine crawled up the side (where I collected them,and fed to fish). I always took that as a.sign the culture was growing and attempting to expand. I kept mine at room temp.
 
#23 ·
ooops, typing and watching Tom and Jerry at the same time
 
#25 · (Edited)
#1 adding youtube videos to the second post

#2 every video on youtube for grindal worm, the worms look exactly the same as mine? Here is the exact culture i bought

#3 mistergreen, you want to join the club? you seem to have lots of good input

#4 anyone wanna submit a good youtube video for whiteworms? i found a few i liked but maybe you guys with the white worms should pick
 
#29 ·
Cool ill add you tonight when I get on the computer

I know you can use both instant mashed potatoes and oatmeal

I am not getting the right consistency yet using potatoes and am going to try an oatmeal one

I make the potatoes and they seem to be a good consistency and then it sits over night and I add yeast and it comes out thinner then next day.

I'm still messing around
 
#35 ·
anybody ever use the worm bedding for earthworms that they sell at places such as walmart?
 
#38 ·
you would have to think that would be a pretty good medium, you must wanna be the guinea pig

I'm in.

Paramecium
Vinegar eels
Micro worms
Grindal worms
how are the paramecium and vinegar eels to culture? have any good you tube instructional videos to share on those?

oh and what medium are you using for micros and grindals?
 
#40 ·
I have 11 tanks, various sizes from 20's-75's. I always fed a mix of flakes and frozen foods. Several months ago, I got some fresh blood worms from the LFS and my fish went nuts for them ( obviously ). The really cool part was how noticably more active and "happy" they looked the next day. This difference was also observed by my daughter. I now feed mosquito larve and glass shrimp, home grown. Soon I will be culturing grindals and white worms. Finally, a good book on the subject is "Culturing Live Foods" by Mike Hellwig. Someone may have already mentioned it.

I named my Smooth Collie Karma after "Karma Chameleon"

Add me to the list!
 
#41 ·
i drive through hawthorne woods every day, have a buddy that lives in countryside!

fat and happy describes my fish after eating them too. im wishful that a natural diet will lead to some spawns. also my mortality rate is non-existent right now. my fish seem healthier

im going to check that book out, thanks for the recomendation

i have a ton of grindal worms, if you need a starter culture let me know

dprais1 is local too and has some good cultures too micros, and whites, ect

i have a starter culture of daphnia in the mail right now too
 
#42 ·
came home from work monday....greenwater culture destroyed. the daphnia I had destroyed.

seems that the apartment complex decided to replace the roof on the building. They were smart enough to post signs when they started the work.

I have all sorts of crap covering the surface of my outdoor barrel including a 1x8!!!
-of course I don't blame the complex I'm sure it was a last minute thing to call a contractor and set up everything and have tyhem come out the same day for major construction project.
all I can say is bozos.

And I have lots of whiteworms so if anybody wants some let me know. to warm to ship right now, so local only. free to the Culture Club members.



I started a new microworms culture of 1/2 GoLean cereal and 1/2 Fiber One cereal and a sprinkle of my worm food mix. Will update in a week or so.
 
#45 ·
came home from work monday....greenwater culture destroyed. the daphnia I had destroyed.

seems that the apartment complex decided to replace the roof on the building. They were smart enough to post signs when they started the work.

I have all sorts of crap covering the surface of my outdoor barrel including a 1x8!!!
-of course I don't blame the complex I'm sure it was a last minute thing to call a contractor and set up everything and have tyhem come out the same day for major construction project.
all I can say is bozos.
thats messed up, well once my daphnia culture gets going ill have free starters for any local guys and gals too
 
#48 ·
I culture blackworms in my no tech dirted nano. The WCMM love it, and they will race all over the tank with half of a blackworm out of their mouth either playing keep away, or tug of war with another minnow. If I want earthworms or red wigglers ("trout worms") I dig through my compost.

Also, Drosophilia (fruit flies) are super easy to culture for small or young fish. It's best to buy a wingless variety. Slice of banana in a jar on a countertop, plastic wrap over the lid, give fresh food every few days.
 
#51 ·
Eh, nah, but thank you. Just wanted to share the invertebrate nom love.

I imagine they would be. Personally, I'd go for winged fruit flies ( caught in that jar, keep opened until you have a few in there, then cover it.) if I had darts, because reptiles and amphibians love movement. I remember my chameleon only went after moving crickets.
 
#55 ·
White worms for
-bolivian rams
-turquoise bows,
-pseudoincisus bows
-boesemani bow
-praecox

microworms to
-threadfin bows
-some sort of bow fry

and now GRINDAL worms....(thanks to hambone:))
-which are really perfect size for the threadfins
-and are really a good size for all my bows and rams except fry
-----actually they are a little bit small, but that is not a bad thing. I fed more worms, although the same amount, ensuring everybody gets a good share.
-----now i just need to wait a bit until the culture takes off
 
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