[hambone870]

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

 

[hambone870]

Daphnia Culture

Grindal Worm Culture Soiless

MicroWorm Culture (love asiandude)

 

[aquarium hippy]

I dont have any live cultures but am very interested in starting some. Plus a little culture club is good for the soul. :beer:

Jason

 

[hambone870]

I dont have any live cultures but am very interested in starting some. Plus a little culture club is good for the soul. :beer:

Jason

sounds like a great reason to follow along with this thread, you want in on the club aquarium hippy?

 

[aquarium hippy]

Sure thing followed

Jason

 

[hambone870]

Sure thing followed

Jason

alrighty, thanks your the first one added to the list

 

[macquisition76]

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.

 

[hambone870]

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.

Mine flipped when she opened the package and then figured out it was alive and moving. Welcome back to the hobby and join the club

 

[hambone870]

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!





For these grindal worms, any recommendations on media and foods?

 

[dprais1]

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

 

[hambone870]

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

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

 

[dprais1]

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.

 

[mistergreen]

View attachment 193594

View attachment 193602

These look like the larger whiteworms.

For those raising whiteworms, what temps are you keeping them. Mine aren't multiplying like they did in the winter. I'm keeping them at 64F.

 

[hambone870]

dprais1 - i added you to the list

These look like the larger whiteworms.

you could be white but they are really much smaller then they appear. the larger thick white lines near the bottom are masses of worms

there are a few single ones on the side of the container by my thumb

to be honest id have no idea but will say the videos ive seen of the white worms were much bigger. big enough to take and feed from a worm cone, and these are one bite for my tiny badis

ill need to purchase a few more starter cultures to really see whats what

 

[hambone870]

-50% expensive dry cat food
-25% spirulina wafers
-25% asst fish food

everything goes in the coffee grinder.

I mix this in my micro worm medium (mashed potatoes) and sprinkle a little on top of the microworms every couple days

i think that this right here could be the difference

better diet for the microworms

 

[macquisition76]

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.

 

[dprais1]

These look like the larger whiteworms.

For those raising whiteworms, what temps are you keeping them. Mine aren't multiplying like they did in the winter. I'm keeping them at 64F.

They look a lot like white worms to me also, but a bit smaller. never seen a grindal worm to compare.

My full grown white worms are about the length of the end of my thumb, maybe a bit more. my threadfins won't come close to touching a full grown one.

I have been keeping my whiteworms in a cooler with a frozen 2liter bottle of water I switch out every morning. My cultures were doing great until they crashed- low pH is my guess . Luckily I had plenty and then some to start new cultures. but I do feel (just my feeling) that in the fall/winter/spring they do better.

I just switched back from seed starter mix to compressed coconut fiber. (a bit over 7.00 at petsmart for a 3pack). I add a tsp or so of ground egg shells to the medium to help buffer.

 

[mistergreen]

They look a lot like white worms to me also, but a bit smaller. never seen a grindal worm to compare.

My full grown white worms are about the length of the end of my thumb, maybe a bit more. my threadfins won't come close to touching a full grown one.

I have been keeping my whiteworms in a cooler with a frozen 2liter bottle of water I switch out every morning. My cultures were doing great until they crashed- low pH is my guess . Luckily I had plenty and then some to start new cultures. but I do feel (just my feeling) that in the fall/winter/spring they do better.

I just switched back from seed starter mix to compressed coconut fiber. (a bit over 7.00 at petsmart for a 3pack). I add a tsp or so of ground egg shells to the medium to help buffer.

My big batch crashed as well but it's slowly getting back. I think they crashed when there are too many of them. They're not as easy as grindals for sure.
I put my batches in a wine cooler/fridge at 64F. I wonder if I should bump down the temp even more to see.

 

[hambone870]

They look a lot like white worms to me also, but a bit smaller. never seen a grindal worm to compare.

My full grown white worms are about the length of the end of my thumb, maybe a bit more. my threadfins won't come close to touching a full grown one.

I have been keeping my whiteworms in a cooler with a frozen 2liter bottle of water I switch out every morning. My cultures were doing great until they crashed- low pH is my guess . Luckily I had plenty and then some to start new cultures. but I do feel (just my feeling) that in the fall/winter/spring they do better.

I just switched back from seed starter mix to compressed coconut fiber. (a bit over 7.00 at petsmart for a 3pack). I add a tsp or so of ground egg shells to the medium to help buffer.

My largest worms may be half a thumb at most. I wonder if that is really a grindal or not...?

Thanks for the heads up on coconut fiber as my petland has zero I will try petsmart tomorrow.

As a side note my culture is at 75 degrees and is really taken off. Wouldn't white worms need much cooler?

 

[mistergreen]

My largest worms may be half a thumb at most. I wonder if that is really a grindal or not...?

Thanks for the heads up on coconut fiber as my petland has zero I will try petsmart tomorrow.

As a side note my culture is at 75 degrees and is really taken off. Wouldn't white worms need much cooler?

Grindals are tiny, maybe a centimeter at most. Maybe you do have whiteworms. Mine are that size, an inch.