Growing Microworms?
- Thread starter redbetta
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One tube will usually get you through an entire month (one spawn). After four weeks you can stop feeding them that and move on to other things. If your grindals are doing well in a few weeks, they fry should be big enough to move on to those (at about three weeks) so you can do away with the brine.
Just get two old soda bottles and use those. Go look in my "decapsulating brine eggs" pin and there might be a picture of my fancy (or not so fancy) hatcheries.
Just get two old soda bottles and use those. Go look in my "decapsulating brine eggs" pin and there might be a picture of my fancy (or not so fancy) hatcheries.
SRC
Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won'
What do you figure "real" wild babies eat? I've often wondered this when people are discussing what to feed their fry lol..and yes I am very bored at the moment...why else would a non-breeder ask this question 
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Probably all kinds of things, lucky punks! Whatever wiggles in front of their wee faces. Most likely small bloodworms and even more likely, daphnia.
I have that 40 gallon tub out back that I've used to grow daphnia before and once, by accident, a fry came along with the daphnia culture. I didn't know what kind of fish it was,it was sooo tiny, so I just left it out there and it absolutely flourished with little to no help from me. I never did a water change on that tub, at the most I replaced the evaporation with old dirty fish water from my inside tanks. I couldn't find him the last couple of weeks so I figured I( was too late, the cold must have got him (he'd been in there since spring!) I started to clean out the tub to start over and I found him alive at the bottom! I pulled him out, and the plants, and gave him to a friend of mine to go in her molly tank (turns out he's a gambusia (sp?) ) It had dropped below 40 this week and he still looked great.
Long story short, the fish flourished living outside on his own, even long after he ate all of my daphnia!
I have that 40 gallon tub out back that I've used to grow daphnia before and once, by accident, a fry came along with the daphnia culture. I didn't know what kind of fish it was,it was sooo tiny, so I just left it out there and it absolutely flourished with little to no help from me. I never did a water change on that tub, at the most I replaced the evaporation with old dirty fish water from my inside tanks. I couldn't find him the last couple of weeks so I figured I( was too late, the cold must have got him (he'd been in there since spring!) I started to clean out the tub to start over and I found him alive at the bottom! I pulled him out, and the plants, and gave him to a friend of mine to go in her molly tank (turns out he's a gambusia (sp?) ) It had dropped below 40 this week and he still looked great.
Long story short, the fish flourished living outside on his own, even long after he ate all of my daphnia!
nashnut
Fish Crazy
Yes, I've used those before. I think they say about 1 teaspoon to hatch. I had two hatcheries going so I hatched enough for the morning in one and then the afternoon in the other. I guess about 1/2 teaspoon for one feeding. I did have a big spawn the last time. I put the extras in the salt water in the fridge for later use.
Microworms (Panagrellus Redivivus) are very easy to culture and provide fish breeders with an additional food source for young fry.
I culture these little worms in small margarine tubs. For the culture medium itself, I use Porridge Oats (any oatmeal will suffice). The cheaper the better, so I just buy the stuff that comes in plastic bags and not the more expensive boxed brand varieties. I mix enough of the oatmeal in boiling water to cover the base of the margarine tub with a stiff paste (not too runny) to a depth of around 2cms, then I mix into this paste a little bit of dried yeast powder. This is now left to cool down to room temperature. When the mix has cooled I inoculate it with some worms from a previous culture. Drill some ventilation holes in the lid of the tub and store the whole thing in a warm environment. This will need to be left for around 2-3 days for the culture to become fully productive. When you want to feed some of the worms to your fry then I found a small artists paintbrush to be the ideal tool for transferring the worms to the fry tank. Wipe the paintbrush around the sides of the tub where the worms have crawled up, being careful not to collect any of the culture medium which will quickly foul the tank water, then wiggle the brush in the fry tank and the fry can enjoy the worms.
These worms are by no means a substitute for brineshrimp nauplii but they supply the fry with another variety of food for their diet. I myself use newly hatched brineshrimp, microworm and fine powdered flake as fry foods.
Regards
BigC
I culture these little worms in small margarine tubs. For the culture medium itself, I use Porridge Oats (any oatmeal will suffice). The cheaper the better, so I just buy the stuff that comes in plastic bags and not the more expensive boxed brand varieties. I mix enough of the oatmeal in boiling water to cover the base of the margarine tub with a stiff paste (not too runny) to a depth of around 2cms, then I mix into this paste a little bit of dried yeast powder. This is now left to cool down to room temperature. When the mix has cooled I inoculate it with some worms from a previous culture. Drill some ventilation holes in the lid of the tub and store the whole thing in a warm environment. This will need to be left for around 2-3 days for the culture to become fully productive. When you want to feed some of the worms to your fry then I found a small artists paintbrush to be the ideal tool for transferring the worms to the fry tank. Wipe the paintbrush around the sides of the tub where the worms have crawled up, being careful not to collect any of the culture medium which will quickly foul the tank water, then wiggle the brush in the fry tank and the fry can enjoy the worms.
These worms are by no means a substitute for brineshrimp nauplii but they supply the fry with another variety of food for their diet. I myself use newly hatched brineshrimp, microworm and fine powdered flake as fry foods.
Regards
BigC
Thanks you guys!
So I just add like a half a spoon of brine shrimp to the bottle every other day or so? Hmm, well I found someone that will send me some to try out. There are some great friggin people out there on the internet, such as you guys I must say!
So I just add like a half a spoon of brine shrimp to the bottle every other day or so? Hmm, well I found someone that will send me some to try out. There are some great friggin people out there on the internet, such as you guys I must say!
Mr.September15
Chuck Norris is the reason why waldo's hiding
Thanks you guys!
So I just add like a half a spoon of brine shrimp to the bottle every other day or so? Hmm, well I found someone that will send me some to try out. There are some great friggin people out there on the internet, such as you guys I must say!
Yup...I never knew how to breed my bettas. I have a 10 gallon tank heated and with filter but im not sure I should try... Because you know wat they say...There could be hundreds of babies and lots of money spent...
From microworm to hatching brineshrimp eggs.
There are many different contraptions floating around to hatch brineshrimp in, but all I use is a 1ltr lemonade bottle with the neck cut off, I fill this to about 2/3 full of tap water and add one tablespoon of Cooking Salt (not Table Salt). This needs to be held at a temperature of around 75 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit and a pH of around 8.0 (If your tap water is below 7.5 then add a very tiny amount of Bicarbonate of Soda to the mix). 5ml of brineshrimp eggs are then added to the saline mix and an air stone is inserted to keep the eggs in suspension. A light source needs to be left on 24/7 to activate the hatching mechanism, I use an 11w energy saver type which gives of the equivalent light of a 60w normal bulb. If all the above criteria are adhered to then the eggs should hatch in 24 - 36 hours. To feed the nauplii I suck up enough for one feed using a glass eyedropper and strain this through a cotton handkerchief over a jam-jar. I flush the brineshrimp with fresh water, again via an eyedropper to remove some of the saline solution. Then I dip the handkerchief into the fry tank.
What am I doing in here, I'm supposed to be a killifish freak!!!!!
There are many different contraptions floating around to hatch brineshrimp in, but all I use is a 1ltr lemonade bottle with the neck cut off, I fill this to about 2/3 full of tap water and add one tablespoon of Cooking Salt (not Table Salt). This needs to be held at a temperature of around 75 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit and a pH of around 8.0 (If your tap water is below 7.5 then add a very tiny amount of Bicarbonate of Soda to the mix). 5ml of brineshrimp eggs are then added to the saline mix and an air stone is inserted to keep the eggs in suspension. A light source needs to be left on 24/7 to activate the hatching mechanism, I use an 11w energy saver type which gives of the equivalent light of a 60w normal bulb. If all the above criteria are adhered to then the eggs should hatch in 24 - 36 hours. To feed the nauplii I suck up enough for one feed using a glass eyedropper and strain this through a cotton handkerchief over a jam-jar. I flush the brineshrimp with fresh water, again via an eyedropper to remove some of the saline solution. Then I dip the handkerchief into the fry tank.
What am I doing in here, I'm supposed to be a killifish freak!!!!!
You don't want to grow them.......just hatch them.
Add an ever so tiny amount of bicarbonate of soda to your tap water in the recepticle to lift the pH slightly.
And away you go.....It's childs-play really. It's better to try than not to.
Go on you'll be an expert in no time, your fish will thank you for it.
Regards
BigC
Add an ever so tiny amount of bicarbonate of soda to your tap water in the recepticle to lift the pH slightly.
And away you go.....It's childs-play really. It's better to try than not to.
Go on you'll be an expert in no time, your fish will thank you for it.
Regards
BigC
Well my fish just got done spawning and frig the nest is already ruined cause the piece of crap canvas fell.. I can't believe it... It stayed there the whole time figures until now.. Just can't believe it. Half the nest is still there and he's working on it, but I hope I didn't lose too many of the eggs 
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