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Culturing Live Foods
How to Culture Microworms by www.scotia-aquatics.co.uk I would like to emphasise that this is my method & not the only way to do it.When you receive your worms open the container to let in some fresh air.You will then need a plastic tub to put them in.This could be a margarine tub, ice cream container or any food safe container as long as it is not too deep.Put some holes in the top to allow air in so that the worms can breathe.If you don’t do this they will all die. I use porridge oat flakes to make up my culture medium. Some people use Ready Brek type oats but I find that it goes watery very quickly. I mix up my oat flakes with cold water but some people boil water & use that but I never have any problems with cold. Pour your water over the oat flakes & leave them to soak, giving a good stir. After a few minutes it will either be runny or a dry stodgy consistency. If it is runny add some more flakes & stir. If it is dryish add a little water & stir. You can then proceed in a couple of ways. You can put your worm culture on the bottom of the tub & cover with the oat flakes. Or put the oat flakes on the bottom of the container & put the worms on top. I find the first method is the best for me. If you like you can sprinkle some dried yeast over the surface of your new culture to speed up production. I prefer not to use this method as the culture starts to ferment & goes off quicker. If you wish to split your starter culture into two it will take a little longer to establish but you will have a backup if anything goes wrong. After a few days you will see the top of the culture shimmering with microworms.I usually make up a small amount of oat flake mixture & spread it thinly over the surface of the culture & leave it for another couple of days. You should then see the worms starting to climb the sides of the container. You can then take a small damp brush (I use a kid’s paintbrush) & drag it across the worms & swish it into your tank of fry. It is advisable to use a different brush for each tank. Do not let the culture dry out. If it starts to look dry give a light spray with water. When the culture production slows down add a new layer of wet oat flakes to the surface & it will come to life again. You can keep doing this until you reach the top of the container. When it starts to go a greyish colour & begins to smell a bit it is time to start a new culture, if you haven’t already. I scrape a thin layer off the top of the culture to start a new one. The worms must ideally be kept at a temperature of around 20˚C.If they are too hot or too cold they will die. WARNING Do not prepare your cultures near food for human consumption & always wash your hands afterwards.
How to culture Vinegar eels You will need the following items :- 1)--A glass container (I get jars from the chippy that are used for pickled eggs/onions).You need something that holds about ˝ a gallon/ 2 ˝ litres. 2)—-Cider Vinegar & about ˝ an apple cut into cubes.I have used white wine vinegar but get better cultures with cider vinegar. 3)—A cover that allows air in but keeps flies out.I use coffee filter papers at the moment.I will be changing to gauze or ladies popsocks/stockings as these are easier to get & also cheaper.I got coffee filters off Ebay if you prefer to use these. 4)—A rubber band to keep the cover in place. Preparation
The jar on the left is a new culture.The apple cubes are still floating at the top.
This is my method but there are others. 1)--Put your vinegar into the container & add the same amount or less of water.Never add more than 50% of water. 2)--Add the apple cubes & some of your starter culture.Leave for 24 hours for bacteria to start getting established. 3)-- The next day add the rest of your vinegar eel culture to the container. 4)—Keep warm,room temperature is fine.Either cover the container or keep it in the dark.I cover mine with dark plastic carrier bags. 5)—Leave for about a month to get established.You can check on the progress by looking at the top of the culture.It should start to look cloudy,this is your vinegar eels.Once it is established it might be worth using some to start another culture as a backup. Harvesting
I have found this method to be the best but you might wish to experiment.
1)—Get a clear bottle with a long neck.Siphon off from the top of the culture.I use a turkey baster to do this. 2)--Fill the bottle until the vinegar is just into the neck of the bottle. 3)—Get a piece of filter floss to form a plug in the neck of the bottle. I tie a piece of wool round it to make it easier to remove again. Wet the floss in dechlorinated water & push it into the neck of the bottle until it is just into the vinegar. Make sure that you leave a good space above it. Fill this space with freshwater& leave for a good few hours.The vinegar eels will move up through the floss & will be seen swimming in the clear water.I then use an eyedropper to harvest them.A turkey baster can also be used if you need a larger amount.Then just squirt them into your fry tank.Top up the bottle again with freshwater ready for the next feed.The bottle could last about a week or more if you have a good culture.When you have used most of the eels drain the water out of the bottle to return to the culture.If you are going to continue to use vinegar eels fill a second bottle before tipping the first one back into the culture otherwise you will have to wait for it to settle before siphoning more.
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