Microworms
By Don Smith
From Aqua Scoop, Gold Coast Aquarium Society, Australia
Aquarticles
Microworms are small (0.5 - 1.5mm.) nematode worms, which make excellent supplementary
live food for fry which are either too big for infusoria or have outgrown the infusoria
stage. They are also great secondary food for sub-adult fish or even adult fish of small
growing species, particularly those with small mouths. Micro worms are very easy and cheap
to cultivate and I have had good results over many years.
My preferred mix is one cup of quick oats to one and a quarter cups of warm water. Mix
thoroughly and pour into a suitable container. I use white plastic two-litre ice cream
containers. (Note that the mix is not cooked.) Allow cooling, and then seed the mix with
worms, putting the lid on and leaving in a cool place.
The worms will multiply rapidly and after a couple of weeks (less in warm weather and
longer in cool weather) the worms come out of the mix and crawl up the sides of the
container. When they do, you just wipe them off with your finger and stir them into the
top water of your aquarium. They will gradually sink but I don't believe that many get to
the bottom - they wriggle like crazy in the water and the fish really gobble them up. I
keep several cultures going and give my fish a feed every morning. Occasionally I give the
mix a gentle stir - this seems to activate the worms and the next day there is a larger
than usual crop on the sides of the container.
After some weeks (again depending on the temperature) the mix will start to deteriorate
- darkening in colour and smelling "off". The worms still seem to be good food
so I continue using them to seed new cultures. When the new culture seems to be well
started then I throw out the old one. I take care when feeding not to get any of the mix
into the aquarium, although it probably would not do any harm. Similarly, when seeding a
new mix I make sure that I don't transfer any of the old mix in case it turns the new mix
off prematurely.
Everyone I have talked to who has microworms has a different technique for growing
them. They are very resilient and experimentation with their culture could prove
rewarding. Different ingredients, wetter or drier mixes, higher or lower temperatures,
higher or lower light levels might all be tried. For example, when I first grew micro
worms (about the mid 1970's) I know I didn't use quick oats. I can't remember for sure
what I used - it might have been semolina - but I do remember putting a couple of drops of
Pentavite into each mix and I used 500ml. margarine container.
The point I make is that these creatures are not all that fussy so cultivate them in a
way most convenient to yourself, but do keep two or three boxes going simultaneously to
keep up a constant supply. I usually start one new culture every twenty-one days.
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