Cultivating microworms

Panagrellis redivivus

This is a great food for all fry, especially livebearer fry who will eat them right from birth. My guppy fry get fed microworms once a day alongside their usual crushed flake while they are growing: as a result, they all the males have colour by 3 weeks old and are fully grown by 2.5 months.
The culture will usually take 2 days to establish itself, but can on occasion take up to a week.


Suitability: Newborn/newly hatched fry to 5cm adults.


Temperature: 10 - 30°C


Ease: Very easy.


Instructions:
You'll need:
- an ice cream tub or a food box with a lid which has small air holes in it
- a tiny bit of yeast and the cheapest oats you can find
- & the starter culture which i will send

- once you receive the culture, mix the oats (enough for there to be about 2-2.5cm of them on the bottom of the tub),yeast and a bit of warm water in the tub.
- roughly spread the starter culture on top & wipe down the sides (on the inside)
- wait two days
- use a paintbrush or your finger to collect the microworms from the side of the tub and feed to the fish
- restart the culture after 4-5 weeks
- don't let it dry out, but you don't want to flood it either!


Warning: Some Betta splendens breeders have noticed that if the fry are overfed microworms, they might not have ventral fins. Regular water changes and a varied diet will prevent this from happening.