Live Food #4: Microworms

Were you surprised by the unusual cleanliness of growing brine shrimp? Don’t worry, nasty is back with a vengeance.

Panagrellus redivivus

Microworms are the common name of a particular type of nematodes, specifically Panagrellus redivivus. They are tiny, almost invisible to the naked eye, but are an ideal food for fry. This is essential, as fry have a high mortality rate, and a rich source of protein can make the difference to whether they live or die.

Plenty of stores sell microworm starter kits, but you must make sure it’s any of the aforementioned panagrellus variants, as others have the potential to sicken your fish.

The requirements for growing this species are quite simple. First, any waterproof container with a lid is good enough, as long as you poke holes in the lid, to keep good airflow to oxygenate your culture. Despite this, ventilation should be done through small holes. Otherwise, the particular scents overflowing from the container will attract many undesirable visitors.

How to start a microworm culture

To establish the culture, you will require food for the microworms. There are several types of foods you can feed your microworms. An oatmeal/yeast mix is by far the most common pick. Cook the oatmeal in water to make a thick paste. Place the cooked oatmeal at the bottom of the container in a layer approximately one-half inch thick.

Next, add a light sprinkling of active dry yeast and mix it into the oatmeal carefully. Now you can add the starter microworm culture.

The yeast will grow on the starch as the oatmeal decomposes, and the microworms will feed on the yeast. After three to seven days, you will have microworms covering the top of the oatmeal and the sides of the container.

It will smell exactly as awful as it sounds, so keep it away from the kitchen or dinner table.

Harvesting Microworms

Harvesting your newly prepared fishy gourmet meal is quite easy—wipe the microworms onto your fingertip (sorry, but that just sounds gross) or a Q-Tip, then swish them into your aquarium.

If all goes well, your culture will survive from two weeks to a month while you enjoy the fragrant perfume of your culture!

Live Food #5: Flightless Fruit Flies

Growing Fruit Flies

Live foods are about the best way to feed your freshwater aquarium fish.

Why?

Well, let’s take fruit flies for example: Fruit flies, like other live or frozen foods, are entirely made of what you would consider actual fish food.

What do I mean by that? If you look at the ingredients for processed fish foods, most of the ingredients are good for cows (they include corn, wheat, and soy), but not so much for fish. I rarely feed my fish processed fish food because of this.

So what about fruit flies? Fish food-wise, they are nutritious and delicious because they’re high in proteins and fats, but no corn, wheat, or soy.

Fruit flies are used to feed other animals besides fish. This includes frogs, geckos, and praying mantises. I haven’t seen this, but I’m sure they are also used to feed pet spiders.

This information is going to be about drosophila melanogaster fruit flies. This is the most common variety of fruit fly.

Luckily, this type of fruit fly has several mutations that are available to scientists and hobbyists. One of those mutations is wingless fruit flies, which are also called flightless fruit flies.

Growing fruit flies is super simple and easy.

You can obtain cultures of fruit flies from sellers on eBay for about $20 with shipping.

When you get them, you will want to start a second batch because the fruit fly cultures only last about 3 weeks. Then, every three weeks, start a new batch; this way, you won’t have to buy a fruit fly culture again.

Setting up a new culture of fruit flies:

You’ll want a container that is at least 20 ounces and that can be easily covered.

An idea for covering your culture is to use a face mask cut to size. This works well to let air in and keep “FF” and larvae in the container. Yes, you will be growing larvae, too.

To feed the fruit flies, mix a mashed overripe banana with instant mashed potato flakes, a very small amount of vinegar, and a few touches of yeast. Add enough water so it is nice and soft. Place enough of this mix in the bottom of your container so it is an inch or so deep.

Of note: This recipe is just one of dozens. This is the simplest I’ve found.

Next, the flies need something to crawl around on. Excelsior (it reminds me of dried peat moss) is commonly used. You can buy this at a craft store. You can also use cut-up pieces of stiff paper.

Now that your fruit fly paradise is set up, take a few flies from your first culture and knock them into the second culture. Quickly cover both containers.

Keep the containers at room temperature. Feed your fish fruit flies from the first culture while your second culture matures.

Since fruit flies grow from egg to full maturity in 4 days, it won’t take long to fill the second container with your homegrown fish food.

How to feed fruit flies to your fish

1. Get a small jar to put your feeder fruit flies in. Place this in another larger container. This large container catches the escapees. A one-gallon zip-lock bag works great as the large container.
2. Tap your fruit fly culture to move the flies to the bottom of the container. If you want flies crawling around your house, then skip this part.
3. Open the lid of the culture and tap some flies into the smaller container.
4. Now dump the fruit flies you’ve collected onto the top of the aquarium water. The FF are too small to sink and will skitter around until they are eaten by your fish.

Accept the gratitude of your fish, and you’re good to go with fruit flies.

Buy Fruit Flies on eBay by tapping here.

Drosophila melanogaster in nutrition research—the importance of standardizing experimental diets

Wingless Fruit Flies | Aquatic Community.

Live Fish Food Shop – Your Premier Source for Live Aquarium Fish Food

Wingless fruitflies, Aquarium World.

Live Food #6: Blackworms

Growing Blackworms

From sludge to sushi: Transform your kitchen leftovers into a lively fish feast.

Raising blackworms to feed freshwater fish is an enjoyable activity that also helps save costs and offers nutritious meals for your aquarium animals.

Blackworms are tiny, segmented worms that inhabit freshwater areas and consume organic material. They contain a lot of protein and various nutrients.

To begin cultivating blackworms, obtain a plastic container that is not very deep, add some gravel meant for aquariums, fill it with dechlorinated water, and get an initial culture of blackworms. You may purchase a blackworm culture through the internet or at nearby shops selling aquarium fish.

Place around one inch of gravel into the container and pour water just enough to slightly cover it. Put the blackworms inside and store the container in a place that is both shaded and cool. Avoid direct sunlight and high temperatures, as they can harm the worms.

Give food to the blackworms once a week, using little portions of fish flake foods or fish food pellets. Be careful not to give them too much because it might make the water dirty and lead to mold developing. Remove any uneaten food and dead worms regularly.

To collect the blackworms, just use a small mesh net or even a turkey baster to pick up some worms from among the gravel. Make sure you wash them thoroughly prior to giving them to your fish. You might freeze extra worms to use later or give some to other people who enjoy the same hobby.

Lumbriculus variegatus: A Biology Profile

Lumbriculus variegatus – Wikipedia

Blackworms – Boreal Science Store – PDF

Collecting-Gathering Biophysics of the Blackworm L. variegatus

Live Food #7: Vinegar Worms

How to grow vinegar worms as live food for your freshwater aquarium fish.

If you keep freshwater fish as pets, below is an inexpensive and simple method to provide them with live food.

Vinegar worms are tiny nematodes (worms) that live in vinegar and eat apple peels. Fish find these worms very good to eat.

1. Prepare a container. For this, you can use a jar made of plastic or glass. It could be an old pickle jar or Mason jar. It is important to clean the jar well and ensure that it’s dry prior to using it.

2. Add some vinegar. Pour white or apple cider vinegar into the jar until it is half full.

3. Put in some apple peels. Put some apple peels in the jar after cutting them up into little bits. Place enough peels into the jar to cover the bottom. The vinegar worms will eat the apple peels.

4. Add some starter culture (vinegar worms) to your vinegar-filled jar. You are able to find vinegar worms at a pet shop or through an internet seller, or maybe you have a friend who has them and can give some to you. You only need a small amount of vinegar worms to start your own culture.

5. Cover the jar with a cloth. Do not close the jar all the way because the vinegar worms require air to live. Cover the top of the jar with a cloth or paper towel, and use a rubber band or string to hold it in place.

6. Keep the jar in a dark, room-temperature location. The best temperature for vinegar worms ranges from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is also 21 to 27 degrees Celsius. You might place the container in a cupboard, inside a closet, or beneath your bed. The vinegar worms can die in full sunlight or if placed near a heat source.

7. Wait for the vinegar worms to multiply. It could be some days or even weeks before the vinegar worms get bigger and reproduce. This process will vary depending on how things are set up and how much of the beginning culture is there. When you notice small white dots moving in the vinegar, that’s when they’re ready to feed your fish.

8. Harvest and feed your fish. To get the vinegar worms, separate them from the vinegar with a fine-mesh strainer or a coffee filter. Remove any extra vinegar from the worms by rinsing them with water. Then give them to your fish using a spoon or pipette. You can also freeze some vinegar worms to use later, or put them in a small jar with water and put it in the fridge for up to a week.

Live Food #8: Black Mosquito Larvae

How to grow black mosquito larvae as live food for your freshwater aquarium fish.

 Sorry about the misleading title of this section. I have been feeding my fish “bottled” mosquito larvae for about a year. 

My fish go nuts for this food. 

I get the larvae from Amazon.com. It is manufactured by a company called UHT. It currently runs about $20/jar. I can usually get 20 or so feedings from a jar full. 

I have learned to clean them off by placing some in a super fine net and and rinsing them in cold water. Then I feed my fish. 

This food is about as fresh as you can get without growing your own.

You can buy a jar here.