Infusoria

[tlindsey]

This my first time at culturing Infusoria. I boiled a stem of Dandelion and added some aquarium water from one of the aquariums that has the most plants. Placed the glass container near a window so it will receive sunlight. The second day noticed what seemed to be very small worms floating but moving. So today noticed looking through a magnifying glass microorganisms darting around near the top.
My purpose for starting the culture was thinking about separating a couple of my Rummynose to rear a few eggs. Btw I see them spawn all the time but have a itch for a few fry lol. I've cultured Microworms but believe they may be too large for the Rummynose fry. I will just feed the Infusoria to the Browntail Pencilfish for now if I'm successful with the culture.

 

[tlindsey]

I placed a dried Oak leaf in aquarium water in a shallow dish and was blown away when I seen the Infusoria. The Infusoria in the shallow glass are actually larger in size than the Infusoria in the container with the boiled Dandelion stem.
Also like to add the room the culture's are in the temperature was in the 50's and the Infusoria are surviving.
I may continue to culture the Infusoria just because didn't realize how easy it was to maintain culture.

 

[tlindsey]

Anyone interested in culturing Infusoria you will need a magnifying glass.

 

[FJB]

My mother (long gone) thought me how to culture 'infusoria' (a term that actually includes a number of microorganisms includen protozoa, flagellates and others), which she used to feed newly hatched zebra danio fry (as well as other small egg layers). She would boil some lettuce leaves (bad ones if available), and put them by the window, just as tlindsey described. This would become a very rich micro-zoo within a couple of days. Small offerings of cooked egg-yolk, pulverized between fingers would complete the diet for the little fishes' first days, untill they could eat larger food. I suspect adding leaves from the garden will increase the diversity of the microp-zoo.
Cool stuff!

 

[tlindsey]

My mother (long gone) thought me how to culture 'infusoria' (a term that actually includes a number of microorganisms includen protozoa, flagellates and others), which she used to feed newly hatched zebra danio fry (as well as other small egg layers). She would boil some lettuce leaves (bad ones if available), and put them by the window, just as tlindsey described. This would become a very rich micro-zoo within a couple of days. Small offerings of cooked egg-yolk, pulverized between fingers would complete the diet for the little fishes' first days, untill they could eat larger food. I suspect adding leaves from the garden will increase the diversity of the microp-zoo.
Cool stuff!

Yes very fascinating. Thanks for sharing that great story about your Mom. If it wasn't for my Mother I wouldn't be in the hobby of fishkeeping.

 

[Pterophyllum sp]

You are much better than I. I've adopted the lazy route to rearing tetras. Fill the tank 1/4 full with oak leaves, wait 3-5 weeks for tetra fry large enough to take bbs to emerge from the leaf litter. Probably not the most efficient in terms of numbers, but more than enough to cover the costs of beer at the local fish club auctions.

 

[tlindsey]

You are much better than I. I've adopted the lazy route to rearing tetras. Fill the tank 1/4 full with oak leaves, wait 3-5 weeks for tetra fry large enough to take bbs to emerge from the leaf litter. Probably not the most efficient in terms of numbers, but more than enough to cover the costs of beer at the local fish club auctions.

That's actually a smart idea lol.

 

[Pterophyllum sp]

I'm all about lazy fishkeeping FTW

 

[jjohnwm]

Infusoria! There's a blast from the past.

I remember as a child being absolutely stunned when I was successful in producing those tiny creatures, in much the same way you have, tlindsey

I was, at about 14, already an old hand at hatching baby brine shrimp as first food for livebearers and a few of the larger egglayers. When I tried my hand at breeding Paradise Fish, I was told I needed infusoria for the first few days until the fry grew up large enough for BBS. I crushed up some lawn clippings, placed a small handful in each of 3 glass bottles, capped them loosely and set them in front of the window. Soon I had green water, swimming with little critters. When my Dad found these cultures, he was...less than impressed...

Dad: Vot is dis?

Me: I'm growing microscopic life to feed my fish.

Dad: Vy? You haff da leetle shrimp already. Vy dese germs now?

Me: Well, the Paradise Fish babies are too small to eat the shrimp when they first hatch...

Dad: Vell...dat means you vill not be hatching da Paradise Fish. You are not raising germs in da house!

And that, as they say...was that!

I hasten to explain that my father was not harsh about this type of thing, in fact he was very encouraging of my interests. He allowed me to keep Garter Snakes in the house, despite his own deathly terror of serpents...and despite the fact that a female Garter gave birth to a large number of tiny newborns who were easily able to escape her cage and spread throughout our basement, which necessitated a trip to school to retrieve me in the middle of the day to corral them all. He also helped me build all sorts of tanks, cages and assorted paraphernalia to further my animal husbandry.

But he put his foot down at the idea of purposefully growing "germs" in the house.

 

[tlindsey]

Infusoria! There's a blast from the past.

I remember as a child being absolutely stunned when I was successful in producing those tiny creatures, in much the same way you have, tlindsey

I was, at about 14, already an old hand at hatching baby brine shrimp as first food for livebearers and a few of the larger egglayers. When I tried my hand at breeding Paradise Fish, I was told I needed infusoria for the first few days until the fry grew up large enough for BBS. I crushed up some lawn clippings, placed a small handful in each of 3 glass bottles, capped them loosely and set them in front of the window. Soon I had green water, swimming with little critters. When my Dad found these cultures, he was...less than impressed...

Dad: Vot is dis?

Me: I'm growing microscopic life to feed my fish.

Dad: Vy? You haff da leetle shrimp already. Vy dese germs now?

Me: Well, the Paradise Fish babies are too small to eat the shrimp when they first hatch...

Dad: Vell...dat means you vill not be hatching da Paradise Fish. You are not raising germs in da house!

And that, as they say...was that!

I hasten to explain that my father was not harsh about this type of thing, in fact he was very encouraging of my interests. He allowed me to keep Garter Snakes in the house, despite his own deathly terror of serpents...and despite the fact that a female Garter gave birth to a large number of tiny newborns who were easily able to escape her cage and spread throughout our basement, which necessitated a trip to school to retrieve me in the middle of the day to corral them all. He also helped me build all sorts of tanks, cages and assorted paraphernalia to further my animal husbandry.

But he put his foot down at the idea of purposefully growing "germs" in the house.

Great Dad lol. The snakes were the limit for my Mother but my Brother hid a few in our bedroom closet anyway.