Betta Breeding Tank

[devon_charm]

i have never known an LFS to stock cultures. All you need for them is an old ice cream tub and some yeast and oats, cheap ones from lidls is all i use.

To start them off just mix the oats with hot water until it is firm and a little sticky, spread it at about an inch thick over the bottom of the ice cream tub sprinkle on the yeast and add the culture pop on the lid (make holes in it) and put in a warm spot. In 5 days you will start to see the worms around the side of the container.

You best bet for gettin them is online. As i said Willys white worm has them, ebay has some at the mo and i have some. I sell a culture for £1 plus £1 p&p not sure about the others

 

[TribeOfShroom]

i have never known an LFS to stock cultures. All you need for them is an old ice cream tub and some yeast and oats, cheap ones from lidls is all i use.

To start them off just mix the oats with hot water until it is firm and a little sticky, spread it at about an inch thick over the bottom of the ice cream tub sprinkle on the yeast and add the culture pop on the lid (make holes in it) and put in a warm spot. In 5 days you will start to see the worms around the side of the container.

You best bet for gettin them is online. As i said Willys white worm has them, ebay has some at the mo and i have some. I sell a culture for £1 plus £1 p&p not sure about the others

Kool, How long does a culture of MW survive for? and once I have everything setup I'll take you up on having a culture off you

 

[devon_charm]

Once you have your culture up and running all you need to do is keep splitting it. Make up another oat mix in another tub add some yeast then add in a couple of table spoons of you original culture. (its best to split when the original culture goes runny which will be about every 3 - 4 weeks) You can then throw out the old when the new has taken hold. I usually always split 2 new tubs just incase one crashes.

Hope that makes sence. Just give me a yell when you want some.

 

[Bubblenester]

After a few spawns using microworms, I've switched over to vinegar eels and I'm much happier with them. They seem to be just a little smaller than MW, and they move through the water instead of just sinking so they're easier for the fry to eat. But the best part is... they don't smell as bad! Microworm cultures smell like nasty feet. VE cultures just smell like the apple cider vinegar that they are in, and it's not all that strong. We've also had really good luck with the cultures- days after starting a new culture, it will already look cloudy. If you look closer, the clouds are actually billions of vinegar eels squirming around!

Anyway, if your microworm source also offers vinegar eel starters, I would really recommend giving both a try. You can find out what works best for you, and it's always good to have a backup in case one of your cultures completely crashes.

As for a sponge filter, I like to have mine on as much as possible to break up the surface of the water, but it always ends up disturbing the bubblenest even with a bubble a second, so I have to turn it off right before spawning and then turn it on after the fry are free swimming. I've read that a current in the water helps develop their muscles and fins, so I start it off very low then gradually turn it up as the fry are able to deal with more and more water movement.

Good luck!

 

[devon_charm]

After a few spawns using microworms, I've switched over to vinegar eels and I'm much happier with them. They seem to be just a little smaller than MW, and they move through the water instead of just sinking so they're easier for the fry to eat. But the best part is... they don't smell as bad! Microworm cultures smell like nasty feet. VE cultures just smell like the apple cider vinegar that they are in, and it's not all that strong. We've also had really good luck with the cultures- days after starting a new culture, it will already look cloudy. If you look closer, the clouds are actually billions of vinegar eels squirming around!

Anyway, if your microworm source also offers vinegar eel starters, I would really recommend giving both a try. You can find out what works best for you, and it's always good to have a backup in case one of your cultures completely crashes.

As for a sponge filter, I like to have mine on as much as possible to break up the surface of the water, but it always ends up disturbing the bubblenest even with a bubble a second, so I have to turn it off right before spawning and then turn it on after the fry are free swimming. I've read that a current in the water helps develop their muscles and fins, so I start it off very low then gradually turn it up as the fry are able to deal with more and more water movement.

Good luck!

How do you harvest your vinigar eels hun coz i have a culture but always find it so hard to harvest and usually mess it up. MW's are the swipe of a brush and done.

 

[ibbledibble]

i have read that the easiest way to harvest vinegar eels is to put some of the culture into a bottle with a long thin neck (like a wine bottle) bring the vinegar level up so it is just above the point where the bottle narrows into the neck. put a lump of cotton wool into the neck of the bottle. Then top up the bottle with dechlorinated water. the cotton wool will stop the vinegar mixing with the water. leave the bottle overnight and the next day the vinegar eels will have swum up through the cotton wool into the water and you can suck them up with a pipette and drop them straight into the tank/s without having to rinse them off.

 

[devon_charm]

i have read that the easiest way to harvest vinegar eels is to put some of the culture into a bottle with a long thin neck (like a wine bottle) bring the vinegar level up so it is just above the point where the bottle narrows into the neck. put a lump of cotton wool into the neck of the bottle. Then top up the bottle with dechlorinated water. the cotton wool will stop the vinegar mixing with the water. leave the bottle overnight and the next day the vinegar eels will have swum up through the cotton wool into the water and you can suck them up with a pipette and drop them straight into the tank/s without having to rinse them off.

Cool thanks for that. Now i need to find a long neck bottle

 

[TribeOfShroom]

Hmm so it'll be worth having MW and vinegar eels?... the next obvious question (sorry I've just woken up and at work lol) is how to i keep vinegar eels. The name would suggest vinegar... cider vinegar??

 

[ibbledibble]

1 part cider vinegar mixed with 5 parts water and a small segment of apple (i used an eighth) then just pour in your starter culture and leave it a few weeks. easy!

 

[TribeOfShroom]

1 part cider vinegar mixed with 5 parts water and a small segment of apple (i used an eighth) then just pour in your starter culture and leave it a few weeks. easy!

Pukker

 

[TribeOfShroom]

Btw I've come up with an idea to further my original idea (after taking into account all the helpful advice I've received). I'll have the 18"x18"x18" breeding tank. Next to another 18"x18"x18" tank where my female betta will live. Now to stop unecessary stress, there will be a removable partition so I can either hide them from each other or let them see each other. From what what I've read this is could be a good way of conditioning my bettas? Any thoughts??

Also the female tank will be as follows:

- fine gravel substrate
- loads of hornwort and frobit
- 27 degrees C
- PH 7

Breeding/fry tank will be same as above minus the substrate. Both tanks will have a Indian Almond leaf in them as well.

Each will be lit by one 18W glow-lux bulb each (good for plants, but because of age aren't intense)

After the fry are 2 months? < (still open to suggestions on this one) I'll put half of the fry into a 3rd identical 18" cube tank.
Ooo and fry will be fed up on VE's

Am I getting the right ideas to for a good setup??