Microworms

[pinkdolphin_113]

i bought a microworm culture on friday and put in on some cooked porridge. i made 2 jars and placed them in my warm airing cupboard.
problem is, there are only a few microworms on one of the jars! i counted about 6 at maximum and i dont know why this is. the other jar has no microworms on the side of the jar at all.
how long does it usually take for a culture to make their way up the sides of the jar?
should there be moisture on the side of the jar to allow the worms to climb up?

when i tilt the jar to a side the porridge leans to one side, then when i tilt it back again making the porridge go back to the normal level, there are lots of little microworms wiggling around in the moisture. this is that the bottom tho! how do i get them to climb up the jar?? lol

pink.

 

[Colin_T]

when they have bred in sufficient numbers they will move up the sides of the container. It can take a week or two for this to happen. Sprinkling a small amount of bakers yeast over the porridge will often speed things up. But don't add too much yeast otherwise the culture will go off sooner and turn black.

 

[Miah002]

What are micro worms?

 

[Colin_T]

microworms are a small (less than 3mm long) worm. They can be grown in porridge and make a good food for baby fish, especially when used in conjunction with newly hatched brineshrimp.

 

[Miah002]

Ok thanks.

 

[england]

How did you cook your porridge?
i find the best way is to nuke porridge in microwave for about 30seconds, mixing after and making sure its neither to runny or too thick, leave to cool next to window, the and a sprinkle of yeast and add culture to pot, i then leave this pot in a dark cuboard and in about two day's the lid is caked in micro-worm's...so time's i get more than other's......I feel the less time that i warm the porride the better the culture...I have two pot's on the go which i change every other week so there's alway's fresh cultures....my channa love these worm's

Every so often i take a straw and stir a little the mixture, after a couple of week's it become's more and more watery

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

sweet! thanks. i was getting worried, but i didnt know how i could have gone wrong lol
i made 2 types of porridges, one with milk and one with water, to see which works out best. the porridge with milk has a few microworms wiggling around, but as it takes a week or 2, i guess this should give the best result

thanks,

pink.

EDIT: oh, and btw, i did nuke my porridge in the microwave lol didn't think i'd bother wasting the amount of time it takes to cook in on the hob when i dont think the worms are gonna mind

 

[england]

yea you only really need to make it warm

 

[OldMan47]

Microworms are really nematodes, they are not worms at all. They look like this once they get going well. That can take a couple of weeks. They can be kept in the dark but it is not necessary. If they are fed, they will grow.

The stuff all over the side and corner of the container is what we call microworms. The worms are tiny little lines of white in the picture. Where there are a lot in one place, they give the impression of being a larger mass. The oatmeal is on the bottom and I mix in some rice baby cereal to gut load the microworms and make them more nutritious for the fish. The slight sprinkling of yeast gives them food. It grows on the cereal and in turn feeds the microworms.

 

[blodhi74]

Very informative reply Oldman47.