Culturing Infusoria for your fry... (esp bettas)....

I have this very good friend from Ireland who is also a worldwide renowned authority on Killifish keeping and breeding..... He has given me permission to post numerous of his original publications....

Here is his account on how to culture infusoria as first foods for very small fry.....

I myself use dried milk powder for infusoria. (idiot-proof)
I use plastic goldfish bowls (cruel for goldfish IMO but fine for my use)
Two of these can supply all the infusoria I need.
A constant temperature of 74'F the setup should produce infusorians within 4 days. at lower temperature I find the culture takes longer to get going.
So how do I go about culturing Infusoria
Place about 1500ml of boiled water that has been left to cool, and place about half a teaspoon full of fresh powdered milk into the water, (the water will go cloudy) If kept at the recommended temperature the water will clear in about four days and with a small handheld magnifying glass you should be able to see a dust like cloud of small particles just below the water level, the cloud will move as one around the tank.
After this I set up my second culture the same method as before. This way I have a continous supply to hand. From the time the water clears the culture will last for about a week before it starts to go downhill. You can revive it somewhat by adding just a quarter teaspoon of the powdered milk. After a period of time the culture will go off and start to smell, so its time to set up a new one and discard the old.
Do not go over the amounts of dried milk as you will just end up with a smelly soup, no good for feeding fry.
Feed in small drops with an eyedropper, do not overfeed. Keep the fry receptical clean and perform small regular waterchanges.
I hope this was of some help to both you and fellow forum members on a failsafe way to culture Infusoria.

 

Thanks cheetah!

Thankful you've got a sharing personality! Most people keep there tips safeguarded at Fortnoks!

Regards

 

Thanks Cheetah, looks like it's all about who you know. In a old aquarium book of mine they say to put a parboiled potato wedge in old aquarium water and let it stand for a week in a windowsill.

You're friends method sounds more reliable and precise.
Is the boiling to prevent bacteria competing for food?
I also cant help but wonder, where do the infusoria come from?