|
Harvesting
your microworms
|
Harvesting microworms can be one
of the less fun aspects of culturing live fish foods.
When first culturing various live worms for fish food, many people
consider the actual harvesting to be one of the less pleasant aspects.
I certainly do not blame anyone for feeling this way.
Harvesting your microworms is not difficult at all, and I
will share some of the easiest methods I have found.
Perhaps the most obvious methods is to simply use a Q-TIP and wipe off
any microworms that are climbing up the sides of the container.
I find there are usually enough worms crawling there that I
can provide my baby bettas a nice meal or snack. Other
options include using a toothpick in the same manner. These
two methods are quick and efficient, two factors I appreciate
when dealing with these live
fish foods.
If you eventually become comfortable with the above methods of
harvesting your worms, then you can move on to a technique
that might make many people queasy. You can simply use your fingers to
swipe off any microworms from the walls of the culture container.
Since microworms are not harmful to humans, there is no
reason this method should be avoided. I would always
recommend a thorough hand washing after touching anything near your culture.
Once
you have the microworms on your finger, Q-TIP, or toothpick you can
directly swish them into the fish tank, trying to spread the worms
evenly throughout the tank to give all your baby fish a chance at
finding them. The worms will sink to the bottom, but can
remain alive for days at a time, providing your fry with plenty of food
if you don't get a chance to clean the tank of leftovers soon after
feeding.
Some
people have microworms that do not always climb the sides of the
container. Various methods have been described for harvesting
in this scenario. Probably one of the best is to lay a damp
paper towel on top of the surface of the worms. Within
several hours, you will be able to scrape a spare plastic spoon across
the surface of the paper towel and harvest pure microworms. If you are satisfied that you will be able to culture and harvest your microworms efficiently and easily, why not head on over and purchase a microworm starter culture today.
|
|