maximizing fry growth and survival - Page 2 - Apistogramma Forums

tjudy · 06-24-2010, 06:56 AM

I culture paramecium is large jars. I start a culture by microwaving soft water (usually reverse osmosis mixed with a little tap... nothing is measured) with a piece of dry dog food until it boils. I use Mason jars, and for a cover a place a paper towel over the top and screw the ring down around it. I let it cool over night and then inoculate the new culture from an old one. The dog food feeds bacteria, and the paramecium feed on the bacteria. Because the system is using a high protein source (dog food) to grow bacteria, the odor can be unpleasant. But it does not smell so bad that you notice it unless you hold the jar under your nose.

I got my paramecium from another hobbyist. You can buy them from biological supply companies that sell lab materials to schools. I have never had any luck trying to isolate the paramecium from an infusoria culture.

The paramecium I have are large enough that you will see them as a grainy cloud when you hold the jar up to the light. A scum usually forms on the surface of the culture, and a pile of gunk accumulates on the bottom. TO feed from the culture I use a large syringe (draw or bulb) to pull samples from the space in the middle of the tank. I have never had a problem with the bacteria going into the tank with the fry.

dw1305 · 06-28-2010, 05:00 AM

Hi all,
Thanks Ted, we do get Paramecium cultures in every now and then for classes etc. I'll see the Technician who buys them in and I'll try and persuade her to buy a large species next time, and then I'll sub-culture some using your technique.

cheers Darrel

Bilbo · 06-28-2010, 11:59 PM

As above thanks :-)

Some of the micro biology team go to the local uni a few times a week so I am sure I can twist someones arm.
Otherwise its going to be a long hard job with very fine tweezers seperating them from my infusoria cultures.

Great info Ted we should make that a sticky somewhere.

ste12000 · 07-01-2010, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dw1305

Hi all,
Thanks Ted, we do get Paramecium cultures in every now and then for classes etc. I'll see the Technician who buys them in and I'll try and persuade her to buy a large species next time, and then I'll sub-culture some using your technique.

cheers Darrel

Hi Darrel, ive got Paramecium cultures, if you want to send me your address ill gladly forward enough to start your own culture..

dw1305 · 07-05-2010, 04:49 AM

Hi all,
Thanks Steve, that is a really kind offer. I'll PM you when things have calmed down a little at work.

cheers Darrel

animalmgc · 07-05-2010, 05:42 PM

so where would be a good place to findParamecium cultures in San Diego Ca

tjudy · 07-05-2010, 10:13 PM

I would look at the supply companies for school science classes. Carolina Biological or Ward's are both easy to work with. You will be amazed at the diversity of live foods you can get from them... but they will be more expensive and small samples.

Bilbo · 07-12-2010, 03:33 PM

So as it turns out the answer from my contacts is sorry not available.

I have been doing a bit of reading about paramecium culturing and hopefully, if this is true, it can help some people out.

If you cant get a starter culture.
1) Put a banana skin in an open container for a few days until the water turns cloudy. Remove banana skin, add some dried turnip and seal the container. Infusoria including paramecium from air will have landed in it and will begin multiplying.
2) Siphon up some detritus (brown muck) from the bottom of any planted tank. This almost always has some paramecium in it.

Treat these as starter cultures and if you follow Ted’s instruction for making a new culture and seed it from the banana or the brown gunk one you should find that paramecium will quickly become the dominant animal and after 2 or 3 new cultures it should be close to pure paramecium.

I am giving this a try at the moment so hopefully it will work.

animalmgc · 07-14-2010, 06:26 PM

I am also tryimng this for the sake of humanity please keep me posted on your findings and I will try the same.If you want to comm through e mail Animalmgc@hotmail.com

dw1305 · 07-16-2010, 02:49 AM

Hi all,
Along the same lines we have squeezed out a filter sponge a couple of times when cultures have failed before a micro-organism I.D. class, and you get a lot of rotifers. Michael Hellweg (in the invaluable "Culturing Live Food") suggests that they are realtively easy to culture, and feeding them with either a green water culture or yeast and powdered Chlorella algae.

cheers Darrel