Culturing Microworms, Banana Worm & Walter Worm

Text & Image by Paul Barrow

These worms make an ideal first food for baby fish, both egglayers and livebearers.
Smaller fish such as Tetras and Danios also relish it - I've had cichlids up to 100mm eating it.
They are prolific, meaning a culture can take less than a week to the first harvest.
The worms form a light brown coating on the side of the container and can be scrapped off with a lolly stick, its edges sanded to form a knife-edge, or removed with a clean artist's brush.
Cultures are viable for many weeks, but need to be fed occasionally with a light sprinkling of dry Ready Brek or similar.
Starting A New Culture
To start a new culture you will need a 12 cm diameter tub similar to the one in the photos, with many pin-sized holes in the lid.

Mix enough Ready Brek into a thick paste using hot water to form a 10-15mm layer on the bottom of the tub, spread this evenly in the tub. 

Once the mixture has cooled to room temperature, sprinkle on a small amount of dried yeast - this helps to prevent mould.
Inoculate the Ready Brek with some worms from the side of your existing culture, even a small amount will do but using a larger number will speed along the process.
If there are no worms visible in your existing culture, you can use a little of the liquefied food from around the edges. You may be able to see movement here with a magnifying glass.

A culture, which has completely dried out, can sometimes be brought back with the addition of a little water.Common Name: