4 OZ LIVE WALTER WORM CULTURE
Live Walter Worms are a great starter food for small fry's
healthy diet. Excellent First Food for newborn fry such as
betta, guppy, killifish, gourami, tetra, barb, danios, platy, corydora,
“Walter Worms” is the common name for the group of microscopic
white nematodes used as a food for small fish fry. Most smaller adult
fish will also eat the Walter Worms, picking at them throughout the day.
Their Tiny size makes them more appropriate for very small
fry that are not able to eat baby brine shrimp or Microworms. Walter Worms
stay in the water column longer then microworms, which tend to sink.
This makes Walter Worms best for middle of the tank feeding fry but
can be consumed by all small fry. Baby brine shrimp are often too large for
some newly hatched fish fry to eat in the first couple weeks of life.
Walter Worms are around half the size of microworms.
Walter Worms are relatively new to the Aquarium Hobby. They were
first cultured by Helmut Walter in 2002. German literature is classifying
Walter worms as Panagrellus Silusiodes. They grow quickly to maturity
and reach a maximum size of 0.04 inch in just six days.
On average Adults are >1/16 of an inch or less. They live for about 35 days
and a female Walter Worms can have 60 young a day starting at around
4 days old. Walter Worms can live at room temperatures, and optimum
reproduction rate is at about 68-85F degrees.
Walter Worms will survive in the aquarium for 12 Hours & can live up to
two (2) days giving the fry a constant food source without over feeding.
The Walter Worms have a whitish color and will move & wiggle
in the water which triggers the eating reflex of baby fish.
Nutritional information: (48% protein, 21% lipids, 7% glycogen,
1% organic acids, and 1% nucleic acids)
Walter Worms are not harmful to humans.
CULTURING INFORMATION
Culturing Walter Worms is very easy!
At normal household temperatures (70-75 F or 20-28 C)
you will find the culture of Walter Worms at it’s peak productivity.
Range: 68-85 F
MATERIAL NEEDED TO START A WALTER WORM CULTURE:
1. Any Clean, Soap & Chemical free Container with a tight
Plastic Container with a tight Snap On Lid.
(Note: the Walter Worms will crawl up the inside of
the container, the deeper the better. Clear, allows you to
observe the culture and how it is doing.)
use the inexpensive Glad or ZipLock containers.
Have extra containers to start more future cultures.
starch based medium. We use Instant Mashed Potato Flakes or Oatmeal. Baby Cereal or
Corn Meal can also be used.
3. Water that you would use for your Aquarium.
(No Chlorine or other Chemicals)
4. Bakers Active Dry Yeast
5. Walter Worms Starter Culture
With a sharp, thin knife or razor blade put several
small slits in the top of the container lid (for
This will allow air in but not insects / fruit flies or gnats.
pin to poke holes in the lid. You can also punch or cut a small hole in the center of the lid then cover it
with fine mesh like nylon stocking, coffee filter, paper towel,
Use good tape or super glue to attach it. Place about 1/2 to 3/4 inch layer of dry Potato Flakes or
in the bottom of the container. Oatmeal can be
cooked but is not necessary. I've used it both ways.
The Walter Worms live on the top of the mixture and
a deeper Medium serves no purpose.
Moisten with water until saturated but not runny.
Use only enough water to make a paste
Not Watery.
Sprinkle a small pinch of yeast over the top.
Add Walter Worm Starter Culture.
Place lid on Container.
Within 3 to 7 days the Walter Worms will start to
crawl up the side of the container.
COLLECTING THE WALTER WORMS
Using something with a flat edge, scrape the Walter Worms off the
side of the container. Be careful not to dip into the starter
culture on the bottom. I use a 2 1/2 inch 4 sided mini wooden stick,
normally used for crafting (Purchased at Walmart in Crafts area).
You can also use a toothpick, popsicle stick, plastic knife...
Some people use a small paint brush, Q-tip or finger.
Whatever works best for you!
FEED THE FISH!
A culture can produce Walter Worms well for 2 weeks
& up to 6 weeks or longer.
Start a new culture or more every 2 - 4 weeks using the method above.
It is also good to have several cultures going at the same time
just in case something happens to one. I feed multiple tanks daily so
I start several new cultures every week to ensure I always have enough.
Once a culture has quit producing, wash the container well. Rinse making
sure there is no soap residue. Re-use the container for the next culture.
Using the method above, you can produce a continuous supply of Walter Worms.