Green Water is suspended algae. Culture: The most common method is to add grass clippings to water, add a bit of plant fertilizer and place the mixture in a well-lit location – preferably in front of a window or outside in the Summer. Be careful with the fertilizer if you intend to feed the culture directly to the fish tank of fry as it can cause a See full list on allnaturalpetcare.com Some fish are born amazingly small, such as Neon Tetras and some Rainbowfish species. To feed these fish after they are free-swimming, you may require Infusoria. The great thing about Infusoria cultures, is that you don’t need to obtain a starter culture. Infusoria is a mix of various tiny creatures used to feed the smallest fish fry. Basically, it... See full list on allnaturalpetcare.com Often lumped in with Infusoria, Paramecium is cultured quite differently. They’re so incredibly tiny, they should not be raised in tank water because they may be eaten by other microorganisms. The water should be boiled or distilled. Paramecium will live for quite some time in your tank. Food: Paramecium feeds on bacteria. Slightly boiled kernels o... See full list on allnaturalpetcare.com Vinegar Eels can be used as a transition food between micro-cultures (such as Infusoria) and BBS. A big advantage of Vinegar Eels is that they can stay alive in fresh water for weeks. Culture: In your container of choice, add 1/4 – 1/2 of an apple. Fill the container about 3/4 of the way with a 50/50 mix of water and Apple Cider Vinegar. Harvest: T... See full list on allnaturalpetcare.com Microworms are a food between the size of Green Water and Brine Shrimp. They are often recommend for Rainbowfish as a starter food, but any newborn fish will enjoy them, in my experience, including small newborn Livebearer fry. Culturing Microworms couldn’t be easier by comparison to other live foods. Prepare some oatmeal and/or baby cereal to keep... See full list on allnaturalpetcare.com This is the live fry food that most are familiar with. BBS are shrimp larvae which are hatched into salt water. They are most nutritious within eight hours of hatching as they still have the egg remnants attached. Culture: Culturing isn’t difficult, but it is a little more involved than the other starter foods. You can purchase BBS hatcheries or bu... See full list on allnaturalpetcare.com Gammarus amphipods (Scuds) are a very small shrimp-like creature commonly found in freshwater. They are very easy to culture, not in the least sensitive or demanding in my experience. I have a 10G swarming with them as we speak and I’ve totally ignored them in regards to special care. They like to cling to plants, including floaters, or they hide i... See full list on allnaturalpetcare.com These worms have long been used as a transition from the usual fry foods to larger live foods, or for smaller adult fish, such as Endler’s Livebearers or Killifish. Bedding: Coconut Fiberor peat moss. The latter may prove to be too acidic, in which case you can mix it with the Coconut Fiber or sterilized gardening soil with no additives. The beddin... See full list on allnaturalpetcare.com There are a large number of Daphnia species, varying in size, with some species being smaller than BBS at birth. The most common species appear to be Pulex and Moina, with the latter being smaller. They are most often fed to small fish as a conditioning food, or to clean out their digestive system / treat constipation. Daphnia can be somewhat sensi... See full list on allnaturalpetcare.com Whiteworms can survive in water for a few days. They will burrow under gravel, however, so they are recommended for either bare or lightly graveled tanks, or tanks with ‘digging’ scavengers, such as Loaches. You don’t want a bunch of dead worms decaying in your gravel. Culture: Whiteworms should have a sterile, moist bedding and be kept in a well-v... See full list on allnaturalpetcare.com