Microworm Care Guide:
Microworms are tiny live foods commonly used for feeding baby fish. They’re easy to culture and require very little equipment.
What you need
Setting up the culture
Feeding and harvesting
Keeping the culture healthy
How long does a culture last?A culture typically produces well for a few weeks, although this varies with temperature, moisture, and how heavily you harvest it. Starting a new culture periodically keeps your supply reliable.
Tip: Microworms don’t actually live long once they’re added to water, so give your fish small amounts regularly rather than dumping in a large quantity at once.
Microworms are tiny live foods commonly used for feeding baby fish. They’re easy to culture and require very little equipment.
What you need
- A small plastic container with a lid
- Oatmeal or instant oats
- Water
- A tiny amount of baker’s yeast
- Your starter culture of microworms
- A spoon or small spatula
Setting up the culture
- Make the oatmeal
- Mix oats with water until you have a thick, porridge-like consistency.
- Let it cool completely.
- Add yeast
- Sprinkle a small pinch of baker’s yeast over the surface.
- Add your microworm starter
- Spread some of the existing culture over the oatmeal.
- Cover it
- Put the lid on, but leave a little ventilation if the container isn’t designed for airflow.
- Keep it somewhere at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.
Feeding and harvesting
- After roughly 2–4 days, you should see microworms collecting around the sides of the container.
- Use a clean finger, spoon, or cotton swab to scrape the worms from the sides.
- Rinse them into your aquarium with a little clean water.
- Feed only what your fish will eat fairly quickly.
Keeping the culture healthy
- You generally don’t need to add more food every day.
- If the oatmeal becomes very dry, add a tiny amount of water.
- If it becomes extremely soupy, develops a strong rotten smell, or is covered in unusual mold, it’s best to start a fresh culture.
How long does a culture last?A culture typically produces well for a few weeks, although this varies with temperature, moisture, and how heavily you harvest it. Starting a new culture periodically keeps your supply reliable.
Tip: Microworms don’t actually live long once they’re added to water, so give your fish small amounts regularly rather than dumping in a large quantity at once.
