# Microworms/Banana worms/Walter worms



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

I wrote this up a while ago and I just thought I should share! Warning, long thread!


Microworm/Banana worm/Walter worm Care

Microworms, Banana worms, and Walter worms are three species of nematodes (they're not real worms) popular among fish breeders due to their small size and ease of culture. Fish like them because they are tiny and wiggly. We like them because they are easy to culture and feed. I have grouped the three species together because they are all very similar and are cultured in the same way. 

Microworm/Banana worm/Walter worms vs baby brine shrimp

Baby brine shrimp (bbs)

-Everyday culturing
-Dies soon after introduction to freshwater aquarium (approximately 5 hours)
-Sometimes to big for many young fish (Ex. Bettas)
-Salt and temperature requirements
-Expensive "eggs" that you have to buy over and over

Microworm/Banana worm/Walter worms

-Occasional culturing 
-Lives longer in freshwater aquarium (approximately 24 hours) 
-Variety of sizes for even the tiniest fish
-Broad temperature range and cultured in common ingredients
-Buy one starter culture and don't buy anymore for years

As you can see, these worms are preferable to baby brine shrimp for many reasons. In my opinion however, it is best to feed a variety of things including both these worms and baby brine shrimp to ensure your fish are getting all of the nutrients they need while they are constantly growing. Now I will tell you about the differences between the species.

Microworms (Panagrellus redivivus)- The largest of the three at 3mm. This is also the most common variety. Apparently they were found in beer vats, but they also live in soil. 

Microworm Nutrition
Protein-48% Lipids -21%
Glycogen- 7% Organic Acids -1%
Nucleic Acids -1%

Banana worms (Panagrellus nepenthicola)- The smallest of the three, about half the size of microworms. These are a bit rarer then microworms. Originally they were found around the roots of a banana tree, hence the name. No banana needs to be added to their culture (a common misconception), they will do great if cultured in the same way as the other two. I find that my banana worms grow more prolifically and faster then microworms in fact!

Banana worm nutrition
Protein-48% Lipids -21%
Glycogen- 7% Organic Acids -1%
Nucleic Acids -1%

Walter worms (Panagrellus Silusioideswere)- Walter worms are somewhere In between microworms and banana worms in size. They were first isolated and cultured when Helmut Walter isolated them in Germany in 2002. This is probably the rarest of the three, but none of them are really rare.

Walter worm nutrition (That's right, there all about the same!)
Protein-48% Lipids -21%
Glycogen- 7% Organic Acids -1%
Nucleic Acids -1%

As you can see, all three species are high in protein and have a good amount of fats. Protein is crucial to the development of fry, making microworms, banana worms, and Walter worms very good fry foods. Even though the nutrition is almost the same (there will always be some variances depending on many factors, ex. culture material and temperature) it is highly recommended to feed all three species. There are different micronutrients that they contain, they are all different sizes, and hey, variety is the spice of life! 

*Culturing information (the useful part)*

Culturing these worms is very simple and easy. They are all cultured in the same way. Keep in mind this is the way I use, other fish keepers use baby cereal, plain Cheerios, bread... They live in the dirt, they really are not that picky. I have even heard of people using spirulina powder in place of yeast or carrot juice instead of water, both to add more nutrition. I have not tried this and do not know if it would work, but I intend to experiment with it sometime! So here it is-

You will need-

Oatmeal (instant, quick, large... It doesn't matter)
Traditional yeast
Conditioned, spring, or aquarium water (no chlorine)
A existing/starter culture 

Put about 1/4 inch oats in a clear container. Sprinkle some yeast on top. Put in enough water to make a paste. Add about 1 teaspoon of an established culture plus any worms off the wall of the original container. Mix with a toothpick (a little trick that I learned from Sena Hansler. It doesn't get any paste on the wall of your container, which would happen if you used a spoon or something). 

See? Easy! If you were feeding baby brine shrimp you would still be measuring out salt! To restart a culture when it becomes to smelly (a yeasty or vinegar-y smell is normal. Any extreme or rotting smell is not.) or turns dark in color, simply follow the above instructions using the old one as the starter culture. Try to reculture before the culture dies or you have to wear a hazmat suit to get near it.

Feeding

To feed, simply wipe the worms off of the side of your container with a toothpick, your finger, or a q-tip. Make sure you are wiping pure worms off the side of the container, not any culture material. Swish them in your tank. DO NOT OVERFEED! 

Who eats them?

-Small egg layer fry (bettas, gourami, etc)
-Corydora catfish fry, since they sink to the bottom and cories are bottom feeders.
-Guppy fry, even though they are big enough to eat crushed fish food this will give you better results.
-Pretty much any very small fish or fry

As you can see, these worms are a great live food for young fish. Hope the information helped. Just ask if you have any questions!

View attachment 93729


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## justmel (Apr 1, 2013)

I have to get me some of all of these before I start spawning. I'm so impatient I want to start NOW, but everyday here I learn more, so it will wait. First priority is to take care of all my fishy friends now. Then I can do more.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Patience pays off!


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## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

Great information Matt!


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Thanks CJ!


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## GhostFeather (Jun 23, 2011)

Great post Matt!!!!
Bill


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Thank you for sharing this great info Matt. . . . but it's not long enough (jk). lol


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Lol I'm sorry. Got a bit carried away with details! I bolded the important part for that reason...


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

No . . no . .. IMO when posting info threads, minor details are very important. Too general info is less valuable since they will cause questions.


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## andervt (Apr 13, 2013)

How can i get a hold of some worms?


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## trilobite (May 18, 2011)

Very good info!


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

andervt, you can order them off aquabid. I would send you some but I can't ship at the moment. Local breeders may also be able to provide you with some.


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## BeautifulBetta123 (Aug 27, 2012)

Great thread Matt! It should become a sticky!


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## Option (Oct 20, 2012)

Great post, Matt. I've only used microworms for my fry so far and it's hard to believe that there are even smaller worms than this. I already thought microworms were too small for some of the fry...


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

I'm going to go ahead and bump this in case anyone else is interested


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## Artemis (Mar 9, 2013)

How do Vinegar Eels work size wise?


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## BeautifulBetta123 (Aug 27, 2012)

They are half the size of mw


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Vinegar eels are supposedly quite good, and smaller then these worms.


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## wish4coner (Mar 22, 2013)

I am so glad I just ordered these from ebay. They should be here by end of week. Right now, I am doing egg yolk until they arrive. My question: I didnt want the mess and time in the brine shrimp. I did find frozen baby brine shrimp. Are these suitable? Second, would a blender help with it being too large for some fry?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Young fry probably would not be attracted to frozen bbs because it does not move. It would sink and pollute the tank.


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## Mahsfish (Feb 21, 2013)

Ok so once they are in the oatmeal you can just leave them in it and the culture will stay going? Or do you need to do anything special after that?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

You add about a tsp of the established culture to the oats/yeast/water mix, stir it in, and then leave it. They will start crawling up the sides in about a week.


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## Mahsfish (Feb 21, 2013)

Ok and once you do this you can just leave them? Or do you have to keep doing this every now and then to get more?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Yup you have to reculture them every few weeks when they slow down/get to smelly.


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## Mahsfish (Feb 21, 2013)

Ok great thanks matt


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## Mahsfish (Feb 21, 2013)

So there needs to be holes for air circulation correct?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Yup. They are like any other living thing, they need to exchange gases and the yeast releases co2 which would suffocate them without air circulation. But make em pinholes, and poke them from the inside of the lid out so fruit flys don't get in.


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## justmel (Apr 1, 2013)

Getting ready to start my cultures now. I store these in a dark place, right? does temp matter?


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

I find in a dim spot (not direct light) and very warm gets them growing. Sometimes I'll toss a clear plastic grocery bag loosely on top of my worm basket to help keep them even a bit more warmer and I end up with a ton each morning.


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## justmel (Apr 1, 2013)

Thank you Myates! I got starter cultures a week ago & wasn't sure I was doing things right, so I used your plastic bag trick and they popped right up.

ok, I'm very new to this. Have had my works started for a week now and they seem to be growing well and now I have a few questions.


 My fry are 9 weeks old, so they do not need these worms anymore. They love the NSL pellets and frozen treats they get daily. What should I do with my worms until I need them? Keep them in the warm, dim place I have them and re-culture as needed or is there another way to keep them when not is use for awhile?
 I have walter and micro worms right now. When I have another batch of fry will these worms, along with bbs be enough or should I look into banana worms or vinegar eels?
Final question. Do I need to feed them? I know they are eating the oatmeal and yeast in the culture, but should I freshen it up with yeast & water every now and then or are they fine until they need re-cultured?
Got another one. The smell. I've read repeatedly about how they stink. So far They don't stink to me. The smell makes me think of warm sour dough bread. Is this normal?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

1) Keep and maintain them like normal. A warm place isn't necessary, since you don't need them to grow fast. 
2) You are prepared enough but the more variety, the better.
3) Nope they will be fine.
4) Yup! That's a good sign of a healthy culture.


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## justmel (Apr 1, 2013)

Thanks Matt! I've booked marked this thread for easy reference until I know what I'm doing with them.


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## GhostFeather (Jun 23, 2011)

You can also any liquid fish vitamins,the worms get the vitamins and the fry get the vitamins when they eat the worms.
All my worm cultures get the vitamins now,even the Grindals and WhiteWorms.
Bill


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## justmel (Apr 1, 2013)

GhostFeather said:


> You can also any liquid fish vitamins,the worms get the vitamins and the fry get the vitamins when they eat the worms.
> All my worm cultures get the vitamins now,even the Grindals and WhiteWorms.
> Bill


Not a bad idea. What do you do? Just add a couple drops to the worms cultures?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

GuostFeather is right. You can also add probiotics, apparently.

Thanks just meal, that actually means a lot to me!


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## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

MattsBettas said:


> GuostFeather is right. You can also add probiotics, apparently.
> 
> Thanks just meal, that actually means a lot to me!


Yes Im trying a probiotic myself right now. Waiting to see if it has positive results.

http://www.umces.edu/imet/release/2...robiotics-help-fish-grow-faster-and-healthier


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## GhostFeather (Jun 23, 2011)

Yep,I just add 5-6 drops on top of the culture,Grindals and Whites,I just put the drops om their food.
I am going to try the probiotics.
Bill


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## justmel (Apr 1, 2013)

This is great. I'm just looking at getting ready to spawn. Anything to make my fry healthier is awesome to know. 2 more things to add to the shopping list before I start. 

Matt, believe it or not, you are one of the people here I count on for good information. You've helped me a lot and everything I have learned from you has been very beneficial. Thank you!


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I might try adding some probiotics to my grindal worms and white worms cultures. I feed all my cultures a very high quality and high protein cat food, so I may try soaking this in some probiotics and seeing how it goes. 

Had a bit of difficulty with velvet and have been medicating fish a lot lately so wondering if the probiotics may help with their immune system and recovery.


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