2017-11-26 Amazonas

AMAZONAS

article & images Hans Ruhrmann • I once thought that the small invaders in my “Microfex” (Dero

Worm, Dero digitata) cultures as unwelcome competitors for the worms, but once I recognized their value

as live foods for small fishes, I looked for ways to culture them deliberately.

Micro Live Food Culture

OVER MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF FISHKEEPING, I have kept

a wide variety of fishes with different food requirements,

but one thing is common to all species: they love live

treats. I started out with angelfishes that ate live food and

successfully reproduced. Later on I started to keep big

cichlids and catfishes, which I fed with frozen foods and

regular meals of small insects from the pet shop.

For a long time I have been interested in small,

unique fishes that require small live foods other than

insects. Because I live in the city, collecting live food from

a pond is more than challenging, and I have no garden—

so I started culturing live foods indoors. Eventually, I was

able to grow Grindal worms for my pair of Microgeopha-

gus ramirezi, and infusoria and ciliates (Spirostomum cf.

ambiguum) for their offspring. In due course I began to

culture vinegar eels, microworms, red Cyclops in com-

bination with Daphnia, and Hyalella Azteca; in the past

two years I have added Microfex, which my gobies are

particularly fond of.

Microfex (Dero digitata), also called Dero Worms, are

small, reddish worms up to 0.8 inch (2 cm) long. They

are somewhat more difficult to grow than most other

types of live food. Since I could not rely on the experience

of other breeders, I experimented a lot in the beginning,

Left: A colony of

Microfex worms

(Dero digitata) on a

zucchini squash.

Right: I initially

cultured the Microfex

in tubs with foam

filters and airlifters.

Left: You can even

culture Dero Worms

in a glass jar, but the

yield will be smaller.

Right: As you can see,

Cyclops multiplies

well.

AQUATIC