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 Protozoa :: infusoria 

Infusoria and the organisms found in green water are probably the first food taken by baby fish after the absorption of the egg sac.

Whilst some of the colouring in so called green water is indeed algae most is caused by microscopic organisms mainly of the Euglena genus. Whilst each individual is of minuscule proportions they are present in such unimaginable numbers that the water appears green due to the chlorophyll in their bodies. The requirements for green water are light, temperature, organic matter and carbon dioxide plus of course a lack of predators that feed on the organisms. Light is the most important as without it the organisms will be unable to produce the chlorophyll then comes the organic matter the more there are of these two factors then the more the organisms will reproduce and the greener the water will be. Spores of the organisms responsible for green water are present in most if not all standing bodies of water and cultivation is simple. Simply pour some old tank water into a glass container and add some organic matter such as a few rabbit droppings, dried lettuce leaf or a few wheat grains and standing the container in a good light source (I use the kitchen window cill). Within a few days the water will go green and be ready for use. If a gallon jar is used the simplest way is to siphon out a quart of the greenest water for use and top up the container with water form the tap or from an aquarium. A couple of rabbit droppings or dried lettuce leaf should be added once a week but let your nose be the judge as well as the colour of the culture as whilst the best cultures will be high on carbon dioxide content it is very easy to tip the balance from thriving culture to a jar of smelly polluted muck. The addition of a few snails to help break down the organic matter and add their own will keep cultures going and provide a rough guide as to water quality, if all the snails start to leave the water then the bacteria are not converting the ammonia to nitrites and then nitrates quickly enough. If this occurs the best method is to pour off two thirds of the culture and top up with aquarium water. Sometimes adding strong aeration will also aid the bacteria in their conversion process and prevent fouling.

The term infusoria in its strictest sense applies only to single celled animals(protozoa), they are also known as Ciliata from the cilia (hairs) on their body which they use to propel themselves through the water. However as far as we are concerned the term infusoria applies not only to the protozoa but to all the other bacteria and multicelled organisms (rotifers) that exist in water and damp places. These vary from the microscopic in size to those that can be seen with the naked eye such as Paramecium and even larger organisms that actually feed on the smaller infusorians. Pure cultures of various infusorians can be obtained from Biological Supply Houses and the culture instruction supplied should be followed to maintain and keep the culture pure. Most aquarists will in fact want a mixed culture which will provide animals of different sizes to suit the mouth sizes of all the fry in a tank. Such a culture is easy to set up and start. Obtain several gallon or half gallon jars and fill with old tank water or tap water that has been standing, alkaline water works best. Whilst it is most probable that infusorians will already be present it is better to be sure and add some water that is known to contain infusorians to the culture. Water from stagnant ponds in which algae or a profusion of aquatic plants are growing or water from flower vases in which cut flowers have been standing are both good sources of starter cultures. The water should be examined under a low power microscope or high power hand magnifying glass when the larger infusoria should be visible. This water and food is then added to the cultures and wait until the culture is thriving. A good infusoria culture will appear cloudy and may be slightly offensive in smell. Check with the magnifying glass for the presence of infusoria, normally seen as small white moving spots. If all is OK you can start to use the culture to feed the fry. Many different materials have been used to successfully raise infusoria cultures such as the widely advocated banana skin, rotting lettuce leaves, milk, died peas, boiled hay, raw potato and powdered cereals. The boiling of any vegetable used as food is recommended as it breaks down the tissues of the plant and it will decompose faster. I find that the best medium for starting the culture is dried lettuce. I lay the leaves in the sun until the leaves are dry and crisp, these are then crushed and stored in sealed containers for use. Simply sprinkle a covering of crushed leaves onto the surface of the culture were they will absorb the water and sink. I have also used a few drops of gram flour dissolved two parts water to one part flour added to a culture daily with great success. The main problem that occurs is the presence of too much organic matter causing pollution and the offensive odour a thriving culture should be fairly clear and odour free. I find the gram flour liquid feed is the most successful in avoiding this problem. The use of snails will also help and the large Ampullaria snail is also know as the Infusoria snail as it consumes large quantities of plant matter which is only partly digested and the snails droppings contain organic matter which is available to the infusoria. All aquatic snails perform this function but several smaller snails will be required to perform the function one large Ampullaria. Simply feed the snails flake foods or boiled spinach or dandelion leaves. A thriving culture can be maintained over a long period of time but it is advisable to set up fresh cultures at regular intervals by seeding from an established culture to avoid the odd disaster and have a source at all times.

Infusoria is not of great importance to the livebearer enthusiast as mother nature has ensured that livebearer fry can eat larger foods than infusoria from birth. It can be used for the fry of the very small species to supplement the various other foods they can take to good effect and should not therefore be disregarded. Egglaying fry do need infusoria and some of the species have such small mouths that only the smallest infusoria can be eaten, if this is not provided the fry literally starve to death which probably accounts for the loss of more fry than any other cause. Even those aquarists feeding infusoria make the common mistake of only adding water containing infusoria two or three times a day. Infusoria should be present at all times and the simplest way of doing this is as follows.

Remove one pint of infusoria culture into a container and top up the original culture. Place or suspend the pint jar above the fry tank. Take a length of air-line tubing place one end in the pint container and start it as a siphon. Using an air-line clamp restrict the flow of the siphon to about a drop a minute or two. Direct this output into the fry tank. This way a constant supply of infusoria is being supplied to the fry who soon identify were the infusoria are entering the tank and will feed as they require. By observing the container you will soon be able to judge how long a container will last and require topping up. Also the bellies of the fry should be full all the time and if not increase the flow of infusoria. Larger containers can be used to regulate the period between each top up. One other point to bear in mind is that although infusoria do better in alkaline water some fry are raised in soft acid water and the addition of hard alkaline water to the fry tank can be harmful. While twice daily partial water changes with the correct water can alleviate this it is probably simpler to set up a few cultures in water the same as the fry will be raised in.

 

 

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