Paramecium Culture
Paramecium is a genus of unicellular ciliated protozoa, commonly
studied as a representative of the ciliate group. Paramecia are
widespread in freshwater, brackish and marine environments, and
are often very abundant in stagnant basins and ponds. Species of
Paramecium range in size from 50 to 330 micrometres (0.0020 to
0.0130 in) in length. Cells are typically ovoid, elongate, foot- or cigarshaped. Paramecia feed on microorganisms like bacteria, algae, and
yeasts. The first kind of food young fry of smallest fish species need
is Paramecium.
What do you need to start your own Paramecium Culture?
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Pure Paramecium starter culture (that’s what AquaSnack offers).
2 or 3 glass jars with lids (1.5 litre each).
Small bale of Straw or Hay (pet bedding).
Pipettes.
Household scissors.
How do you make it?
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Boil a handful of straw and leave to cool. When it has done so pour about 1 litre into each glass jar.
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Take the boiled straw from the pot, and with some household scissors snip some 1 - 2 cm cuttings
into your liquid in the jar. Approximately 10 - 12 snips per jar will be adequate.
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Finally pour in your starter culture and store in a warm, lit room (but not in direct sunlight).
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The culture will take around a week to really be suffused with these tiny little creatures as they feed
and sub-divide, but visible signs will be there after a few days as the liquid clears somewhat.
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Paramecium Culture
Maintenance
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After a period of two weeks it is time to set up a couple of new cultures (sub-divide) as the original
one will be starting to wane. At their peak these cultures are absolutely teeming with life.
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Do not use the same pipettes for feeding etc., to avoid transferring of liquids from vessel to vessel for
fear of contaminating your culture.
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It is advisable to keep at least a couple of different cultures operating at the same time (more if you
have a lot of fish spawning or about to spawn) to ensure that there is always a strong culture available
for feeding. Storage of a back-up culture in a second, cooler location also provides some insurance
against failure of the primary cultures.
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To the naked eye, the solutions all look the same (just cloudy, slightly brown water) and the only way
to know how well they're doing is to examine them with a microscope or magnifying glass. This only
takes a few moments and it guarantees that you're actually giving the fry liquid with something in it.
Feeding Fry
Feeding Paramecium is a very simple operation. Once the fry have absorbed their yolk sacs and become active
swimmers (about one to three days after hatching, depending on the species), samples of the culture liquid
can be added directly to the fry tank. You can use a pipette or a glass turkey baster to remove liquid from just
under the surface scum of the culture. Try to avoid the sticky slime which forms on the bottom of the jar.
Somehow, by sight or smell, the small fry are able to detect the presence of the microscopic food. One can
soon see the fry making quick jerking movements as they capture the protozoans. It's difficult to know exactly
how much to feed since the food can't be seen in the tank. Some breeders suggest that 30 ml is sufficient for
fifty fry in a 20-liter tank while others simply say to feed large quantities. Since this is a live food, normally
found in fresh water, excess paramecia won't die and foul the water. This fact, along with the essential
vitamins and nutrients contained in live food, are major benefits to using these cultures.
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