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Vinegar eels (was Re: Where can I get invert cultures?)
Doug Karpa-Wilson wrote:
>
> Nesdive at aol_com wrote:
>
> > "Vinegar Eels" unfortunately they stink to high heaven,
>
> That's very curious. I have a pair of vinegar eel cultures that I was using for
> gourami fry, and they don't particlarly smell, beyond that of the vinegar. Is
> that what you're referring to? Mine are in darkness in 60% water-40% applecider
> vinegar and nothing else.
If you can smell the vinegar, they are evaporating way too fast and may not
last very long.
I keep most of mine in long-neck bottles, low-filled enough to have good
surface area. A loose wad of polyester filter floss (Perlon webbing to you
Europeans :-) ) acts as an air-permeable plug in the neck and evaporation
retarder.
To harvest, I add solution from another bottle until the liquid is up to the
neck. I push the floss down to touch the surface, and fill the neck with
fresh water. The next morning, the fresh water is a dense cloud of eels
looking for oxygen (with no vinegar), and can be drawn off with a dropper or
syringe for feeding directly. Restore levels and pull the floss out to
squeeze dry and replace as a plug. A long string tied around the floss plug
makes retrieval easier.
Suitable bottles include 500ml or larger boiling flasks, Chianti bottles and
some bud vases.
My impression is that the population is limited by the surface area, so
lower, flatter decanters might be the best shape, if they have a nice
straight neck section.
I probably have over a dozen going in my fishroom (I do extras as gifts for
fishy friends) and I never get a whiff of vinegar doing it this way (except
a tiny bit when pouring). One huge advantage of this method is that the
smallest worms are available, instead of being lost in/through the coffee
filter.
Wright
--
Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679 huntleyone at home dot com
"DEMOCRACY" is two wolves and a lamb voting on lunch.
"LIBERTY" is a well-armed lamb denying enforcement of the vote.
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