[Killietalk] Rotifers

[RuevenM at aol_com]

Hi All,

    I had a very informative talk with a Mexican biologist today whose 
graduate studies involved rotifers. He worked with a number of Israeli 
aquaculturists in finding the best rotifer for feeding fry.
   I have been searching for years for the red rotifer that so many pre-WWII 
hobbyists swore by and that the great breeder Gene Wolfsheimer used to raise 
and feed all his fry. My new friend finally identified the likely animal -- 
Philodina. These are quite orange in color, he says.
   He also offered that Philodina did not prove to be the best rotifer for 
fry growth. The Israelis found that Brachioxnus provided the best nutrition -- 
better than baby brine shrimp as all the old hobbyists always said.
   The culturing technique used on both species was fascinating. The secret 
is to use many 2 liter jars -- not big containers. You get a starter culture 
and then feed it the water from boiled rice mixed with the water from boiled 
beef. The meet juice water is a big secret. You feed every other day. The 2 liter 
jars are covered with cotton gauze rubber banded around the jar's top to keep 
out bacteria and infusoria. My friend said the cultures just explode but that 
a microscope was needed to truly check what you had.
   He also told me that to get a really rich culture of particularly large 
paramecium to use the 2 liter jars and mix a bit of brewer's yeast in the water 
along with a small piece of ham, yes, ham. He said it will turn into a stinky 
mess but soon a thick layer of big paramecium will form. Apparently, meat and 
meat juice is the trick with rotifers and various infusorias. They are not 
vegans!
    I thought others might like to try these ideas.

Bobby