RE: [Killietalk] BIV 'Funge' C91

[Scott Davis <unclescott at prodigy_net>]

Are these worms frozen or freeze-dried? I've never fed Bivs freeze-dried foods so I can't really discuss their virtues or lack or benefits. I personally don't get along too well with their dust.
 
I've had that strain of Funge since they followed me home from the '97 Michiana show. I've found them tolerant of a casual water changing pattern and pretty accepting of a variety of foods.
 
They are quite tolerant of some fry in only ten gallon tanks with some Java moss, Najas and red flint gravel a tad less in diameter than your little finger nail. I don't bother picking eggs, though water gravel-grunged may be run through a find meshed net and eggs saved. I'll also rotate them en mass to another ten gallon tank and let the subsequent fry grow up in the first ten gallon tank.
 
They readily accept flakes of a couple of brands. They also get a feeding of Daphnia, a few mosquito larvae and blackworms in a jar. Frozen glass worms or a larger size of blood worms will be defrosted and rinsed through a brine shrimp seive. When the "worms," as you probably know, both larvae of insects, are placed in a jar some float. These floaters (perhaps with more fat or oil in them) are judiciously squirted in with the Funge. Feeding a couple of times a day is good. It is hard to fill them up for long. :)
 
If they aren't breeding for you Robert, it might be because they are still young. Mine routinely live 2-3 years and the current big pair is going on four.
 
Don't know what your water is like, but I have to mix our tap water with R.O. water. Hardness could well be 120 to 80 ppm (roughly 7-5 degrees hardness).  Evaporation is only replaced with R.O.
 
I have over fed them and been rewarded with velvet a couple of times. Water changes, darkening the tank and a little salt and acriflavin have enabled them to recover. I wonder if there isn't the rare velvet organism always in their water and over feeding causes a bloom and trouble. Then their immune systems can't cope with the parasites.
 
Was tickled when Ruth Warner picked up some I brought to a CKA meeting a couple years back. I'd guess those were the strain Wright was so delighted with in a recent post.
 
If I was going to set them up in a bare bottomed breeding tank with a mop and sponge filter, I would also put a small pickle jar in there with a few blackworms. The jar keeps the blackworms there as opposed to everywhere else. The females will have more eggs fed with the worms. The bivs will snack on those annelids before eating killie eggs. If a driving male gets really pushy, the female may hide in the jar.
 
Hope this grist for the mill is of some use. Be patient with them, maybe add a little more demineralized water each change and vary the food
 
All the best!
Scott

Robert Tucker <tucker at covad_net> wrote:
I mostly feed them the red worms that are sold under the name 'tubifex' but
probably are something else. I also give them frozen cyclop-eeze
occasionally. Any suggestions?

TIA,

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