where can i find infusoria?

[bettabreeder]

I am breeding betta splendens and I heard that infusoria is good for fry. unfourtunatly i can't find infusoria. where can i find some?

[babblefish1960]

Well, not to be a spoiler, but I am sure it is infusoria you are looking for, and it is already in your tank. Most serious breeders do not clean off the glass as some might, as it is covered in the stuff, and fry can eat it as they find it, everywhere in the tank.

I use sponge filters in my fry raising situations, and I do not clean them, the fry just peck away at the sponge until such time as it needs to be replaced. They do seem to make the sponge material disappear over time.

You can't really buy it, farm it in any collectible way, one simply needs to stop cleaning everything to such a barren and sterile way.

[Zoe]

Yup, you can find it in your tank.  I've used java moss, and it's a great way collect it.  I just took clumps of java moss (and other plants, too) from my established tanks and let the babies pick at it.
I also let the algae run wild in my baby tank. I scraped it off the front, of course, but the back wall was just covered in it - it looked like the back wall of the tank was a furry green monster... and the babies were always picking at it.

If you want to cultivate it yourself, you can - take a glass jar, fill it with tank water, a piece of boiled potato, and some plant juice (take some java moss and squeeze it, so the water from it runs into the jar).  Let the jar sit in the sun for a week, and it should be full of infusoria. It shouldn't stink, if it does, chuck it and try again. There's some info online if you google "how to make infusioria" or something along those lines.

I still feed mostly live baby brine shrimp, though.  The infusoria for my babies was there so they could snack between meals of bbs.

[BigDaddy]

People will "grow" infusoria cultures by taking a piece of lettuce and putting it in a mason jar with some tank water.  After a bit, it should go cloudy and be teaming with infusiorians

Here's a good article, from a website that is actually a great source of info on live foods:

http://www.livefoodcultures.com/microcultures.html#infusoria

[dan2x38]

first how do you pronounce - infusoria? could you post the phonic spelling?

I was told an apple snail helps create infusoria... is that so?

I am trying my first effort at breeding... it is with the CPD... they will need it... not breeding them for profits but to perserve them...

[Zoe]

inf-you-z-oh-ree-ah
It looks silly, but does that make sense? It's how I pronounce it... I think its right.

[Zoe]

This is what dictionary.com says:

in-fyoo-sawr-ee-uh

[dan2x38]

This is what dictionary.com says:

in-fyoo-sawr-ee-uh

TANKs when I drop of plant pronounce it for me...  slow on the up take...