Infusoria Starter Culture

About this culture

Infusoria is the old-school name for a cloud of microscopic freshwater life — mainly ciliates such as Paramecium — that newly hatched fry graze before they can manage vinegar eels or banana worms. You seed a jar of aged water with a scrap of blanched lettuce or a dash of green water; the culture turns faintly cloudy and the fry sip the water column. Not a substitute for vinegar eels on every spawn, but invaluable for tetras, rainbows and other fry with pin-head mouths. Out of stock for now — tap Notify me and we will WhatsApp you when a batch is ready.

Best for

• Tetra & rainbowfish fry
• The first 1–3 days after free-swimming
• Breeders who want a true microscopic first food
• Alongside vinegar eels as insurance

How to culture it

1. Tip the starter into a clear jar or bottle of aged / old tank water. Add a small piece of blanched lettuce (remove before it turns foul) or a splash of green water.
2. Stand in bright indirect light at room temperature. In a few days the water looks faintly cloudy or tea-coloured — that cloud is the food.
3. Feed the culture sparingly. Milky-white and sour usually means bacteria have taken over: dilute, remove rotting lettuce, restart if needed.
4. Keep a backup jar. Infusoria cultures crash when overfed or left in the dark — same “never one culture” rule as everything else on this site.

How to feed it

Siphon or pour a little culture water into the fry tank so the cloud stays in the column — do not dump rotting lettuce in with the fry.

As soon as fry can take vinegar eels or banana worms, step them up; infusoria is a first-days food, not a month-long diet.