Microfex - interesting theory

[mats]

Long time ago I used to keep a tank with a sand substrate
I would feed tubifex to my fish in this tank and as already mentioned here the worms did go to the bottom and in the gravel
Often my my tubifex stock finished and I had no more tubifex to feed ( as I got my stock from Delhi ) I found the worms colonizing in the gravel and fish hunted for their food. These colonies never got exhausted, so I believe they do survive and breed in the tank gravel
Regards

[juanico]

Scientists believe that Tubifex are several species, but so far, not enough research has been financed to tell the species apart (proof that they are not easy even for scientists with sophisticated microscopes to ID).

maybe that's the key. tubifex is not always the same specie and microfex might be just a dwarf form of one particular tubifex specie.

[Romi]

Scientists believe that Tubifex are several species, but so far, not enough research has been financed to tell the species apart (proof that they are not easy even for scientists with sophisticated microscopes to ID).

maybe that's the key. tubifex is not always the same specie and microfex might be just a dwarf form of one particular tubifex specie.

And thinking the issue over, after this thread I have concluded that animals often shrink in size to adapt to surroundings but the instance of animals growing twice-thrice-four times as large influenced by surroundings is very rare. So the likelihood of the Delhi Tubifex being dwarfed-down versions of a particularly adaptive Tubifex species is higher than the chances, say, of being a congenitally-small species that can choose to grow several times its usual size on occassion.

[Arjun Tandon]

Yes....and it seems to be evolution rather than mere adaptation which is a time consuming and slow process
SO that's why I guessed that both of them were present in the initial culture

[vijendra_s123]

take some from me I can collect from the drain near our society (But aren't you against live cultures)

I am against live cultures but believes in natural process. Live food is must for fish. I am keeping dario-dario from 6-7 months without feeding them any live culture. But they get live food through a natural process. There are lots of seed shrimps and RCS. They eat them and get live food.

In past I have successfully kept healthy discus fish without offering any meat. But introduced hundreds of shrimps in their tank.

I hope you dont intend to do the same with Badis badis that you would be getting soon as they are not interested in seed shrimps and putting RCS with them hoping that they will get live food through eating shrimplets will not be a wise move as they will finish the adult RCS within no time leaving none to reproduce live food for them, so the natural process theory will not work with Badis badis as it is for dario dario ....

[deepesh]

take some from me I can collect from the drain near our society (But aren't you against live cultures)

I am against live cultures but believes in natural process. Live food is must for fish. I am keeping dario-dario from 6-7 months without feeding them any live culture. But they get live food through a natural process. There are lots of seed shrimps and RCS. They eat them and get live food.

In past I have successfully kept healthy discus fish without offering any meat. But introduced hundreds of shrimps in their tank.

I don't get it, but to each his own...

[Romi]

take some from me I can collect from the drain near our society (But aren't you against live cultures)

I am against live cultures but believes in natural process. Live food is must for fish. I am keeping dario-dario from 6-7 months without feeding them any live culture. But they get live food through a natural process. There are lots of seed shrimps and RCS. They eat them and get live food.

In past I have successfully kept healthy discus fish without offering any meat. But introduced hundreds of shrimps in their tank.

I don't get it, but to each his own...

Moral somersaults are not your domain, Deep. hehe.

[Romi]

I think Pio Linhares of Mumbai might have proved Wojtek's guess correct. I had a conversation with him today. I had requested live food veteran and generous hobbyist Deepak Ganguly (from http://www.indianaquariumhobbyist.com) to try and obtain the regular tubifex sold for decades in Indian LFS (and worldwide) and culture both types side-by-side-- this Delhi mini Tubifex and the type still sold in LFS in less-polluted places like Mumbai and Kolkata. ..

Deepak apparently could not do so and asked yet another friend of his (Pio Linhares) to do the needful.

Pio reports that both species have maintained their different sizes and shades of red--our worms are brighter red and the regular tubifex are closer to maroon--in his culture boxes and continue to look different.

He has sent me pictures on Whatsapp, which i hope to be able to transpose to this thread in case the members are interested.

[deepesh]

Then they ARE different species and our worms are not miniature tubifex.

[Romi]

Then they ARE different species and our worms are not miniature tubifex.

I think these photos do show that....

(Pio told me on whatsapp the following which i reproduce here, he is calling the Delhi species 'micros' (which is as we already know the name of another famous stamdard species which is different, so do not be confused, he means the delhi mini species):

Micros went into scotchbrite, seemingly locked into it. Regular tubifex near bottom of box. If you zoom in, you will see the fat and thin ones are easy to differentiate. I find the micros thinner and bright red compared to the larger regular tubifex.

Deepak Ganguli told me that the hardy worms out of the two species will survive, so you can see both species together in my box.

I have pics of the underside of the Scotchbrite pad also for you.

I started with one culture, which had all my worms, of both species. I sent pics to Deepak Ganguli. He then said i must split the culture into three. I did this in 20 mins. But in this time, the micros hid inside the scotchbrite. I do almost 100% morning and evening water changes. I feed oat-milk after each change.

Romi these are the pictures
15 days up since I started
Today is the 16th day