Australia's Science Forum

Hello!
Can anyone tell me how to go about preparing Paramecium from straw? We talked about it at the workshop day in Port Macquarie at the start of this term. And how long does it take before you have enough to look at under a microscope? Any chance I can do it in a day??? No, I haven't been asked for it, but yr 7s are going to look at my Euglena this afternoon and I thought I could send some paramecium out as well.
Rosalie

Hi Rosalie,
I have just got a good brew going, but it has taken all week. I had some pond water and added some hay, then after two days added a couple of oats. I could see the little buggers growing day by day. By today, it's like Pitt St!
Worth the effort, but takes time.
Ellice.

Hi Rosalie,
I agree with Ellice. I too use pond or fish tank water with the straw and a couple oat flakes and walah, you have lots of little critters.
But you have to be patient.
PS I am starting holidays today

Lada

Happy holidays, Lada

Rosalie, I make it with tap water, a handfull of hay, and a few grains of rice (raw).
Use a jar that you can seal and throw away when they've finished!

Thanks for those ideas. No paramecium today! Maybe next week... or next term... or next year!

Following on from this thread I found....I have just had a request for growing paramecium. It is pretty much the same as described here, but I am a bit confused. Will the paramecium just grow from hay or spinach leaves (as I have been asked to get), or is this just the culture medium to grow them in.
Hope someone can clear up my ignorance before I talk to the teacher!

Hi pkij
You need the pondwater as a starter. I tried to just use hay and nothing happened.
Don't use too much hay though.
Now I have a couple of conical flasks on the window shelf and they have produced "little critters" for more than a year. I've usually got a "black" thumb (everything I touch dies) so that's good for me.
Regards
Sue G

I have always used pond water (or fish tank water) and oat flakes (no hay), but the labbie before me had boiled tap water with a little hay, cool, leave it with hay in it for a couple of days and add a VERY few flakes of oats. It takes about a week, but you should get paramecium growing.
Good luck

Lada

How do you know when the paramecium are growing? What do you look for?

Lorrae,
around the flakes of oats you will see slimy, cotton like white suspension and if you take some out by plastic transfer pipette, put a drop on microslide and look under microscope.Use slide with cavity, if you have any. Lots of little fast moving microorganisms, most will be paramecium.
Happy hunting

Lada

Hi Rosalie,
just found this web site with very specific instructions using grated cucumber.
e-aquarium.com.au/paramecium-culture.htm

Probably the process using hay, oats, rice would be similar.
Whenever i set up a culture, usually takes more than a week. I think the pond water doesn't have much 'oompf' in it. sometimes if i can't get pond water, I'll use tank water (read non-chlorinated water). that takes even longer!

Hope it works for you...and yes mine does stink for a while but try to keep it well aerated (shake well).

Good luck
Shas

Hi
How long can you keep the infusion going? Do you have to add more of anything after the initial set-up, to keep it going for a long time?
I'm just starting my first ever hay infusion today.... quite excited ... hope I get lots of critters . We have a small creek running through the school so am going to use water from that - or would I be better using fish pond water?
Kathryn

Gosh! I just use grass clippings whenever I need some. I just soak a handful overnight, and there they are! Maybe it's a climate thing?

Only time it ever failed was when some evil bacteria(?) invaded my beautiful critters. In the morning, there were lots of greeblies swimming around, and by the afternoon there were only green rod shaped bizzos, and some dead, empty skins that used to contain a paramecium.

It sure is a climate thing, because I had some growing last week in incubator ( 25oC), but left them on the bench over weekend, ALL dead. Must be too cold for them

Lada

so do I need to put my infusion in the incubator rather than just on the bench?
Kathryn

I would, because temp in my prep room dropped to 12oC over wekend, and everything died. Maybe a coincidence, but I am not sure. This has never happened before, but I am sure we did this in warmer weather.
Lada