these are NOT the silvers that have been around or awhile (they are much, much smaller. < 1/2 of the size of whites) while i dont doubt others have some pearls in tanks as unintentional viv occupants, i have seen no evidence that these were cultured prior to my attempts. the fact that you culture them on charcoal, alone, leads me to believe we are talking about different sp.. ive tried on several occasions to culture the pearls on charcoal, as did my former roommate, with NO success (cultures crashed immediately). conditions were the same as those used with great success for whites.
anyway, its sort of an off topic discussion since i was trying specifically to get feedback from those i sent out cultures to, or people who have gotten cultures split from the ones i sent out, and not start a discussion on the possibility of other un-IDs being pearls. although i do appreciate your input.
james