Seeking for Worms

[mozaqua]

2 weeks is ridiculous, when it should last at least 2 months!! What are you using for the re-sub? I've found that a thick oatmeal mix (so thick that when you flip it upside-down, nothing will drop) plus pure worms, swabbed from the sides and clean of old medium, yields the best result.

When a layer of what appears to be 'mold skin' forms on the surface, I'd use a spoon and give the medium a good mix (by this time, it's usually a slurry). Incidentally, every time I swirl the mix, a population boom will follow.

One more thing... since microworms live mostly near the surface, a 6inch thick oatmeal mix isn't gonna make a d@mn difference when ONE inch will do. Microworm cultures need to breathe too and fruit flies love 'em!! If you hate the sight of wriggling maggots (which I use as food anyway), stuff the breathing holes with cotton (or a bigger hole, sealed with those fancy breathable micro-thin bandages).

Ron, the grindals are on the way. Lots of big ones producing well.

Well, I believe the problem in my new place is mold (the fuzzy kind, not "skin"). Probably due to poor ventilation in the room. My old place the micro worms would last much longer! Good idea about the cotton filled holes, I will give that one a try. Since I don't want flies reproducing indoors. No, I do not use 6" of anything... Just a spoonful per 250ml container, so about 75% of the container is air with holes at the top too!

Eek! You may as well be adding salt (sodium chloride). As the bicarbonate is used up only the sodium ion remain. This will make life very difficult for any little worm.

Never the less, your "hardened peat" experience is interesting. Maybe it is an aeration problem.

I use white bread. Put a slice in a tub. Pour over a little yeast mixed with sugar water and add a bit of culture. When the slice is gone, add another... You can continue for a few slices until the culture sours. This method doesn't stink, which is great! You can keep it in your fishroom.

Tyrone, I don't add the sodium bicarbonate anymore as it does nothing for the culture. I was just trying to explain that PH is not a big issue for the Grindal worms like many people believe, as they seem to be tolerant.

On another note, I have tried different additives to the microworms cereal mix. I have tried adding salt (recommended by the guy on skepticalaquarist.com) but not increase or decrease in production. Also tried baking soda, vinegar, and just plain cereal. I found the plain cereal was most productive initially, while the culture with a dash of vinegar lasted longer than the control (plain cereal). Sea salt (17ppt mix with water before mixed with cereal)/ soda showed slower initial production and lasted roughly the same amount of time as the control. I do use bread yeast, a small amount sprinkled on the cereal.

The bread yeast is Active, which is alive! I put it on the cereal and it grows. You need to keep the yeast in the freezer to prevent it from going bad. Bread yeast needs warm conditions to start growing though. So maybe not great for cold climates.

[RonWill]

...the grindals are on the way. Lots of big ones producing well

Mosiah, I'll keep an eye open and update once it arrives. I'm planning to re-sub two cultures from there; one done similar to my previous synthetic media types and the second, like Kai's... so compact!! Looks like my Chrom SPP Tiko will be in for a treat! Thanks!

[mozaqua]

Mosiah, I'll keep an eye open and update once it arrives. I'm planning to re-sub two cultures from there; one done similar to my previous synthetic media types and the second, like Kai's... so compact!! Looks like my Chrom SPP Tiko will be in for a treat! Thanks!

Well, I will try the green scrubby on top of some peat and see if that helps with the harvesting. Really have not had much problems harvesting these guys with the traditional method. Since I don't feed them to adult fish, only mid sized fry.

Oh, the Moina are doing well now (knock on wood they don't crash). Started the 3rd culture today. Initially I used a spare tank with some Ramshorn snails, then added a bit of melted sugar to the water. The sugar promoted a cloud of fermenting bacteria, which the Moina seemed to like! Still have not been able to grow green water in my new place, but if the Moina are happy eating bacteria, great!

[mozaqua]

Hello Ronnie,

It was suggested to me to use brewers yeast, though champagne would probably work too. What is important is that the yeast are alive (and not dead like for bakers yeast) as they have to grow and feed the microworms (which eat them).
ll

Tyrone,
Have you ever tried Phaffia yeast? I hear it has natural color enhancing astaxanthin as well as being high in fatty acids like algae.
Not sure how it is grown, or where to find it though. I see one distributor sells the dead yeast, but I don't care much for that.

Speaking of algae, I am ordering a couple diff types from Florida Aqua Farms, not sure when it will arrive though. Also getting some Rotifer cyst for those difficult to feed smaller killies like Fp. filamentosus which I have some more eggs to hatch later
Hopefully starting a pure Rotifer culture from the cyst will avoid getting the predators in the mix.

Ron, if your there.. Did you ever get those worms?? Hope there was not any problems, I put them in lots of packaging.

[RonWill]

Ron, if your there.. Did you ever get those worms?? Hope there was not any problems, I put them in lots of packaging.

Yeah, Mo, I'm still here and should have gotten back to you sooner but am currently kept busy with work and my parrots in breeding season.

The grindals arrived ok. Took a while to have them stable and eating, mostly clearing the food in about 3 days. When I had to start replenishing the food (fish flakes, pellets, oat etc) on alternate days, I asked my friend (and killie backup) to re-sub and continue with the culturing. I understand that both cultures are stable now with synthetic media.

I was in touch with another friend and just realized he has 5 thriving cultures going. Guess we're pretty safe on grindals for now.

[Wackytpt]

Ron,

Long time no see.

Now you into parrots?

[RonWill]

Ya, Nick. Mostly parrots and staghorn ferns. Have cockatiel chicks in my boxes and platycerium sporophytes in my fish tanks!!

Swing by sometime for coffee and we can chat more then. Meanwhile, let's return this thread to the wormies!

[mozaqua]

Yeah, Mo, I'm still here and should have gotten back to you sooner but am currently kept busy with work and my parrots in breeding season.

The grindals arrived ok. Took a while to have them stable and eating, mostly clearing the food in about 3 days. When I had to start replenishing the food (fish flakes, pellets, oat etc) on alternate days, I asked my friend (and killie backup) to re-sub and continue with the culturing. I understand that both cultures are stable now with synthetic media.

I was in touch with another friend and just realized he has 5 thriving cultures going. Guess we're pretty safe on grindals for now.

Ok, sounds like fun
Maybe your parrots would enjoy a wormie snack?
They are omnivores right?

Every time I go to buy some live food for my killies, I see the tub of mealworms being eaten by wild finches (or maybe those are her pets, the lady does not seem to mind)

[mozaqua]

I use white bread. Put a slice in a tub. Pour over a little yeast mixed with sugar water and add a bit of culture. When the slice is gone, add another... You can continue for a few slices until the culture sours. This method doesn't stink, which is great! You can keep it in your fishroom.

Just recently tried a similar method: Bread + Beer. Works GREAT!
I was very skeptical about a "practical" waste of good beer, but a little goes a long way! Also no bad smell, and the culture starts quickly, and does not crash quickly.
Of course I drank the beer that did not get used