RE: White worm culture

["Dennis Heltzel" <dennis at fishroom_net>]

I suppose this is proof that people have different opinions and different
experiences!

Tish, you can try getting rid of the mites as RJ suggested, if it works,
great (and tell us what finally worked for you), if it doesn't, don't toss
out the culture in dispair -- try the "live and let live" approach myself
and others use. All this is great personal experience that will pay off
later.

Everyone has different parameters for their fishkeeping and that has
direct impact on what works for them. I am tolerant of the mites in my
fish room, but I despise the fungus gnats and winged fruit flies because
they show up in other parts of the house and disrupt the "domestic
harmony". I've heard of someone in Hawaii who raises dart frogs in wire
cages and puts a piece of fruit in each cages to lure the winged fruit
flies into the cage. No doubt he lives alone and eats out a lot !

Dennis

> Hi Dennis,
>
> I agree there is a strong inverse correlation between the mite
> population and worm production. The same is true of midges and fruit
> flies.
>
> Last summer I had a culture infested by the flying beasties. Instead of
> 2 tablespoons of worms I collected about half dozen bug larvae every
> day. Eventually I caught all of the bugs and the culture is performing
> well again.
>
> I am not sure that I can prove this either way, but I suspect that the
> high bug population is the cause of the worm cultures problem not a
> symptom.
>
> I would advise Tricia that Mites, springtails, midges and fruit flies
> are the enemy of successful worm culture. Kill them! Show no mercy nor
> give them quarter. Eradicate them now while you still have the chance.
> Tricia should wipe them out now before they are in all of her cultures
> and she will never get rid of them. Before I got rid of my mites I
> flooded my cultures every 2 months or so to kill off the vermin. What a
> mess! And it never got rid of them. Within the next month or so they
> repopulated the culture and worm production diminished.
>
> Peace,
>
> ~RJ~




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