Re: [Killietalk] Grindel Worm Question

["Dennis Heltzel" <killies at fishroom_net>]

I use paradichlorobenzene also, but for me it works great on the flies,
not so well for the mites. I guess we must be doing something different.

I have decided that the mites aren't so bad, so I just ignore them. The
fish like the mites just fine, as the "strain" I have sink quite nicely.
When I see the mite population building up to the point that the worms are
affected, then I know that it's time to divide the culture. After
splitting the culture the mites almost all vanish overnight. I suspect the
worms eat their carcasses because the worm population explodes and I can
harvest from the new culture within a day or 2 of splitting it. Over time,
the conditions seems to shift from favoring worms to favoring mites and
when the culture gets overrun with mites, then I either toss it or split
it.

This system works so well for me that I never bother with any other live
food at all. I feed the baby grindals to the fry and the larger fish get
the larger grindals. Newly split cultures also seem to produce more large
worms and fewer babies, so I try to keep cultures in various states all
the time.

> I got rid of the mites by using paradichlorobenzene (moth crystals), but
> that
> did not get rid of the little flies. The zippered pillow case did that. Do
> not use naphthalene or camphor moth crystals. I got mine at the Dollar
> store and
> also at the Ace hardware store. I wrapped a few crystals in aluminum foil,
> poked a couple pin holes in the foil and put it on the glass that rests on
> the substrate and within a few weeks, no mites.

-- 
Dennis Heltzel
Keystone Killy Group
SE Pennsylvania, USA
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