Re: KillieTalk Digest V2 #241

[George Slusarczuk <yurko at warwick_net>]

Hi Mike,

I just recently posted "on the other net" a method for Tubifex worm
culture. It works quite well, but you have to realize, that what we lump
together as "Tubifex", can be several dozen *different species*. What
works with the critters I have, might not work with the species you
have. But here goes:

My current method is quite similar to your friend's: I boil and decant
garden peat moss about four times, to reduce acidity. Unboiled peat
apparently is too acidic -- in my hands the worms die in it. Put about
1/2-1" of the peat on the bottom and add Tubifex. I have *very light*
aeration to take care of overfeeding.

I feed them a mixture of 1 part dry skim milk (get the cheapest variety,
preferably NOT in foil packs), 1 part rye flour and 1 part dry cat food.
(Inexpensive or rancid fish food can be substituted for cat food. It
floats better & distributes more evenly on the surface.) I grind the cat
food in a meat grinder, sieve it, then mix the three ingredients.

In a 10-gal tank, about half full, a teaspoon/day of the "magic mix" is
about right. For maximum production you want the water to be cloudy, but
NOT anaerobic or to smell!  

You can harvest in about 3-4 weeks, as soon as clumps of red worms poke
their "heads" out of the peat (actually, I believe, it's their tails).
It might take longer than 4 weeks. I value them, because cultured
Tubifex are almost 100% certain to be free of any fish pathogens (or so
I think!).

Best,

George S



> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 00:46:16 EDT
> From: BigMat55 at aol_com
> Subject: Re: KillieTalk Digest V2 #240
> 
> Personally I have never heard about the potato trick.  why not try it with a
> small protion of worms, see what happens and let the rest of us know how it
> works out.
> 
> Now about the other situation.  Was this fellow cultivating the worms or just
> keeping them alive in the ten gallon tank set-up?  I think many of us would be
> intereested in a successful way of cultivating tubifex or black worms on an
> ongoing basis if it didn't get to smelly.
> 
> Thanks,
> Mike
>

---

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