# whiteworm cultures



## niknaksky (23 Feb 2011)

Hi all,

Just received a whiteworm culture but have no compost to put them in as the seller did not warn that he was sending them out.

So i was wondering could i use some prorep tortoise soil ?
It sounds like a good idea it is sand and soil mixed with limestone.
The worms dont like acidic soil so the limestone should help.

So should I try it or wait until tomorrow to get the compost?


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## dw1305 (24 Feb 2011)

Hi all,


> prorep tortoise soil


 Yes you can use any type of "potting compost" etc. as long as it isn't too acidic. I use 1 litre ice cream tubs, although bigger containers would be useful. Just feed the media (moistened porridge oats are fine) under a square of plastic on top of the compost.  The compost should be moist, but not wet. White worms don't like high temperatures and aren't very productive, so unless you really need larger worms? you may find their little brother - "Grindal worms" are much easier to look after.

cheers Darrel


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## niknaksky (24 Feb 2011)

Thamks mate.

Just got home from work and they was trying to escape.
I transfered them to a 2 litre icecream tub but when i got home and took the lid off there was hundreds round the rim.
Any idea ?
They are in the out house which is quite cool.


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## nayr88 (24 Feb 2011)

I find these culture worms really cool, what type of worm would be good for apistogramma size fish Rams ect?

Cheers


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## niknaksky (25 Feb 2011)

I bought a few apistos from mark breeze and he feeds his whiteworms so I thought I would give them a go and my a.caca's seem to love them.


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## nayr88 (25 Feb 2011)

Sounds good, does he have a website?
Cheers mate


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## niknaksky (25 Feb 2011)

I will PM you mate


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## dw1305 (28 Feb 2011)

Hi all,


> I transfered them to a 2 litre icecream tub but when i got home and took the lid off there was hundreds round the rim.


 Compost might have been a bit wet or possibly too alkaline? or possibly you needed a few more air holes in the lid (but you shouldn't need very many). I'd mix in a bit of ordinary potting compost (if you can't find any potting compost, buy a growing Basil/Parsley plant from Sainsburys etc., throw away the Basil plants, and tip the compost in). 

Just mop the worms up with a paint brush and transfer them to the top of the compost. They should congregate under the plastic where the food is.



> I bought a few apistos from mark breeze and he feeds his whiteworms so I thought I would give them a go and my a.caca's seem to love them.


 You can't get a better recommendation for _Apistogrammas_ than Mark Breeze, he is the famous "microman" and probably the UK's leading Apisto keeper. Grindals are smaller than Whiteworms, but other wise they are very similar (they are both Annelids, so like "little earth-worms") and as you've found Apistos love them both. Have a look on the BCA forum if you are interested in dwarf cichlids.

cheers Darrel


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## RudeDogg1 (1 Mar 2011)

I've set up 2 cultures like the American bloke on YouTube with the plastic mesh over the food. How long does it take fefor u can harvest some? There's loads in the soils and under the food just not many on the sides and on the mesh yet. It's only been running since last weds or thurs mind


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## dw1305 (1 Mar 2011)

Hi all,
You just need to keep on feeding them, make sure you top it up as soon as the food has gone (I have the Grindals by the aquarium, and look at them morning and evening when I take a small wipe from each tub, and put it in the tank for the fish). The White-worms are in a cupboard in a cooler room. 

The Grindal cultures grow quicker than the Whiteworms, and after about 10 days you should have a thick mass of worms under the cover (I've only ever used glass or plastic). The White worms took about a month to get going but now they are a really thick layer. 

Both worm cultures should look like this when you start feeding them to the fish: 




 

You should be able to keep them at about that density for several months, after that the culture will go sour, productivity will drop off, and need re-starting. If you find that the number of worms dwindles as you feed them, start another culture until you have enough cultures so that feeding doesn't really case them to dwindle in number. If you start harvesting too early the culture will never really get going and won't be anything like as productive. If I'm away for a few days I feed them with "rolled oats" rather than "instant  porridge oats" as these take longer to be eaten. I tried feeding the cultures with dry cat food ("Go-Cat"), but that ended up as a horrible smelly mess, so I've stuck to "Ready Brek"/ rolled oats  ever since.

You can prolong the culture life by adding some Red worms (_Lumbricus rubella_), but you will need to thin these out fairly regularly as they tend to take over otherwise. I also have mixed Red/Grindal/Microworm cultures, and although these need a little bit more management they are still pretty low maintenance.

cheers Darrel


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## RudeDogg1 (1 Mar 2011)

this is the method ive tried http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhWPNhI8 ... re=related


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## dw1305 (3 Mar 2011)

Hi all,
That looks all right as a method, traditionally you always fed White worms with milk soaked bread, but Rolled Oats are a lot easier to manage. 
cheers Darrel


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## RudeDogg1 (3 Mar 2011)

What do u do with the oats soak them in water? I'm just using bread and rice at the mo


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## dw1305 (3 Mar 2011)

Hi all,


> What do u do with the oats soak them in water?


 Yes moisten them in the culture looks a bit dry, and sprinkle them on top if it looks a bit wet. I'm now keeping my cultures drier than I used to, just damp enough so the worms adhere to the glass. The only exception to this is the Red Worms, I'm now keeping them really damp, and they do a lot better.

cheers Darrel


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