Description
This article is from the Aquaria:
Food FAQ, by Oleg Kiselev, Don Wilson, and Steve Bartling.
10 Earthworms
Uses:
Feeding of medium and large fish (over 4" long).
Culturing:
To raise earthworms cheaply and easily:
1. Build a box out of wood (any size is fine, a bigger box =
more worms) (apartment dwellers can make do with a 1' x 1' x
8" box)
1. Attach the top with two cheap hinges.
2. Drill/cut two 2-inch holes in the front of the box in
such a way as to line up the bottom of the hole with the
bottom of the inside of the box
3. Paint the box with any outdoor rated, oil based paint.
4. Place a small piece of fine plastic screen against holes
that were drilled/cut. Make sure the screen is placed on
the inside of the box. Firmly nail the screen into
place. The screen will allow the box to drain, but will
not allow the worms to escape.
The box is now complete.
2. prepare the box for worms
1. Buy enough peat moss from a garden supply store or
nursery to fill up the box (remember the peat moss will
compact after it gets soaking wet).
2. Place the peat moss in the box and completely soak the
peat moss (stir it up until it is uniformly wet).
3. Get 6 bricks.
4. Place one brick at each front corner and two bricks at
each rear corner so that the box slopes forward and can
drain from the holes.
5. Place a pan under the holes to catch the future runoff
(unless the box is placed outside). Note, after worms
are growing, the runoff is great for plants.
3. Now, for the worms
1. Go buy three or four boxes of the smallest worms that
can be found at a fish and tackle shop.
2. Put the worms in the box
3. Buy some corn meal (a small bag will last forever). This
is all the worms need for adequate nutrition.
4. Every three or four days, sprinkle a light layer of corn
meal on top of the peat moss. Note: before each new
layer is applied, use a small, tined garden hand tool to
stir up the peat moss and to mix the corn meal left over
from the previous feeding into the peat moss.
5. After about a month, there will be literally millions of
worms ranging in size from tiny little young worms to
fully adult worms. The baby worms can be used for small
fish and very young fish, while the larger worms will
easily satisfy the live food requirements of even the
most ravenous large fish.
6. This is an infinitely renewable resource, which is
difficult to overharvest!
7. The peat moss must be kept damp by periodic watering.
Don't over water! Do not allow it to dry out! The worms
will die QUICKLY if the peat moss dries out.
Fortunately, peat moss retains water very well, and
watering is rarely needed.
8. The worms must not be allowed to freeze. The worms and
the worm box will not smell and can be kept in garages
or closets during the winter. The worms do not like
being baked in the full evening sun in the summer (they
will be killed). Place them in a shady location if they
are left outside.
9. keep the lid closed, worms like it dark.
4. Other uses for Earthworms--
1. Potted plants love earthworms!!
2. Gardens love earthworms!!
3. Lawns love earthworms!!
Sources:
the backyard, bait shops, gardening shops, gardens, aquarium
clubs.
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Tags
aquaria, fish, acquarium, tank, live food
