Culturing live feed

[fishguy1978]

We all feed some form of frozen worm but a live form is often needed to trigger spawning. The hurricanes of 2023 wiped out the black worm production in Florida. Aquarium Paradise is unable to source currently.
I found the following article about propagating them at home.
Select Aquatics

 

[clownie]

We all feed some form of frozen worm but a live form is often needed to trigger spawning. The hurricanes of 2023 wiped out the black worm production in Florida. Aquarium Paradise is unable to source currently.
I found the following article about propagating them at home.
Select Aquatics

here's another https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWQTPv2mxC4

 

[fishguy1978]

here's another

I definitely think that would be for more simple than Select Aquatics method.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

With my daphnia and such cultures exploding, including blood worms. I'm wondering if it might be worth splitting a culture to see how some do outside, maybe start an annual culture. It's nice letting nature do nature sometimes. I can't keep a culture alive indoors, but given time nature creates the conditions needed for this kind of stuff.

 

[fishguy1978]

I have 4 grindal worm cultures started. I'm feeding them a floating cichlid pellet that would be wasted otherwise. The starter culture is in coconut fiber and dirt and going crazy. I need to figure out a way of removing the bulk of the worms and discarding the soil. The other cultures are growing in kitchen scrubber pads similar to scotch brite.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

With black soldier fly larvae, I just put them in water, pour off the debris, repeat, then strain them once clean with a metal screen coffee filter. Might need to put a paper filter under to separate the small ones to return.
Sometimes I use a pair of small feeding tongs and just pluck them from the bottom.

 

[fishguy1978]

With black soldier fly larvae, I just put them in water, pour off the debris, repeat, then strain them once clean with a metal screen coffee filter. Might need to put a paper filter under to separate the small ones to return.
Sometimes I use a pair of small feeding tongs and just pluck them from the bottom.

I ended up dumping the starter in the bottom of one of my larger containers and placing the scrubber pads on top. The worms should migrate to the surface for food and I should be able to remove them that way, maybe.
I'll try rinsing the dirt to in a couple days.

 

[fishguy1978]

 

[FishBeast]

Ingenious!

 

[fishguy1978]

Ingenious!

Not original to me. There are several hobbyists on YouTube that are keeping worms this way.

 

[FishBeast]

Not original to me. There are several hobbyists on YouTube that are keeping worms this way.

Where did you get your starter?

 

[fishguy1978]

Where did you get your starter?

CL person in Lynnwood. It was worth the drive because I was able to snag the Guianacura sp on the same trip.
I'm trying to get my culture large enough to split with other south sound hobbyists.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Bloodworms are doing great right now in the outdoor tubs. All my outdoor tubs are producing this year. Guess loading them up with moss from the vernal pond was a good idea lol I'll take a video when the sun hits the tubs in a bit and I harvest breakfast. Mosquito are going nuts too. Haven't fed much flakes to the Endlers lately lol

 

[lloyd378]

I think it’s great that you are raising these up! I get mine frozen, but maybe some day I may think about raising some up like you’re doing.

 

[fishguy1978]