red wigglers

[gary1218]

How do you guys kill off all the little bugs that grow along with the worms? I have these little round bugs about the size of the head of a needle that seem to be multipling quicker than the worms.

GARY

[JimmyL]

Apart from the traditional way of keeping red wrigglers. I keep them differently without drain hole to allow an open area for the juice to accumulate on one side of the container and a dry area on the other side if they prefer. That will do 3 things.
1. Eliminate fruit fries by drowning them.
2. Eliminate white mites.(That's what you trying to get rid of)
3. Allow worms to have a swim for easy picking, clean and washed.
Red Wrigglers love water and adult worms gether in the water, skinny dipping and have wild group sex party.
I have found worms in unused aquarium that have not been used for weeks. Never knew they can survive under water for a long time and they love to swim. Not the night crawlers. They will drown. So I create a swimming pool for them for the purpose of killing the fruit fries and surprisingly they thrive on it. I've not had fruit fries and white mites infestation. No need to look for them either. They are right there in the water gether in a big mass for easy picking.HTH
Jimmy

[raglanroad]

very nice info, JimmyL.
I have heard of the almost magic power of these worms to heal disease (hole-in-head), and the poop or slime seems to heal excema on the human skin, or at least something in there is supposed to do that.
In addition, I fed a few to my Tropheus, and they seemed to spawn before their more regular spawning readiness happened. After spawning, the 2 continued in the mating actions for a week. But the spawn was the smallest ever for that female, only 5 compared to her usual 14.
One wiggler that escaped in the sink came back up a few days later, after much hot soapy water, looking nice and clean!

[JimmyL]

That's all my breeders are getting in their spawning tank. Clean and no mess. Help egg production too. one worm per fish per day. no need for water change until fry are free swimmers. My method will eliminate the worse enemy in the worm bin. Fruit fry will drown in open water. White mites as well. But the worms love it wet.
Jimmy

[ed8t]

Red Wrigglers love water and adult worms gether in the water, skinny dipping and have wild group sex party.


LOL - Yes Jimmy, very good information. I'll see if I can get a pool going as well...but until I can get it built, can I send some of mine over to your place for some R & R? ;)

[fshngal]

We also keep them in a peat moss water mixture in the back yard, this timeof year and the garage in winter. No bugs, mites, etc.

No stink either.

Mary

[gary1218]

I may have inadvertantly solved my problem. This weekend I was planning on changing over my worm bins to the way Jimmy is doing it, no holes on the bottom of the bin and tilted so that all the juices collect at one end. Since Jimmy said his worms collect in the juices and are easy to collect to feed to the fish I decided in the meantime to just put a shallow bowl of water in the center of the worm culture to see if the worms would go to it. When I looked in the worm bin this morning there weren't any worms in the water bowl but the little bugs were all making a mad dash to go for a swim. There were already a large number of the bugs drown :) I'm going to keep the water bowl in there to see if it eventually collects them all.

GARY

[JimmyL]

HI Gary: Put yourself in the position of a worm... getting yourself all dirty in your own casting.... Will you be so classy and clean yourself up in a bowl. Climb up to the top of the bowl. cross over the sharp edge...(They hate sharpe objects) causing pain on your soft body.. and go for a swim. They expose themselves openly mainly because of a special drive in nature.....sex, sex, sex and sex...They only expose themselves in an area where they can retreat in their shelter in case of danger or some peeping tom open the lid and see a unisex activities in action... No way they will go in there. If it work in a small bowl, Would it be better if you have an open section where they can retreat just in case of danger. I put a samll sponge in the water so that some can hide underneath. All I have to do is to lift the sponge up and collect them to feed my fish. HTH
Jimmy.

[Jason]

lol Jimmy, mine have seem to be doing alot better since I've been keeping the cultures really wet, almost mucky.

[gary1218]

Thanks Jimmy, it was just a thought. Actually I think I'm happier about all the bugs going for a swim and drowning than I am about the worms crawling in there :)

I do like your idea about the sponge.

GARY