Red wiggler storage.... some advice

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
I raise red wigglers for fish food and have for a long time done so in styro fish boxes...works great...punch a few drainage hole and you are good to go.

Been busy this week so I neglected the box... and just went down to the garage to put some scraps in the box....and there worms everywhere....I lift the lid and they are massed up in bunches along the lid....whats more is theres a few seedlings growing in the box..I go to dig thru the bedding and see if its wet...and next thing I know a gray fuzz ball scurries over my hand! what the heck is a mouse doing in there?..

It had chewed a hole thru the back of the box and was stock piling food in ..The little thief had store away about a cup of cat food as well as various other seeds... sure...it had a gourmet meal going on in there.. I'm going to have fire my two fishroom cats.

so my advice...styros are great...just be sure the place is mouse free!:mad:
-al

[pcsb23]

I bet that made you jump! ;) and I'll bet next time you'll give it a prod or 2 before stcking your hand in there, I know I would :)

Thanks Al, needed a smile!

[Ardan]

LOL:D Would have scared me too.:D
Ardan

[brewmaster15]

The mouse itself didnt bother me much...but the masses of worms ....almost 6 lbs worth trying to escape the box was pretty bad. I can only guess that between the big pile of damp rotting catfood and the Mouse urine...the box was loaded with ammonia.:(

That mouse cost me quite a bit of $$$


-al

[hexed]

Al,
I had asked the owner of my LFS if he would save me a fish cooler cause I wanted to start a red wiggler culture (I gave you all the ones I had LOL). He told me not to use the styro cooler cause it will leach into the culture from the moisture. If I wanted to use it I would have to line the cooler with a plastic clear bag.
I do remember years back, my father was cleaning the 20 gallon tank and he put all the goldfish into the cooler and when he was done he went to get the fish and all were dead. He was told that the toxins from the styro cooler leached into the water and killed the fish.
Well anyways, he told me to use a plastic one. Does anyone know if this is true? I don't want to start a culture in one and then kill my fish cause the toxins were in the worms :(

[Kindredspirit]

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_19_7.gif


Oh Al ~ you really just stick your hand in there? All the time? Are you crazy? I could never do that ~ this lady at our lfs did just that the other day ~ stuck her hand ....both of em ~ into the sink and up they came covered in worms! ( no mouse:) )

Ugh!


Marie ~ :coffee:

[Cosmo]

I used to raise red wigglers in tupperware bins, with quite a few small holes drilled in the top and sides (above the peat line), and a couple in the bottom for drainage. They thrived in there so long as I remembered to feed them and moisten the peat occassionally.

Jim

[LizStreithorst]

I don't know about the styros leaching. These are my favorite red wigler containers. I have 3.

[korbi_doc]

:) That's a neat one Liz, I have a few (dozen?) left from the move, so that's what I'll be using also....did you put holes in sides/bottom? Thought I'd put 1 box with holes inside the other for drainage maybe? Heard that the "tea" is good fertilizer too....would this work? What did you use for compost? I haven't been here long enough for the horses to have made enough for me, although if I cleaned out the stalls, probably would have enough, lol.......Dottie ;)

[LizStreithorst]

Yes Dottie, I put holes in the bottom. I use peat moss as the main bedding. I don't add enough water to the culture make "tea". Even with drainage holes the worms would find it too damp. When there is little left of the bedding but worm castings, I move the worms to new bedding and use the castings as fertilizer around my fruit trees.
BTW, feed your worms horse poop and they will love you forever.