Whiteworm Culture Media

[Dragooness]

Having some issues finding information, hoping someone here can shed some light. With the quarantine my options are extremely limited..

Anyone with experience, is this soil safe to use? Ingredients : Processed Pine Bark, Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Reed Sedge Peat, Sand and/or Compressed Rice Hulls, Perlite and Limestone

If not, is there anything else I can use? The culture will arrive in a few days!

 

[Flyfisher]

Hi Dragooness, I have white worm cultures. I can’t see any problems with the ingredients in that soil mixture. What are you worried about?
I would remove any large chunks of anything big . I have a plastic mesh that sits on top . It’s handy if the soil is reasonable flat without a chunk of wood sticking up.

Getting the soil to stay damp without being muddy is kind of important. I suggest you start wetting the soil now as potting mix can be a bit hydro phobic.

 

[Flyfisher]

Edit.
Why not start 2 or 3 containers from the culture straight away in other old soil / potting mix.
I feed dry cat food ( chicken) that has been in water for two minutes. It’s important to feed more cat food every couple of days once you get the numbers of worms they are hungry creatures.

 

[Dragooness]

This is my first culture, didn't want to kill them right off the bat! I've only done brine shrimp and guppy fry as feeders, this is new.

Ill remove the chunks, Should I bake the soil, or boil it? I have these handy tupperware containers I plan on using. The manner they stack allows me to hole them all on the top and still be able to stack them, I am a bit tight on space!

Cat food? Thats easier than the oatmeal recommended.

I am getting some walter worms as well, any advice?

Any other recommended feeders for my nano fish/inverts?

My hope is to be able to offer some live cultures locally, no on here has any.

Thank you SO much!

 

[Flyfisher]

There may be some confusion on common names in this post?
I am sure there are many different white worms being cultured in the hobby.
It might be best to follow the instructions given with whatever you are being sold.
Oatmeal you say ? That sounds more like micro worm food?
Here is what I find .in size from smallest to biggest.
Vinegar eels. Micro worms, grindle worms then white worms.
Vinegar eels clearly live in vinegar eating apples. Micro worms can be on white bread .oatmeal or instant potatoe and eating yeast.
There seems to be local names for grindle worms and at least two kinds of white worms. Some videos show white worms being kept in a refrigerator however the white worms or grindle worms we have in Australia are happy with 26 degrees centigrade / 78f.
I know nothing of Walter worms not by that name.

The potting mix I have came straight out of a garden pot , no oven baking.
The holes in the plastic Tupperware should be made with a red hot pin so they are as small as possible. This will keep small flies out.

Cat food is dry pellets of chicken. I have seen local club members use the cheap red green and brown dry pellets. II am actually using dry kitten pellets now that I think about it.

Wither you use oatmeal,white bread or instant potatoes for micro worms you need to reset the culture before they fill it with poop and poison themselves. About a month between resets?

Grindle worms or white worms many months on potting mix but they need feeding often. Every 4 days is best if you don’t feed the after a fortnight you might lose the culture?

It’s almost 5 am my time but here are a couple of snapshots.

 

[Flyfisher]

A second photo

 

[Dragooness]

My bad, I got micros and walters the whiteworms where out of stock!

 

[Flyfisher]

Bake it if you want to. Boiling it will leave it to wet for immediate use. I didn’t bother with anything like that they are worms after all.

 

[Flyfisher]

Joining my local aquarium club/ Society has helped me . We are able to give each other cultures when someone looses one by being slack.

 

[Dragooness]

We really don't have one here... I will look around again though, maybe its changed.