Stinky microworm cultures

[gabysapha]

I've read online that microworm cultures shouldn't smell "bad" after a week.

Well, mine smell like sour milk/mothballs after 6 days or so.
I use uncooked oatmeal, water, and about 8 grains of yeast in each small gladware container. I keep 4 going at a time.

I would like to reculture twice a week, but i never have enough microworms climbing on the sides of the jar to make a reculture happen without transferring the old culture media.

Any ideas or input on your culturing techniques that keep the yield up but the smell down?? Thanks!!!

 

[mfdrookie516]

I kept a lid on mine with a tiny hole punched in the top (because I had some blow off and shoot across the room before adding a hole). It would stink... kind of a vinegar like smell. Pretty nasty really... but only when the lid was off. I never smelled them until I was ready to get some out.

I never had many worms for the first week or two, but after that, there would be lots and lots. Once the oatmeal started to look moldy, I'd scrape the top layer off and get a new culture from the bottom. I kept 4 containers going so that I'd always have a good supply.

 

[gabysapha]

I kept a lid on mine with a tiny hole punched in the top (because I had some blow off and shoot across the room before adding a hole). It would stink... kind of a vinegar like smell. Pretty nasty really... but only when the lid was off. I never smelled them until I was ready to get some out.

I never had many worms for the first week or two, but after that, there would be lots and lots. Once the oatmeal started to look moldy, I'd scrape the top layer off and get a new culture from the bottom. I kept 4 containers going so that I'd always have a good supply.

Thanks for the input! Yeah they dont smell bad at all until i open it and... Well, eww.
I used to get a lot more mold when the oatmeal was drier on the surface. Now i make sure there's a thin film of liquid on the surface and it helps.

 

[Unicorrs]

I have problems too with the smell. It came to a point when my neighbor confronted me about it, because I put the worms at the back of our house.

But thanks for this, I'm going to try it too

 

[jetajockey]

I get much better culture growth by using a lot of yeast, I usually put a thin layer of yeast across the top.

As far as the smell goes, It smells a bit better if you use an oatmeal mix that has sugar in it, like the instant oatmeal packages, but otherwise I've never found another way to reduce the smell, it'd probably help a lot to pick a different media but oatmeal seems to be about as good as it gets.

 

[gabysapha]

Oh ill try more yeast today then. I was afraid more yeast would create more smellyness.

I read about a guy who used instant mashed potatoes as a medium! He said the fish liked it, perhaps because he used garlic and herb potatoes. If i were a fish I would prefer it to oatmeal

And It may make the worms smell a little nicer...

 

[jetajockey]

One thing that I have been messing with is adding fish food into the culture. It seems to work out fine, but using NLS thera+a pellets makes the culture smell strongly of garlic.

 

[gabysapha]

One thing that I have been messing with is adding fish food into the culture. It seems to work out fine, but using NLS thera+a pellets makes the culture smell strongly of garlic.

I do love garlic!!!

 

[jetajockey]

garlic is definitely better than the sour funk that they usually smell like. Even still, I tend to hold my breath when I'm dealing with the cultures.