Littlefish
Mon Apr 18, 2005, 04:58 AM
A while ago someone (Prodigydiscus?) asked about breeding blackworms.
I came across the following on sydneycichlid.com which might be viable with some form of filtration added.
Fred :)
I currently have blackworms breeding like rabbits in my bns tank. I fed them maybe 15 live blackworms a while ago... and now have a heap. Basically I have pea gravel (regular aquarium gravel) in a thin layer (one piece thick), I also have a 700l/hr internal with spray bar on this tank (it is a 90L tank)! And that is it!! LMAO... basically the worms feed on what the bns don't eat. They finish the remainder of their algae discs, zuchini and pumpkin.
I find that while the worm population is increasing (from 3-100 ish) teh water will be a bit cloudy, then overnight it clears.. they are cleaning the substrate, and even eat all the bits of bns poop. This tank is a bns breeding tank, it has 1M and 2F bristlies, and their fry.
To harvest from the floor of the tank, I use a turkey baster, fill with water and inject at the gravel, causes the gravel to make a large crater, and the worms fly around the tank, suck them up! Easy done... or you can scoop up the gravel and put into a container and pick them out.
With the harvester it is a modified version of this. there is 1 halved drum with a thin layer of gravel in each half, they are placed above 2 drums that have had the tops removed. One side houses the water pump, the other is the collection area.
You rig up the water pump (1000l/hr or more) to a T joint at the top of the halved drums, the water flows through (and you have made like a riser at the opposite end), and over the gravel (like 5-10cm water over the gravel) down the riser into the collection drum.
The overflow from the collection drum flows into the drum housing the pump. (will be easier with photos).
You feed the worms a vegetable diet, your vege scraps, fish food, or even chook food (which works VERY well). Basically the worms eat the food, and basically reproduce overnight (babies are bright pink), the worms at night come out of the gravel into the water for food and are lightly washed down the riser with the current (which is providing essential aeration).
Once they are down the riser into the bottom collection drum, they start to curl together into a ball, easy to pull out and harvest, and you don't want, you just add back into the trays to reproduce.
The only thing is, daily or every second day you need to change the water (as we all know about blackworms). basically clean the pump, and drain the 2 base drums, refil and you are away (best garden fertilizer too).
Hmmn, I think that is everything... oh, blackworms once breeding either in harvester or in a tank are pink, not black.. they go black from lack of oxygen!!
The best way to keep blackworms from your LFS is in a bucket with an airstone!
TEMPERATURE: Keep them out of direct sunlight, but tank temp is fine.. I find they reproduce fastest in 24-28C water.
Hope this helps,. and I'll post pics once I have the harvester finished!
Meagan
I came across the following on sydneycichlid.com which might be viable with some form of filtration added.
Fred :)
I currently have blackworms breeding like rabbits in my bns tank. I fed them maybe 15 live blackworms a while ago... and now have a heap. Basically I have pea gravel (regular aquarium gravel) in a thin layer (one piece thick), I also have a 700l/hr internal with spray bar on this tank (it is a 90L tank)! And that is it!! LMAO... basically the worms feed on what the bns don't eat. They finish the remainder of their algae discs, zuchini and pumpkin.
I find that while the worm population is increasing (from 3-100 ish) teh water will be a bit cloudy, then overnight it clears.. they are cleaning the substrate, and even eat all the bits of bns poop. This tank is a bns breeding tank, it has 1M and 2F bristlies, and their fry.
To harvest from the floor of the tank, I use a turkey baster, fill with water and inject at the gravel, causes the gravel to make a large crater, and the worms fly around the tank, suck them up! Easy done... or you can scoop up the gravel and put into a container and pick them out.
With the harvester it is a modified version of this. there is 1 halved drum with a thin layer of gravel in each half, they are placed above 2 drums that have had the tops removed. One side houses the water pump, the other is the collection area.
You rig up the water pump (1000l/hr or more) to a T joint at the top of the halved drums, the water flows through (and you have made like a riser at the opposite end), and over the gravel (like 5-10cm water over the gravel) down the riser into the collection drum.
The overflow from the collection drum flows into the drum housing the pump. (will be easier with photos).
You feed the worms a vegetable diet, your vege scraps, fish food, or even chook food (which works VERY well). Basically the worms eat the food, and basically reproduce overnight (babies are bright pink), the worms at night come out of the gravel into the water for food and are lightly washed down the riser with the current (which is providing essential aeration).
Once they are down the riser into the bottom collection drum, they start to curl together into a ball, easy to pull out and harvest, and you don't want, you just add back into the trays to reproduce.
The only thing is, daily or every second day you need to change the water (as we all know about blackworms). basically clean the pump, and drain the 2 base drums, refil and you are away (best garden fertilizer too).
Hmmn, I think that is everything... oh, blackworms once breeding either in harvester or in a tank are pink, not black.. they go black from lack of oxygen!!
The best way to keep blackworms from your LFS is in a bucket with an airstone!
TEMPERATURE: Keep them out of direct sunlight, but tank temp is fine.. I find they reproduce fastest in 24-28C water.
Hope this helps,. and I'll post pics once I have the harvester finished!
Meagan