I recently had to fight a gross (to me) problem with one of my tanks. It was a fairly new set up so it was in the final stages of cycling. I only had one cichlid (Green Terror) in this freshwater tank at the time. Over time I would notice the glass of the aquarium getting cloudy. It started with odd, puffy stuff growing on the sides and then….worms. When I looked very close at what was on the side of the glass, I noticed white lines moving. Lots of them. Some of these worms would float in the water column, though I doubt that was where they wanted to be. They covered everything. Over time they would get a little bigger. At first I thought of nematodes but the fish seemed like it was not being bothered by them and treatment for them did nothing. Also, unlike nematodes, their movement was very controlled and fairly slow. No side-to-side thrashing, even in the water column. I could just make out a head wider than the body on some of the bigger ones. Planaria. (Maybe some nematodes as well.)
December 12, 2008
August 4, 2008
How to Raise Meal Worms
Update May 15, 2009: I added a quick note on raising a smaller amount of worms at the very end as well as a precaution against moths and mites.
Meal worms are handy for feeding a variety of animals. I feed meal worms to my fish and to wild birds at outside bird feeders. Other people use them to feed pet reptiles, skunks, sugar gliders, and so on. If you use very many, it can get expensive buying them from a pet shop or wild bird store. Raising them is an easy option not only for less expensive worms, but also to ensure healthy, gut-loaded worms for your pets. Some people also like to eat them (not me-no way!) since they are a healthy protein source.
This picture shows a very full container of medium sized worms. The bran is about to be refreshed. The clumping of worms is where there are pieces of carrot.
There are a variety of ways to raise meal worms that you may read. There is almost no “right” way to do it. You just need to find what works for you.
In this blog I will attempt to explain a method that has worked for me for nearly a year. (more…)
