White worm cultures

[mistakes r crucial]

Hi,

Does anyone no where I can find white worm cultures for sale?
Cheers
MAC

[samir]

do you mean microworm cultures ?

[shayesmommy]

actually samir. there are two different kinds. i think arent there.
my dad was one a search for mircroworms. and we found them for sale and some white worms?
not to sure but thats what it said.

[Ben]

Mac, i have been searching for a while to get a good supply of white worms and have found it very difficult.

pisces enterprises are the main producers and as of late they have not had any!

If you find some let me know mate!

Cheers
Ben

[samir]

Found an article on it. now that I know what they are i'll try and find some for you.

Enchytraeus albidus - Or White Worms to You and Me

By Gerry Hawksby
From the October 2003 Ryedale Reporter Magazine, Ryedale Aquarist Society, Yorkshire, England
Aquarticles

White worm is just one of at least four types of worm which we as aquarists can culture, on a regular basis, in order to maintain a continuous supply of one of the best kinds of live food our fish could wish for.

Whilst it does involve a little extra work in its cultivation it is, to my mind, one of the most valuable aquarium foods available. Not only is it very nutritious but also one of the best foods to bring fish into both breeding condition and egg production, however, as with all good things, there is one drawback in that white worms do have a high fat content and therefore should not be fed too frequently to your fish or else they will suffer degeneration to certain vital internal organs.

Personally I restrict feeding white worms to no more than twice per week, which in turn does allow other occasions on which this form of live food can be fed, alongside favourite types of dry foods, to my fish. I am a firm believer in the fact that my fish benefit from as varied a diet as I can provide on the basis that in their natural environment fish will not restrict their feeding to one particular type of food. They simply have no alternative but to eat anything that is available and their food source(s) may thus have to vary from season to season. The one staple food, if I can call it such, will be algae on which most species will browse.

Let me now describe my method of cultivation for white worms:
A wooden box is the ideal container, the size of which is not important. It only needs to fit with your available space. Naturally the larger the box the stronger the eventual colony of worms will become. Half fill the box with loam or ericaceous compost, but do ensure no fertiliser has been added. The compost should now be moistened but not saturated with water. We now place the box somewhere where the temperature can be maintained in the 10 to 15 C (50 to 60 F) range.

Our starter culture of worms can often be obtained from other Society member, or occasionally through Open Show auctions, however our best source may be to obtain them from a dealer's advertisement placed in an aquatic magazine. Sadly I have found local aquatic outlets (North Yorkshire, England) no longer stock these cultures for two main reasons: -
1. There is no call for these worms from the vast majority of aquarists who either don't have the time or, most likely, don't want to become involved in maintaining the culture.
2. Temperatures in local dealers are not condusive to keeping these cultures thriving, so why should they invest time to feed and maintain several small containers of white worm culture that will either fall away or they are not going to sell?

Without straying too far from our subject the above is also true about another favoured live food of the more experienced aquarists - tubifex worms, now only available from specialist dealers. Just two more instances of the 'use it or loose it' syndrome.

Most dealers do stock a range of frozen foods however which are much less hassle and can be kept almost indefinitely in a freezer but, for whatever reason, white worms are not included in the varieties available within the U.K. A lot of today's fishkeepers seem happy to accept this alternative as no extra work is involved. Presumably this is what we now refer to as progress.

Being a member of the 'old school' I prefer the adage 'if there's no pain there's no gain'. For the little extra work involved I am convinced that fish prefer and benefit from live foods every time. To prove my point I suggest you purchase a sachet of live bloodworm and see which of its contents your fish take first. I'm prepared to wager that any of these worms which show no signs of movement will be left over until all the active ones have been caught and consumed.

At this stage I've got to say that all of the major dry food manufacturers assure us that their foods incorporate all the necessary ingredients to ensure our fish are being maintained in the best possible condition as regards health and conditioning prior to breeding. I have no reason to question or doubt this assurance, but I must also point out that most of my fish were raised on several types of live foods in their fry stages, i.e. infusoria, microworms and brine shrimp, and did not see dry foods until reaching adolescence. Although most of my young fish would adapt to taking dry foods, some (mainly killifish species), never did.

Now before I digress completely let's return to the job in hand:
Having obtained your starter culture, introduce this into the centre of your box and feed about a 1" square slice of crustless white bread which has been soaked in water. Now cover the compost with a sheet of glass to help prevent the compost drying out and, finally, cover the box with either a piece of wood or hardboard in order to afford the worms total darkness. The container should now be left undisturbed for about a week to allow the worms to become established.

A brief daily inspection will indicate how quickly the bread is being eaten. When all signs have gone then its time to introduce another piece of bread, but do not overfeed. The quicker the bread is eaten the larger the replacement piece of bread needs to be. As the number of worms increase so you can start to collect them from the underside of the glass. This is done with the aid of tweezers, cotton buds or human fingers. Unless the worms are covered in either soil or a food medium, in which case(s) they are best soaked in water first; they can then be fed directly to your fish without need of sterilisation etc. From this point on you should have a constant supply of worms available.

As a footnote let me say that some sources recommend soaking the bread in milk, but I would not do so as the milk tends to turn sour quickly, especially during warmer weather, and as a result the worms will cease to feed. I have found that white worms will take Ready Brek (a finely ground oat cereal) mixed to a smooth paste with water, but never feed more than they will eat in three days. After this time remove any uneaten food and replace with a new supply.

Often highlighted in aquatic magazines etc. is the fact that white worm cultures will become infested with small flies. There is no certainty that this will happen with your culture, but should this turn out to be the case the first indication will come with the spotting of little white eggs upon the surface of the culture. On occasions these flies fail to flourish and die away, but where this is not the case you will need to rid them from the culture by way of soaking the culture with water. As the flies begin to die they float upon the water surface and are easily removed. The culture must then be allowed to dry, which is often helped by placing the box slightly upon its side.

Finally, and on the subject of drying, we must never let the compost dry out completely as this causes the white worms to dehydrate and die off.

[samir]

there you go
http://www.boroniaaquarium.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=12_165&products_id=2644&osCsid=a81edc4a781607cbc52574fa77c484b5

Boronia Aquarium
Trading hours
Monday - Thursday 9am-6pm
Friday - 9am-7pm
Saturday - 9am-5pm
Sunday and Public Holidays - 10am-5pm
262a Dorset Rd
BORONIA VIC 3155
AUSTRALIA
Phone: 03 9762 2044
Fax: 03 9762 2144
Email: retail@boroniaaquarium.com.au

[mistakes r crucial]

Thanks Samir, I've sent them an email to see if they will post them.
Cheers
MAC

[mistakes r crucial]

How's it going Ben? Haven't spoken to you in a while mate. Hope the fish are good and all is well.
MAC

[Ben]

Hi Mac,

any luck with the white worms mate?

Talk to you soon
Ben

[mistakes r crucial]

Yes mate, the guys at Boronia have them but are presently out of stock. Should have more within a couple of weeks.
MAC