Tonight I was checking my european nightcrawlers and noticed a white fuzzy fungus growing on the top of the bedding/compost. I must have added too much feed. The worms appear to be alive and well. I mixed the soil without removing the fungus, but I'm sure there probably was fungus below the surface as well. Will the worms still be safe for fish food, if I rinse them off?
fungus/nightcrawlers
- Thread starter banjocat
- Start date
I'm not sure about that. Its probably just mold, which only grows on dead organic matter. I've always wondered about feeding night crawlers to aquarium fish, though. aren't they full of dirt and crap? does this foul your tank at all? can you keep the worms in water for a few hours to purge them? i see worms allover the sidewalks after it rains, but I'm apprehensive to feed them to my fish. I've also thought about buying some from the bait shop.
No need to quarantine, but you did overfeed. Get rid of the fungus and add powdered limestone, since your PH will drop. Overfeeding will cause the PH to go acidic and you will eventually get a worm kill.
Best bet for feeding is to use powdered egg layer mash (from the local feed store), plain oatmeal, or rice cereal. Sprinkle the dry contents on top really thin layer then spray the top with a spray bottle set on mist.
This is good for euro and canadian crawlers. Redworms eat faster and you can feed more.
Best bet for feeding is to use powdered egg layer mash (from the local feed store), plain oatmeal, or rice cereal. Sprinkle the dry contents on top really thin layer then spray the top with a spray bottle set on mist.
This is good for euro and canadian crawlers. Redworms eat faster and you can feed more.
pcfriedrich;1879080; said:
Soaking the worms in water will cause them to purge. Worm castings won't kill you unless you feed your worms cat and dog poop... pretty much any poop from a meat eater.
I purge the worms in distilled water mixed with minced garlic. Great for the fishes immune system.
Thanks
turnerX, I'll check into the powdered limestone. I'm not really sure where I can easily buy it. Should I look in a farm supply store?
What caused the problem is I tried a new food. I tried using some old fish food, that I had laying around, in small amounts. Apparently not small enough.
I've only had the nightcrawlers for a couple of months. In the past I've raised red worms and had cocoons/eggs almost right away. I still haven't noticed any cocoons with the europeans. They were labeled as trout and panfish worms at the bait shop where I purchased them, but I think they are european nightcrawlers. They are too big for red worms, but are defenitely not canadian nightcrawlers. All I can think is maybe I'm not noticing cocoons, because I started with a small number of worms and they are in a good sized bin. Should they be producing cocoons/eggs by now?
turnerX, I'll check into the powdered limestone. I'm not really sure where I can easily buy it. Should I look in a farm supply store?
What caused the problem is I tried a new food. I tried using some old fish food, that I had laying around, in small amounts. Apparently not small enough.
I've only had the nightcrawlers for a couple of months. In the past I've raised red worms and had cocoons/eggs almost right away. I still haven't noticed any cocoons with the europeans. They were labeled as trout and panfish worms at the bait shop where I purchased them, but I think they are european nightcrawlers. They are too big for red worms, but are defenitely not canadian nightcrawlers. All I can think is maybe I'm not noticing cocoons, because I started with a small number of worms and they are in a good sized bin. Should they be producing cocoons/eggs by now?
Yeah, they should be breeding and laying egg cases almost immediately. If you sift through the soil you will notice little amber beads, those are the eggs.
Powdered limestone can be bought at lowes, home depot, TSC, or pretty much any lawn and garden center. It's used to bring up the PH for base loving plants. Try to stay away from "pelletized" limestone. It doesn't break up that much and can cause alkaline burns on the worms.
Powdered limestone can be bought at lowes, home depot, TSC, or pretty much any lawn and garden center. It's used to bring up the PH for base loving plants. Try to stay away from "pelletized" limestone. It doesn't break up that much and can cause alkaline burns on the worms.