[sunindia]

hello, I am from central India, I am trying to culture bloodworms for my turtles since last one month , searched a lot at internet but got failed , because first I went near pond and digged mud there and found some small worms stuck in moist mud (not wet mud), so I thought those are bloodworms and then I came home and kept them in bucket filled with water and some dead leaves for 15 days ,small round rocks and stuff but later I realized that those were earthworms not bloodworms, then I tried to culture earthworms , went to another location and caught earthworms put them in coco moss but after few days all earthworms were dead because the moss was not good and no one sells here peat moss, only thing available here is coco coir moss , so I went again and caught some more earthworms put those in square shape tub and well aerated but they all died again because of same moss then i realized that it is problem of MOss, then today again I went third time to catch theearthworms and put those in a circle shaped tub with cardboard bedding now lets see what will happen, temperature here now a days is around 20-26Celcius because of rainy season and No one sells here earthworms or bloodworms because there are very few aquarium keepers and I asked few people outside my city (some 300miles away) they get their bloodworms supply by the drainage cleaner person, who go into sewage/drainage and catch bloodworms from there and sell them to friend (who is 300 miles away).( I dont have any person here to do this work for me)

My question are as follows-

Q1. DO I have midge fly here ? I have common household flies ,fruit flies,dragon flies, mosquitoes etc.

[[ I have overhead concrete water tank 2000 liters for household water supply , it is in open area but with a cover having hole 8by8inches (which is open always) for water pipe to fill it, I clean it from to time(in two/three month, It have big holes to insert pipe for filling it but I never saw bloodworms in it. I daily fill the tank with tap/chlorianted or hard water , depends on supply of water. ]]

Q2. if I put a small tub with dead leaves at my open roof with NET cover then how midge fly will get in ? and if i dont put net then you said that mosquitoes wont let midge fly develop so I am confused what type of net to put , if I put bigger net then mosquitoes will also go in , so will it be ok to put fine net like 1/2mm net at tub for bloodworms.

Q3. Where to keep the tub filled with dead leaves and rainy water I collected ? in dark room or at my house's roof ?

read this too http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=195002

Please add anything if you feel I should know for culturing bloodworms
Thanks a lot

 

[mordalphus]

I think India may get too hot for midge flies to develop. Here in Seattle, they arrive before and after mosquitos, in spring and fall, when the temperatures are pretty low still.

They look similar to mosquitos but don't bite.

 

[sunindia]

thanks for replying but right now at my place there is rainy season since last 30~40 days and temperature is around 21minimum in night and 25maximum in day , rest time temperature is in between like 24,25in daytime , please tell me where should I search them for ? what possible places can have bloodworms around me , like some lake or something , please suggest some places where can I go and look for them.

Thanks

 

[mordalphus]

You can try to search in stagnant pools of water, you will see bloodworms clinging to leaves or the sides of buckets or branches under water. They look exactly like the bloodworms you buy in the store. If you can find bloodworms, harvest those and then keep them in a bucket with a screen on top. They will eventually hatch into flies and reproduce in the bucket

I don't think adults eat, so no worries about feeding the adults.

 

[devilduck]

What kind of turtle do you have? Most turtles aren't too picky of the type of insect or small fish they are hunting.

 

[mordalphus]

thanks for replying but right now at my place there is rainy season since last 30~40 days and temperature is around 21minimum in night and 25maximum in day , rest time temperature is in between like 24,25in daytime , please tell me where should I search them for ? what possible places can have bloodworms around me , like some lake or something , please suggest some places where can I go and look for them.

Thanks

Also, when I say cool temperatures, they show up here when it's 10-13 Celsiu.

.

 

[sunindia]

re:

I went to a very small *Flowing* river turned into open *flowing* sewage (50 feet wide and maybe (20-30feet deep) whose water is turned dark yellowish muddy because of excess rainfall and I asked a person there to find some small red looking worms near the shore for me then he caught some red worms from shallow water ( I gave him my Net and box and (1/6)$ )the sewage is mixed in water but not too much sewage because its raining here since last 1 month so black sewage is diluted and moslty there is water in sewage river , please have a look ,

Are these bloodworms or tubifex worms ?

 

[mordalphus]

Those are the ones! But be careful I was reading last night that some midges do bite, especially in Asia.

 

[sunindia]

Are you sure that those are not Tubifex worms ?

and I have put those in a dark store room where some junk is stored and the circle shaped tub is covered with a net ,
I am doing following things for culture -

1. I have those in clay soil ( read from this excellent source ) http://home.kku.ac.th/pracha/Bloodworm Culture.htm.

2. I have put them in well aerated area and dark area with a net at top of it.

3.( http://home.kku.ac.th/pracha/Bloodworm Culture.htm ) I have sprinkled some very small quantity for powdered fish food and spirulina.

4. I have put some dead leaves as I read that they lay eggs at dead leaves.

5. the temperature is of room is at ambient temperature 24ceclcius around in day and 21ceclius in night because of well aeration.

What else is needed to be done to culture them successfully ?

Thanks

 

[sunindia]

So they are not tubifex worms ?

also right now I am doing following things to farm/culture them -

1.I put those in clay soil and water in a tub with a net covered in well aerated darker and ambient temperature place.

2. I have put some dead leaves in that tub so that they can lay eggs.

3.I have sprinkled less than a pinch of fish food pellets powder and spirulina powder for food.

( excellent source for bloodworms http://home.kku.ac.th/pracha/Bloodworm Culture.htm )


Please tell that what else is needed to culture them successfully ??

Thanks

 

[sunindia]

why those are not tubifex worms ?

Please help me in culturing those worms I have kept them in well aerated dark tub with clay soil and water and some very small food spirulina powder and powdered fish pellets with a net at tub.
what else should I take care of ? please tell me.

 

[mordalphus]

Tubifex are a nematode, an actual worm. Blood worms are larvae. An easy way to identify blood worms is they have segmented bodies with a head and a tail. They move by spasming making a 'C' shape and then straightening over and over.

Spirulina is fine as a food, maybe some soft brown leafs as well. I don't feed mine since they appear naturally in my ponds.

 

[Patty LongD]

Culturing Worms

I'm no expert on bloodworms, but I know a lot about keeping earthworms and the like, so maybe I can help you out.

First, the turtles will eat either worm, so don't stress out if they're tubifex instead of blood.

The important thing about worms is preserving their environment so begin by finding a location, some place shady and preferably humid is good. Get a container that seals pretty completely to preserve the moisture and open it only to stir it, check it, replenish or harvest. If you can dig a hole and keep their whole abode inside the hole that's optimal.
The leaves are a good start but even better is a compost if that's an option. Avoid meat and processed foods like bread or french fries, but most other stuff is great and will keep the soil moist and rich. Eggshells, banana peels, orange peel, coffee grounds or used tea leaves, apple cores, general food waste that you're going to toss anyway. Keep it at least 3/4 soil, and don't go crazy on the moisture, enough water to get everything moist but not muddy will last you weeks, just make sure it's sealed so the water's not evaporating.

Worms will thrive. At least, Earthworms will.

 

[sunindia]

Thanks for earthworms farming method I am also trying to culture earthworms in an open tub [ worms are not running out of tub since I kept them there ] , well aerated,at a dark place, bedding used is well moistured small pieces of cardboard , flour is sprinkled as food in the tub and waiting for them to populate now, Trying to culture both type of worms so that either one will work .