There are a few different ways to culture grindal worms. Below you will find culturing instructions based on how I culture my worms. This process is what works for me.
Grindal Worm Culturing Instructions
Materials Needed:
Plastic opaque container AND lid (The container that your culture is shipped in is not intended to be a permanent home for your worms. You will need a non-transparent, shoe box size container)
Organic potting soil (it is important to use organic potting soil so that you do not poison your culture or fish with additives from the soil)
Water (do not use water that contains chlorine, I use bottled spring water that is from a natural source)
A piece of plastic or glass ( I remove and use the glass from an old 5x7 picture frame)
Dog food kibbles, cat food kibbles,bread, rice flour, or cooked pasta (I use puppy food kibbles and kitten food kibbles)
Grindal worm starter culture
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350℉. Pour a fairly decent amount of the potting soil into an oven safe dish. Bake for 20 minutes. This kills any harmful things that may be living in the soil.
Carefully remove from oven and let the soil cool to room temperature. DO NOT add your worms if the soil is not completely cool.
After cooling, pour 2-3 inches of soil into your container.
Add a small amount of water to the soil to moisten it. The soil should be wet enough to stick together when squeezing it.(If water drips from the soil, when you do this, it is too moist)
Add your grindal worm to the container. You do not have to place dirt over the worms or stir the culture around. Just give the container a few taps to slightly spread the culture around.
Place a couple pieces of moistened kibble in the middle of your culture. Replace food as it is eaten. Immediately remove any molded foods. (There are many different foods that are appropriate for feeding grindal worms. Again, this is what works best for me.)
Use the glass or cd case to cover both the kibble and the culture.
Now comes the most IMPORTANT step… Poke small holes in the lid. Grindal worms need oxygen to survive!! You can lightly stuff the holes with cotton to prevent bugs for entering the container.
Place the container in a spot that stays room temperature. Grindal worms are best kept between 70-75° F. Cultures will stop producing and die off if temperatures are not tolerable. (I store my cultures in my house all year round)
Periodically mist the top of the medium bed with spring water to keep it from drying out. (DO NOT over saturate)
Harvesting
You should be able to harvest your worms within 3-5 weeks. This should allow ample time for the culture to fully establish.
When harvesting, simply, lift the glass. Then use an old credit card, tweezers, paint brush, or your finger to remove some of the worms from the glass. Place them into the aquarium being cautious not to get any of the soil in your tank.
Reculturing can be done every 2 months or when your culture outgrows the container size.
>>>Disclaimer: This blog is written based upon my own personal experiences. There are different ways to apply this technique. This is what works for me. Do your research before diving in based on one persons opinions and experiences.
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