Live Whiteworms for Mandarins etc.

Makers Marc · Feb 13, 2018

Paul B said:
The bluestripes eat pods and new born brine shrimp, the Janss eat mysis

So the bluestripes dont eat any mysis?

Paul B · Feb 14, 2018

Grab a handful of dirt from your back yard and stop worrying. Go out to dinner, try the Merlot.

You can get cactus or orchid soil. If there is some fertilizer it in, don't worry about it, maybe have a frozen Margarita as dessert.

lapin · Feb 14, 2018

We have a local feed store that sells tons of organic soils and compost mixtures. You might be better off going to a nursery than the PO. Ask for organic compost with a neutral PH. They might even have worm bedding in a little bag. I just mix seed starter with some organic compost in a bucket, add some RO/DI water. Let it soak for a bit. Squeeze out the excess water and you should be good to go.

NeuroticAquatics · Feb 14, 2018

Paul B said:
Grab a handful of dirt from your back yard and stop worrying. Go out to dinner, try the Merlot.

You can get cactus or orchid soil. If there is some fertilizer it in, don't worry about it, maybe have a frozen Margarita as dessert.

How did I know that was coming?! [emoji3]

I’m all over the margarita suggestion. Thank you Sir!

Paul B · Feb 14, 2018

NeuroticAquatics said:
How did I know that was coming?! [emoji3]

I’m all over the margarita suggestion. Thank you Sir!

I have no Idea.

Zack K · Feb 14, 2018

Makers Marc said:
So the bluestripes dont eat any mysis?

The mouth on the blue stripes is too small. They end up choking. Paul wrote an article on just this not too long ago.

Paul B · Feb 15, 2018

They will eat anything they can fit in their mouth. But they try to hard.

TheEngineer · Feb 15, 2018

Got my worms today! I expected them tomorrow. I put them in with organic top soil. It’s a mix of compost and peat moss. Should I fill the whole bin? Seems like too much space.

Greenstreet.1 · Feb 15, 2018

I would say some kind of sifter or strainer or colander

Big G · Feb 15, 2018

TheEngineer said:
Got my worms today! I expected them tomorrow. I put them in with organic top soil. It’s a mix of compost and peat moss. Should I fill the whole bin? Seems like too much space.

I filled mine to about 1" deep across the entire shoe box.

beaslbob · Feb 15, 2018

paul

have you ever tried throwing in some small pellet food to see if the mandarin would get confused and eventually start eating the pellets?

TheEngineer · Feb 15, 2018

Big G said:
I filled mine to about 1" deep across the entire shoe box.

Thanks. I’ll get some peat moss from the store.

The insert that came with them said to feed them dry cat food. I thought that was interesting. What about dog food?

Big G · Feb 15, 2018

TheEngineer said:
Thanks. I’ll get some peat moss from the store.

The insert that came with them said to feed them dry cat food. I thought that was interesting. What about dog food?

Cat food is small in size; dog food would probably just be too big for them to consume. But I bet you could smash it up a bit and it would be fine. I've been putting too much cat food and you get a bit of fungus. Doesn't bother the worms though. They are right underneath the fungus, munching away

Big G · Feb 15, 2018

beaslbob said:
paul

have you ever tried throwing in some small pellet food to see if the mandarin would get confused and eventually start eating the pellets?

Was just at my LFS and the guy was tossing into the tanks the real small color pellets. Saw a nice Red mandarin eat one.