dogofwar
CCA Members
A layer of shredded newspaper (or junk mail) seems to keep the mold down and sop up some of the moisture.
Matt
Matt
Prince
The ONE who is The ONE
Anybody tried feeding garlic? So far I have feed the greens, watermelon rinds, green peas and beets, I have more fresh collard greens that I didn't in time.
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Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
dogofwar
CCA Members
Yes - your bin will smell like....garlic 
Matt
Matt
turfboss
Members
I set my bins up per Matt's instructions (example??) - and they seem to be doing fine -my original bedding was composed of two coconut basket liners from Lowes - a whole bunch of shredded newspaper - two shovels full of dirt and a couple of pounds of sand - all laid on top of a double thickness of cardboard (to keep the little buggers from escaping out the bottom) - mixed it up and wet it down - extra water drains into the outer bin and the inner bin is set on top of 4 yogurt containers in the four corners. The bin is on my back porch but in a location that is always shaded so it gets no direct sun and I check each day for moisture (keeping it damp but not wet). It has maintained a fairly even temperature even in this hot weather and the worms (I got from Matt) seem to be multiplying - am in the process of buying another pound or two from the worm farm in Columbia, MD so as to increase and speed up the production of live food for the fish.
I feed every thing from the food prep side of the kitchen (we have no scraps left from the table save things like melon rinds or corncobs) and I do not add anything that is meat or dairy or acidic - such as grapefruit skins or tomatoes but mostly everything else goes into the bin (a lot of greens, coffee grounds, egg shells and fruit - like melon and pineapple peel. I put each new dump of scraps (sometimes each day but probably more like every other day) into a different corner of the bin (having peeled back the top 3 or 4 inches of bedding material) - and then recover with the bedding -and by the time I get around the bin to that first corner again most everything that was dumped there (maybe as much as 7 days ago) is mostly all gone (save for the egg shells from the hardboiled eggs) - I have added water only when I put in a lot of new shredded paper and I have noticed that there is absolutely no smell in the bin - so while I have not weighed the food that is going into the bin it seems to be "decaying?" and being "eaten" by the worms as fast as I put it in the bin. Will see how much more I need to feed once I get another pound or two of worms in there.
all in all this seems like a really efficient way to get rid of most all the kitchen scraps - what does not go into the worm bin goes on the general compost pile - and while I have not fed a lot yet to the fish - the yellow labs and my convicts absolutely absorb the worms when I do feed them - some of the fish (the brichardi for example do not seem particularly interested in the worms) but most love them.
Just my experience so far -
I feed every thing from the food prep side of the kitchen (we have no scraps left from the table save things like melon rinds or corncobs) and I do not add anything that is meat or dairy or acidic - such as grapefruit skins or tomatoes but mostly everything else goes into the bin (a lot of greens, coffee grounds, egg shells and fruit - like melon and pineapple peel. I put each new dump of scraps (sometimes each day but probably more like every other day) into a different corner of the bin (having peeled back the top 3 or 4 inches of bedding material) - and then recover with the bedding -and by the time I get around the bin to that first corner again most everything that was dumped there (maybe as much as 7 days ago) is mostly all gone (save for the egg shells from the hardboiled eggs) - I have added water only when I put in a lot of new shredded paper and I have noticed that there is absolutely no smell in the bin - so while I have not weighed the food that is going into the bin it seems to be "decaying?" and being "eaten" by the worms as fast as I put it in the bin. Will see how much more I need to feed once I get another pound or two of worms in there.
all in all this seems like a really efficient way to get rid of most all the kitchen scraps - what does not go into the worm bin goes on the general compost pile - and while I have not fed a lot yet to the fish - the yellow labs and my convicts absolutely absorb the worms when I do feed them - some of the fish (the brichardi for example do not seem particularly interested in the worms) but most love them.
Just my experience so far -
verbal
CCA Members
It was pretty amusing feeding a worm that was probably 4 inches to a tank that included Pearlscale Eartheaters about an inch long. One grabbed the worm and swam to the other side of the tank to keep the others from getting it.
turfboss
Members
red wigglers
My yellow labs are about 1.5" and often will have one on each end of a worm munching toward the center. Some of the fish - the severum, the nicholsi and the sutargranti flame tails seem to just swallow the worms they dissapear so fast - and of course the convicts eat anything and everything and swarm to see who can get to the worms first.
My yellow labs are about 1.5" and often will have one on each end of a worm munching toward the center. Some of the fish - the severum, the nicholsi and the sutargranti flame tails seem to just swallow the worms they dissapear so fast - and of course the convicts eat anything and everything and swarm to see who can get to the worms first.
Tony
Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
George,
Be really careful about who you feed earthworms to. They will absolutely kill non-carnivorous mbuna.... And probably not good for your peacocks either. They are probably ok for large haps (in very limited quantities), but not for any other rift lake fish.
dogofwar
CCA Members
Anyone else still wrangling red wigglers?
My culture is going strong...basically just drain the leachate every couple of weeks, drop in fruit and veggie scraps most days and a piece of newspaper or two every week or so.
It produces abundant, free live food (and fishing worms, if I'd get my act together and go fish more often).
How do others harvest the worms? I start by picking the worms off of the inside of the bin (there are usually between half a dozen and 15-20). If I want more, I just grab a piece of the substrate or newpaper and pick them out. A quick rinse and they're fishfood.
Matt
My culture is going strong...basically just drain the leachate every couple of weeks, drop in fruit and veggie scraps most days and a piece of newspaper or two every week or so.
It produces abundant, free live food (and fishing worms, if I'd get my act together and go fish more often).
How do others harvest the worms? I start by picking the worms off of the inside of the bin (there are usually between half a dozen and 15-20). If I want more, I just grab a piece of the substrate or newpaper and pick them out. A quick rinse and they're fishfood.
Matt
jonclark96
Past CCA President
I still have my culture going, but I must admit that they are a little more difficult to harvest than I would like. It seems that mine don't come out into the second container as much as Matt's, and that my culture gets pretty tightly packed. I have to literally dig through the wet mud/detritus/food scraps to get the worms out.
Not sure if I am doing something wrong or not. Maybe I need to add more newspaper to absorb moisture.
Not sure if I am doing something wrong or not. Maybe I need to add more newspaper to absorb moisture.
I add food scraps and then cover with shredded paper. Have abundant worms but they are not easy to separate from the shredded paper and other stuff. Maybe I will try some unshredded newspaper. Makes sense that the worms would accumulate on the underside of the wet newspaper, as Matt said, and make it easier to collect. Maybe I should try a piece of slate or ceramic tile.
dogofwar
CCA Members
The perfect consistency/wetness of substrate for them seems to be slightly damp finely-tilled dirt. Hard clumps or muddy (too wet) aren't to their liking. Too much wetness could be a drainage issue (need more holes in the bottom for leachate to trickle off).
I find that mine also congregate on preferred foods - mellons, bananas, corn cobs and the like.
Glad to hear that others are keeping them. I actually kind of enjoy picking them from the bin...
Matt
I find that mine also congregate on preferred foods - mellons, bananas, corn cobs and the like.
Glad to hear that others are keeping them. I actually kind of enjoy picking them from the bin...
Matt
ddavila06
Members
just curious, these make a lot of "worm juice"??? i was tempted to buy some and keep in small container but now im not so sure...:wacko:
dogofwar
CCA Members
Depends on what "a lot" is...and what a "small container" is.
I keep mine in nested 18g rubbermaids....and empty the liquid every couple of weeks.
Matt
I keep mine in nested 18g rubbermaids....and empty the liquid every couple of weeks.
Matt
verbal
CCA Members
In terms of keeping a culture they are pretty easy.
The challenge is definitely finding a good method of harvesting. I am tempted to try one of the "Worm Factories" or similar contraptions, but not sure if I can justify the cost.
What is interesting is generally the focus is on creating dirt rather than worms.
My cultures are in my detached garage, so I have to figure something out for the winter. One thought I am having for the winter is trying stacked 5 gallon buckets with gravel in the bottom bucket to drain the worm juice into. It probably won't be great for production and harvesting, but it should keep me in maintenance mode.
The challenge is definitely finding a good method of harvesting. I am tempted to try one of the "Worm Factories" or similar contraptions, but not sure if I can justify the cost.
What is interesting is generally the focus is on creating dirt rather than worms.
My cultures are in my detached garage, so I have to figure something out for the winter. One thought I am having for the winter is trying stacked 5 gallon buckets with gravel in the bottom bucket to drain the worm juice into. It probably won't be great for production and harvesting, but it should keep me in maintenance mode.
dogofwar
CCA Members
My worm colony survived last winter and the winter before in an attached garage ... although reproduction slowed considerably.
I actually find the process of harvesting the worms pretty painless. Just picking some worms out of a ball of some crumbly dirt or moist newspaper. Takes a minute, but you can't beat the price (or nutrition).
The nested Rubbermaids work well for eliminating the leachate (worm juice). Basically just lift the inside bin out of the outside one and pour into a bucket or onto the garden. Run it through a net and you've got any of the worms that slipped through the drain holes...
Matt
I actually find the process of harvesting the worms pretty painless. Just picking some worms out of a ball of some crumbly dirt or moist newspaper. Takes a minute, but you can't beat the price (or nutrition).
The nested Rubbermaids work well for eliminating the leachate (worm juice). Basically just lift the inside bin out of the outside one and pour into a bucket or onto the garden. Run it through a net and you've got any of the worms that slipped through the drain holes...
Matt
golsama
Corresponding Secretary
I've been thinking about keeping red wigglers, mainly for my frogs but also for my fish. My main concern is the smell. How badly do they smell and is there strategies to cut down on the smell?
jonclark96
Past CCA President
I haven't noticed much smell from them. More comes from the decaying food than anything else. I do keep my container in the garage, though.
dogofwar
CCA Members
Not much smell - Kind of an earthy smell...unless you add something stinky to the bin (scallions, garlic, etc.).
A lot of people keep red wigglers (AKA composting worms) in a bin in their kitchen for composting food scraps.
Matt
A lot of people keep red wigglers (AKA composting worms) in a bin in their kitchen for composting food scraps.
Matt
chriscoli
Administrator
Ok, so I'm completely redoing my worm bin. My first attempt was too big, and got neglected so I'm going to start again. So, what would you suggest for a worm source:
option one - grab a bunch of mixed worms from my outside compost bin (before winter) and hope that some of them are red wigglers (I'd avoid the ones that look like the typical, tan earthworms). Basically, what's the fate/downside to adding non-red wiggler worms to the worm bin?
option two - bum a batch off of one of my extrememly kind and generous fellow Wranglers?
option one - grab a bunch of mixed worms from my outside compost bin (before winter) and hope that some of them are red wigglers (I'd avoid the ones that look like the typical, tan earthworms). Basically, what's the fate/downside to adding non-red wiggler worms to the worm bin?
option two - bum a batch off of one of my extrememly kind and generous fellow Wranglers?
dogofwar
CCA Members
Hi Christine - I'm more than happy to bring you some to get started
Matt
Matt
