I saw this post at the Great Lakes Betta Society Forum, and asked Maggie, 'Semper Fi,' the site administrator, if I could post it here. I edited the post a little for continuity.
I'm anxious to try this one out...
CULTURING BLOODWORMSI know that a lot of people feed their bettas bloodworms. I started doing this about 5 years ago with the cichlids and very rarely have to buy bloodworms.
It is fairly simple to harvest your own bloodworms. I usually have about 4 pans going during the summer months. You will need:
a pan (i use metal roasting pans) filled with about an inch of water
dead leaves
strainer
Take the pan with water and put enough leaves on top of the water to cover the surface. Set the pan in a humid, shady spot for 24 hours. I put mine in my garage. After 24 hours, remove the leaves from the water and you should find the small bloodworms in the water. You will need to rinse the bloodworms well before feeding or freezing. If you let the water sit too long, you will notice white worms with pinchers on their heads. This is the bloodworm at the next phase of life. This is too old to be fed. Any found like this should be removed. You can freeze the bloodworms in ice cube trays for mixed drinks that are smaller than the normal ice cube trays. You can also freeze them in shallow Tupperware containers. Once the bloodworms are frozen you can remove them from the containers and store til use in freezer bags. I mark on the freezer bags when i gathered the worms.
I start this in late May/early June and continue until the end of September. One pan is more than enough to feed all my fish in one day. Doing the multiple pans gives me some to freeze during the off times when fresh is not available.
Some people ask if it stinks - they don't smell at all. If you don’t have a garage, you can also do it in any shady spot. I have done it under trees, boxes, etc. you don't want direct sun to get to it.
A small amount of humidity helps. By putting it under a box, the heat and water will create the humidity. Here in Michigan, you have humid weather when it is warm.
Maggie said she would add some pictures to the post to show everyone how it works! Thanks, Semper Fi!
... and if you want to check out the GLBS Forum, here's a link:
http://s4.invisionfree.com/GLBSFORUMS/index.phpThe GLBS is a local chapter of the IBC, and this is their forum...