How to grow a tubifex at home?

Despite the wide range of dry and artificial foods, there has long been a problem of feeding aquarium fish. But, no matter what they say, and no matter what they say about artificial food, living will be many times better and more useful for your pets. However, live food has one drawback - it needs to be obtained somewhere and stored under certain conditions. For instance, bloodworm and tubifex usually mined in polluted water bodies. And for this reason, experienced aquarists abandon live food in favor of dry and artificial food, thereby poisoning the fish habitat with unnecessary chemistry.

Unfortunately, these fears are not in vain. Indeed, in most cases, the bulk of diseases enter the aquarium with live food. Therefore, the obligatory procedure for disinfecting live food will come in handy. There are many methods of disinfection - from settling to soaking in special solutions. However, even the most effective method will not be able to neutralize all harmful bacteria. Difficulties with disinfection, as well as the existing likelihood of the penetration of harmful microorganisms and chemicals from suburban streams, stop hobbyists and professional aquarists from feeding live bloodworms.

Large aquarium farms have long abandoned the use of live food. And in European aquariums, they practically do not feed the harvested live food. But do not despair, there is a way out. It consists in the artificial cultivation of live food. Let's talk about this in detail.

Growing live food in artificial conditions

Commercial breeding of live food is an old dream of aquarists, but so far it is poorly realized in life. If we analyze a large number of sources, it becomes clear that only a few are still doing this. Although, the prospect is very great. In some countries, you can find farms where live feed is grown all year round. These enterprises have high profitability, as this product is in high demand.

It should be recognized that the cultivation of bloodworms at any scale is a difficult process. Bloodworms are mosquito larvae. Breeding it requires a breeding stock, which means that there will be a large accumulation of mosquitoes in the breeding site. From this we can conclude that bloodworms are not suitable for breeding.

Now consider pipe maker... It is a small-bristled worm of the Tubificidae family.

Pipe worker able to create year-round colonies. It feeds on organic matter. Many may argue that the tubifex contains nothing but protein, but it can be “pumped up” with fortified feed.

Breeding the tubule requires creativity in the process. Many have developed their own breeding technology, but do not want to share it, they are trying to sell their technology. And someone has already tried to breed at home, but got burned.

In printed publications, you can only find information that growing a tubifex is laborious and ineffective. One can agree with this, but any difficulties can be overcome! And we will try to find a solution.

Breeding the tubule

Many aquarists are inclined to believe that the tubifex must be grown in running water... But you can also find information that the tubifex must be kept in stagnant water. This is most likely wrong. Indeed, in nature, the pipe maker can be found in rivers, in flowing waters. Such waters bring new food to the worm, and oxygen enrichment of the reservoir also occurs, which has a positive effect on the colonies of the tubifex.

These worms live in swampy rivers and serve as an indicator of the pollution of the reservoir.They are buried in the silt, but not completely, the upper part wriggling above the bottom surface. The upper body absorbs oxygen from the water. On the shelves of specialized stores, you can find price tags with the name "Pipe". But do not delude yourself, in one package there may be other worms living next door to the tubule. This is another reason to breed it in artificial conditions.

Therefore, it is necessary to create for our worms the most similar conditions under which the water would be constantly in motion. Based on this, the reservoir should be rectangular, elongated, and the bottom is insulated from the main soil with concrete or film. The bottom should be sloped, this will allow the water to move by gravity. There should not be too much water, no more than 10 cm deep. The length is calculated from the number of tubifex colonies, approximately 3-5 meters.

Water

As for the water ... It must constantly circulate in the reservoir, just circulate, and not flow from the tap. This principle is comparable to fountains, i.e. the pump distills the same water from bottom to top. To avoid acidification of water, it must be changed periodically. A positive result is observed with the addition of vitamins and food for worms to the water.

The temperature in the reservoir should be constant and be 5-10 degrees Celsius... In summer, the reservoir is covered with an awning or placed in the shade, and in winter, complete freezing of water is unacceptable.

Nutrient substrate for the tubifex

We pass to the main thing, to the substrate for the worms. Under natural conditions, the tubifex lives at the bottom, in the silt. Therefore, it is recommended to use silt from the bottom of the rivers for breeding. Before using it, it must be rinsed out. Sludge is dried and disinfected under an ultraviolet lamp. Then evenly spread over the bottom. It is not recommended to make a layer of silt less than five centimeters.

You can find tips for feeding the tubifex with humus, manure. This greatly simplifies the rearing process, but there is a risk of introducing harmful microorganisms into the food for the worms. It is worth looking for optimal solutions and understanding the risk of such feeding, but definitely the feed should be organic.

As we remember, organic matter serves as food. Even bread, dry fish food can be used in this capacity. In order for the pipe maker to digest this, you need to mix the feed with silt or sprinkle it on the bottom in a thin layer. Do not overdo it with food. It is necessary to achieve a minimum of its presence in the reservoir. It is recommended to feed once every one or two weeks. By the way, many aquarists note that the presence of a small amount of tubule in the aquarium promotes better plant growth. This is due to the fact that worms process organic matter into lighter particles that are easier for plants to assimilate.

It is very important for anyone with an aquarium to have constant and uninterrupted access to live food for aquarium fish throughout the year, regardless of the season.

Photo of a pipe maker

Such provision can be obtained by breeding a tubifex at home. Many people think that breeding this worm on their own, and even at home, is a thankless and economically unprofitable occupation. This is not entirely true.

In nature, this small-bristled worm leads a near-bottom life in reservoirs with a muddy bottom and a large amount of organic matter that gets into the water. Feeding on decaying organic matter, it can grow up to 10 cm in length, which is quite impressive compared to the bloodworm, which is very popular with aquarium lovers. The tubifex received a red or dark pink color from a large amount of hemoglobin contained in its blood, therefore, as food for fish, it is not only nutritious, but also useful.

Under suitable living conditions, these worms form entire colonies, which greatly facilitates the process of breeding the tubifex.

Breeding technology

Despite the fact that the purchased pipe maker can be stored alive for up to 2 months (if you keep it in the refrigerator, in a container with a little water), it is still better to place it in such conditions in which it can not only retain its original qualities, but also grow and multiply.

For the successful breeding of these worms, it is necessary to prepare a special substrate in which it will live, feed and reproduce. Ideally, you can take ready-made bottom silt from a suitable reservoir. But along with it, you can get a large list of problems associated with the ecological cleanliness of the place where it was taken from. In addition, such a basis can bring in a lot of microbes, which simply does not make sense to fight.

Therefore, it is better to dwell on the option of your own cooking.

The main ingredients are garden soil, ground into dry moss and a decoction of wheat and rice.

It is done quickly enough. In half a liter of milk, boil for 20 minutes, poured into it in a teaspoon, wheat and rice. After that, such a broth is placed in a warm place, for several days, for the formation of bacteria in it, which will become food for tubulers.

Daphnia. The pipe worker.

After a sufficient number of microorganisms have formed, a glass of garden soil and a culture of tubule makers are added to a half-liter volume of broth.

This preparation allows it to multiply quickly, and the nutrients are sufficient for almost a month's breeding. During this time, the number of worms will increase significantly, and they can be used for their intended purpose, i.e. feed to fish living in the aquarium.

How to get (wash) bloodworms

Precautionary measures

For humans, the pipe maker is completely harmless. But aeromonad bacteria, which cause infectious diseases in fish, dropsy or ruffling of scales, are very easy to bring along with worms.

To keep your aquarium pets safe, there is a simple procedure to follow before starting the breeding process.

After acquiring a tubule, it is kept in water at room temperature for several days, regularly changing the water as it becomes contaminated with secretions from worms. Purification, therefore, continues until formations in color and density, reminiscent of river silt, no longer appear.

Cleaning methods

Before feeding the tubifex to the fish, you need to clean it. This applies to all worms, regardless of their previous habitat, be it a muddy reservoir or a plastic container with a special substrate.

There are several methods:

• thick starch is poured into a bucket with a tubule. After that, a dense layer of worms forms at the top, under it is a layer of starch, and at the very bottom is all the dirt;
• tubulers are tightly wrapped with gauze or mesh nylon (stocking) and the ends are tied. After placing such a bag in a container with a small layer of water, they begin to pour hot water over it. Fleeing from it, the worms will actively crawl through small cells and cleanse themselves on their own;
• a jar of worms is tied with gauze and put in hot water. Due to the extremely uncomfortable temperature, the worms will crawl out through the gauze to the surface, where they can be collected already peeled;
• the container with the tubule is hermetically closed, cutting off the access of oxygen. After such exposure, a dense lump of worms forms on the surface, from where they are easy to pick up.

a small amount of kefir is added to a container with tubules, but without water. Eating it, the worms perfectly self-cleanse in a short time.

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Video - FLUSHING AND STORING THE PIPE

Those who are seriously involved in the breeding and sale of aquarium fish know that the lion's share of the selling price for this product (approximately 35%) comes from the cost of purchasing quality food. The tubifex is considered to be one of the best feeds. Firstly, it is versatile, suitable for both adults and for growing fry. Secondly, it is very nutritious (it is in no way inferior to bloodworms). And thirdly, it stimulates the reproduction of aquarium fish. The demand for it is traditionally high, and the price “bites”. Here is a ready-made business idea with a small investment - growing a pipe maker at home.

First, we will prepare a mini-farm where our pets will live. It is a cascade of several plastic containers filled with water and connected by tubes, representing an artificial stream. To accommodate 2 kg of worms according to this principle, 10 containers with dimensions of 100x30x20 cm are enough. At the bottom we put a small (within 2 cm) layer of expanded clay, and on top - a substrate consisting of silt (lake or river is suitable), sand and banana or vegetable peel (potatoes, carrots). Do not forget to disinfect sand and silt by boiling them separately. We put a layer of sand (4-5 cm), on it - a peel, and on top, sprinkle with silt (4-5 cm). Remember, the presence of a flow and a sufficient oxygen content in the water are indispensable conditions for the life of worms. Therefore, you need a compressor and a small pump. The water level itself should not exceed 20 cm, and the temperature is 30 degrees. (preferably room). Low to moderate lighting.

Having created comfortable conditions, we go in search of guests. Favorite habitats of the tubifex are sandy-silty soils, mixed with fallen leaves, shaded, cool areas of rivers and lakes. For example, knowing the location, you can use a scoop to collect part of the bottom soil (usually, it does not deepen more than 5 cm). Then, either rinse it under running water, or place the soil in a container, cover with gauze and put on fire. Fleeing from the high temperature, the worms will crawl out onto cheesecloth, with which they are easy to collect. On average, from one kilogram of mined soil, you can get from 10% to 20% of the pipe maker, the rest is garbage.

We populate our nursery. A few words about feeding. In nutrition, the worm is unpretentious. You can use dry horse (cow) manure, fish meal and porridge. It processes well the cleaning of vegetables, fruits (I like watermelon peels). For example, horse manure is placed in a thin layer on the bottom and added in small portions after 3 - 4 days, as it is processed. Under favorable conditions, the tubifex readily reproduces. When the pink mass covers the bottom of the container in an almost continuous swaying carpet, it's time to harvest.

We are dealing with a rather gluttonous creature. In just one day, he passes through himself an amount of sludge that is 4 - 5 times its own weight! The tubule lover passes through itself the smallest suspensions and substances dissolved in water, it can be easily disinfected, and, at the same time, healed fish. And since there is a lot of protein in the tubule, and vitamins and other nutrients are not enough, it is advisable to add various microelements and vitamins to its feed. This will have a very beneficial effect on the health of fry and adult fish.

You can store the pipe maker in any container, following a number of simple recommendations. Firstly, the water temperature should not exceed 5 - 10 degrees. This can be a refrigerator, basement, balcony. Secondly, a fairly small volume of water is sufficient (a few centimeters from the ball of worms to the surface).Thirdly, you need to change the water often (at least 2 times a day), since it lives in running water and, in its absence, quickly begins to pollute the environment. Sometimes the tubule is frozen. But, due to the very thin and delicate structure, the quality of such feed is, for the most part, unsatisfactory.

Selling a fresh tubule is no problem. The most profitable way is retail. One point in the central market of the city allows you to sell several kilograms of pipe maker over the weekend. It is advisable to sell the surplus to pet stores that sell fish, or leave it for sale in the same stores. But the ideal selling option can be considered the development of a network of regular customers, consumers, both amateurs and professionals, who breed aquarium fish for sale. The main thing is the stable quality of the product: to carry out disinfection before sale, to supply only fresh and live product, always remember that the life and health of your customers' pets depends on the quality of the product, often costing several hundred dollars each. Carelessness in such a relationship is unacceptable. Constantly expanding the draw areas, over time you can reach a fairly decent level, which will provide you with a decent income.