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Aquaponics Library
worms
2. QURSTION Thu 01/14/99
Who has experience on the ensamble: peces-hydroponics-worms(red
california)
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: worms
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999
On Thu, 14 Jan 1999, Palchik wrote:
I am looking on using as solution of the waste (fish food P>
remanin,feces,etc.) sory "peces"fish
Then you'll want red wrigglers (manure worms). I have them in my
nutrient beds, and they've already infested my lettuce crop's
beds, which is quite good.. I use palm peat as a medium so the
worms can eat it as well, and give them handfuls of
grassclippings to eat as well as the bacteria.
Or, you can keep them in a seperate box and feed them bits of
fish, food
scraps, etc.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: worms
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999
I want to say I always appreciate your contributions, especially
about worms. I have not begun to explore these wonderful
critters, but I sure have a lot of them in my gravel beds- I
think they are great! (I am fascinated by the spud hydroponics
that you mentioned earlier, as well and I am thinking seriously
about sweet potatoes, the perfect vegetable, but, I will hold off
on that right now..). Gotta question or two for you. I have a
source of plain corrugated cardboard scrap material- no ink or
adhesives that I know of. Now my question is, the worms will
obviously eat this fiberous carbon source just like newspaper,
right?, But what about the nitrogen? What ratio of carbon to
nitrogen do I need to feed them? Do you have any solid numbers on
C/N ratios or just some rules of thumb, feed recipes, etc? So
many pounds of cardboard to so many pounds of....what? I am also
interested in any information that anyone out there may have on
HUFAs, PUFAs, and EFAs (info about various classes of fatty
acids) that earthworm biomass offers as a fish feed urce....
I know that the worm carcass is high in protein, so they must eat
a lot of nitrogen to make that- but I am off in unknown territory
here....
Thanks
Ted.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: worms
Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999
I keep worms known as red wigglers (Eisenia foetida) in square,
stackable trays with wire mesh bottoms. I feed the worms lettuce
and potatoes I get occasionaly from a friend in the restaurant
business. I also feed them rabbit manure. Rabbits and worms were
made for each other. It is my understanding that the worms don't
eat the stuff you feed them, they eat bacteria that break down
the foods you give them, however they do eat fiber and grit, I
use dryer lint and sand. Worms grown in rabbit manure will double
every ninety days in number.
I'm very interested in ways to incorporate worms into the
greenhouse. I'm setting up a small aquaponics system and want to
explore ways I can to make it a sustainable venture. The small
stackable trays have vents in the sides and release carbon
dioxide. I think the plants would appreciate this. Are the worms
you mention in your gravel beds in your aquaponic growing beds? A
good web site and supplier for real Eisenia foetida worms can be
found at http://www.happydranch.com. Others on this list have
talked about worms and specificly the can-o-worms which my trays
are modeled after.
Good luck.
Robin Jenkins
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: worms
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999
I want to say I always appreciate your contributions, especially
about worms. I have not begun to explore these wonderful
critters, but I sure Thanks.. Glad to see that at least someone
reads my postings :-) To have red wrigglers in your gravel beds
means that they are feeding on the bacteria and nothing else. I
guess you can call it `population control' for your bacterial
colony. The worms will turn the excess bacteria into nutrients as
well. Remember that your worms can survive in oxygenated water if
you want them to, and its a common myth that "worms
drown".. Fish will also drown if the O2 content of the water
isn't high enough. Gotta question or two for you. I have a source
of plain corrugated cardboard scrap material- no ink or adhesives
that I know of. Now my question is, the worms will obviously eat
this fiberous carbon source just like newspaper, right?, But what
about the nitrogen? What ratio of carbon to nitrogen do I need to
feed them? Do you have any solid numbers on C/N ratios or just
some rules of thumb, feed recipes, etc? doesn't matter that much
with vermiculture, which is a plus compared with normal
composting. The cardboard sounds fine. I feed my worms cardboard,
and then sift the plastic out after they've fed. So many pounds
of cardboard to so many pounds of....what? I am also interested
in any information that anyone out there may have on HUFAs,
PUFAs, and EFAs (info about various classes of fatty acids) that
earthworm biomass offers as a fish feed source.... Wheat is a
great thing to use if you want to fatten the worms. I beleive
that quite a few worm people (http://www.earthworm.net/ is a good
starting point) have specific fattening recipies. I know that the
worm carcass is high in protein, so they must eat a lot of
nitrogen to make that- but I am off in unknown territory here....
Like I said, I know people who /just/ feed the worms newspaper.
Just newspaper! That's a whole lot of carbon, and little
nitrogen. Diversity isthe key, but the critters don't mind it at
all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: worms
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999
My understanding that the worms don't eat the stuff you feed
them, they eat bacteria that break down the foods you give them,
however they do eat fiber and grit, I use dryer lint and sand.
Worms grown in rabbit manure will double every ninety days in
number. Worms can and do eat small scraps of food. They also eat
the bacteria on the food, but they can and do ingest small bits
of food. Fresh mashed potato is an example. Because it is so
fluffy, the worms can digest it without it being pre-digested by
bacteria. The worm itself has lots of bacteria in its gut which
deal with the food, and convert it into that brilliant black
excreta (castings). Its therefore important that you include
about a tablespoon of sand every month or so, so that the worms
can use the grit. The worm "eats" food by putting a
piece of grit in its "mouth" and banging the food
against it. make it a sustainable venture. The small stackable
trays have vents in the sides and release carbon dioxide. I think
the plants would appreciate this. Are the worms you mention in
your gravel beds in your aquaponic growing Contrary to popular
beleif, a worm can tolerate levated CO2 levels by
excreting the CO2 as calcium carbonate (a chalk) from its skin.
To do that it uses calcium (duh!), and hence healthy worms have
calcium. You can add this by adding crushed bones to the worm
farm if you want to, or even small amounts of powdered milk.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: worms
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999
According to the literature that came with one of my bins, the
ideal C:N ratio is 30:1. Shredded corrugated cardboard is
superior to shredded paper as a food source for worms due to the
animal-based glue which provides N. I soak it overnight before
adding it to the bin. Be careful about using unshredded paper or
cardboard as it will mat down and become anaerobic. An excellent
source of info is the Vermicomposting Forum,
http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/forum_vermi/ which has an
extensive, searchable archives. My small indoor bin and large
outdoor one are perking right along and beginning to supply
enough worms to feed both my tilapia broodstock as well as the
frogs I'm acclimating before I release them for slug control.
Gordon
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: earthworm castings literature search
Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999
This was just posted on the worm digest list. Jim operates a
large vermiculture operation in Washington State.
EARTHWORM CASTINGS-Literature Search Copyright by Jim Jensen,
YELM Earthworm & Castings Farm, 1997 yelmworms. Permission
granted to copy or post with complete attribution in whole,
without addition, deletion, or substitution. Earthworm castings
provide many special benefits beyond what farmers or gardeners
can expect from just manure or compost. In fact, most specialists
recommend that castings be used as a top dressing or supplement.
In this way, castings help make the most effective use of all
your bulk soil amendments. "A little goes a long way"
because the benefits of castings are so concentrated. In nature,
composting worms tend to be highly localized, thriving in pockets
of highly enriched, organic materials. They will consume a great
variety of organic wastes and excrete "worm castings,"
a highly valued soil conditioner. Composting worms also tolerate
a wide range of environmental conditions, which helps explain
their adaptability.
Here are the results of research conducted by leading researchers
around the world:
Scientific studies show that worm-worked composts have better
texture and soil-enhancing properties; hold typically higher
percentages of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous; and may
offer plants disease-fighting properties. [Edwards, 1988].
"Earthworm excreta (castings) are an excellent
soil-conditioning material with a high water holding capacity and
a 'natural time release' for releasing nitrogen into the
soil." [Harris, et. al., 1990].
"Vermicompost (castings) is a finely divided peat like
material with excellent structure, porosity, aeration, drainage
and moisture-holding capacity." [Dominguez, et. al., 1997]
"Among the blessings of castings, vermiphiles count a
smaller particle size than thermophilic compost, lower odor,
enhanced microbial activity, and as a bonus, the vermicompost
often contains worm cocoons, meaning a free work force for the
future." [Riggle and Holmes, 1994]
"Through vermicomposting the humic substances showed an
increase of 40 to 60 percent which was higher than the value
obtained for the composting process." [Dominguez, 1997]
"An important feature is that during the processing of the
wastes (manure) by earthworms, many of the nutrients they contain
are changed to forms more readily taken up by plants, such as
nitrate nitrogen, exchangeable phosphorus and soluble potassium,
calcium, and magnesium. The mostsurprising result [of our
research] was that even 5% of worm-worked animal waste in the
worm-worked waste/commercial mixture had a significant effect on
the growth of plants." [Edwards and Lofty, 1977] Emphasis
added.
In a study for the EPA, researchers reported, "Passage of
organics through the earthworm's gut significantly alters the
physical structure of the material. Large particles are broken
down into numerous smaller particles, with a resultant enormous
increase in surface area. As a result of the increase in surface
area, any remaining odor-producing sulfides are completely
oxidized, microbial respiration is accelerated by a factor of 3,
and Salmonella bacteria are destroyed at a higher rate."
[Camp, Dresser and McKee, 1980],
"The results obtained for the germination index showed a
beneficial effect of earthworms and the highest values of this
index were recorded at the final stages of the process. The
germination index was 65 to 70 percent higher in the treatments
with earthworms than in the control (no earthworms)."
Regarding heavy metals: "We found a decrease of between 35
percent and 55 percent of the bioavailable metals in two
months." [Dominguez, 1997]
"By shredding organic matter and contributing nitrogen,
earthworms stimulate microbial decomposition. Soil microorganisms
live in the worm's gut as well as the surrounding soil and so the
microbial content of casts is usually more concentrated than in
surrounding soil. Microbial activity in casts improves soil
structure by encouraging aggregation of particles. Microbial
secretions (gums) and growth of fungal hyphae stabilize the worm
cast. Worm-worked soil is relatively water-stable and will resist
soil compaction and run-off due to rains. [Edwards and Lofty,
1977]
"In sum, earthworms must be seen not as a "miracle
pill,' a panacea for better soil and crop yields, but as an
integral part of intelligent organic soil management practices.
As earthworms are dependent upon organic matter for food, and
mulches for protection from heat, cold, and drought, so do
growing plants depend upon the earthworm, in combination with
bacteria and other microorganisms, to maintain and improve soil
structure and fertility. When earthworms are seen as part of a
living soil, existing in and contributing to a vital ecosystem,
then the question of "whether earthworms create good soil,
or good soil creates earthworms" becomes essentially
meaningless. Our aim is to improve our soils and grow higher
yields of healthy crops, not to banter about academic questions.
In this pursuit, the earthworm has-beyond doubt-found a treasured
place in the organic scheme of gardening and farming."
[Minnich, 1977] References Buchanan, M.A., et. al.,
"Chemical Characterization and Nitrogen Mineralization
Potentials of Vermicomposts Derived from Differing Organic
Wastes," Earthworms in Waste and Environmental Management,
The Hague, Netherlands, SPB Academic Publishing, 1988. Camp,
Dresser, McKee, Inc., Compendium on Solid Waste Management by
Vermicomposting, Cincinnati, OH, Municipal Environmental Research
Lab, EPA, 1980. Dominguez, Jorge; "Testing the Impact of
Vermicomposting," BioCycle, April 1997. Dominguez, Jorge;
Edwards, Clive; and Subler, Scott; "A Comparison of
Vermicomposting and Composting," BioCycle, April 1997.
Edwards, Clive, "Historical Overview of
Vermicomposting," Biocycle, June 1995. Edwards, Clive, ed.,
"Breakdown of Animal, Vegetable and Industrial Organic
Wastes by Earthworms," Earthworms in Waste and Environmental
Management, The Hague, Netherlands, SPB Academic Publishing,
1988. Edwards, Clive, and Lofty, J.R., Biology of Earthworms,
Chapman and Hall, London, 1977. Frank, Richard, et. al.,
"Metal Transfer in Vermicomposting of Sewage Sludge and
Plant Wastes," Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 1983. Haimi,
J. and Huhta, V., "Capacity of Various Organic Residues to
Support Adequate Earthworm Biomass for Vermicomposting,"
Biology and Fertility of Soils, Spring-Summer, 1986. Harris,
George, et. al., "Vermicomposting in a Rural
Community," Biocycle, Jan. 1990. Loehr, Raymond, et. al.,
Waste Management Using Earthworms: Engineering and Scientific
Relationships (final project report), Washington, DC, National
Science Foundation, 1984. Minnich, Jerry, The Earthworm Book,
Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1977. Riggle, David and Holmes, Hannah,
"New Horizons for Commercial Vermiculture," BioCycle,
October. Scott, Margaret, "The Use of Worm-Digested Animal
Waste as a Supplement to Peat in Loamless Composts for Hardy
Nursery Stock," Earthworms in Waste and Environmental
Management, The Hague, Netherlands, SPB Academic Publishing,
1988.
--------------------------------------------------------
Subject: earthworm castings
Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999
Personal experience--many more blooms on plants w/ castings than
w/o. How about 13 ears of corn on one plant???? It tried anyway;
the ears were way under developed..History of particular garden
plot was just weeds grown on a cut granite pad...basically
subsoil DG(southern california), couldnt dig w/ pick more than
4"...no earth worms, just a few weeds.very hard DIRT!
"Soil"(yuk), was ammended w/ 4" layer of bedding
(worm), so was eveerything;;,,worms, castings, bedding.Some kelp
was added as welll as some dolomite. Many plants had tillers and
multiple ears,, was first season under cultivation.SeEd used was
third generation seed saved from "RED INCA" OP seed
thru "seeds of change".
bill evans
--------------------------------------------------------
Subject: earthworms
Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999
I am in awe at how much can be recycled through earthworms. In
the two months since I have started seriously collecting
earthworm food and bedding materials I have amassed almost a full
car space in the garage of corrugated boxes, junk mail, feed bags
and newspapers just from my family alone (Christmas makes TRASH).
The prospect of turning this trash into a very valuable resource
is exciting.
I intend to sell the castings, along with other farm produce at
our large farmers' market in the spring and summer. Towards this
end I have set up a simple, portable, and hopefully graphic
demonstration of the value of castings. 2 Meter long Kmart
plastic window boxes, one filled with compost and one with
compost +10% castings sown with lettuce and radishes. I saw
slides of a similar setup with marigolds that showed extremely
vigorous plants with many more leaves and dramatically different
root systems. I will keep you posted.
Donna
--------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: worms
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999
Estoy buscando quien tiene experiencia en la utilizacion de la
vermicultura en la transformacion de restos solidos de sistemas
intensivos de cria de peces.
Mauricio
Translation:
"I am looking for someone who has experience in the use of
vermiculture for processing solid waste generated by intensive
fish culture."So, it looks like Mauricio would like to run
his aquaculture solids through a worm farm. Sort of like feeding
cow or sheep manure to worms, but in his case it is fish solid
waste.
Adriana
------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: earthworms
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999
You said:"I have set up a simple, portable, and hopefully
graphic demonstration of the value of castings. 2 Meter long
Kmart plastic window boxes, one filled with compost and one with
compost +10% castings sown with lettuce and radishes. I saw
slides of a similar setup with marigolds that showed extremely
vigorous plants with many more leaves and dramatically different
root systems.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Donna: Do you or anyone else have more info on this system? JDO
--------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: worms
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999
As someone else mentioned a couple of days back, compost worms
(red wigglers) will live in water with a high enough oxygen
content (which actually isn't _very_ high, as far as i can tell).
I accidentally discovered this when I first seeded my small
experimental waste processing system with a scoop of castings
from my worm bin - along with a couple of accidental worms.
Several months later, I was very surprised to notice several of
the compost worms still _living _in_the_water - acting,
basically, like they do in my worm bin. However, I don't know if
red wigglers will reproduce in a submerged environment. Or maybe
red wigglers would enjoy crawling around in a gravel bed, maybe
even keeping it free of solids buildup - so maybe you could just
pump the solids-laden water directly onto the beds?
comments anybody?
Lars Fields, (amateur who doesn't know what he's talking about)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: worms
From: Michael Strates
Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 19:42:05 +1100 (EST)
On Mon, 18 Jan 1999, jilli and lars wrote:
As someone else mentioned a couple of days back, compost worms
(red wigglers) will live in water with a high enough oxygen
content (which actually isn't _very_ high, as far as I can tell).
Yes.. The dO2 level must be about the same as for your fish. I've
seen living worms at the bottom of swimming pools alive after 4
days, even with the chlorine in the water! If you're going to
attempt this, make sure that you have an airstone or at least a
small amount of running water which "drops" onto the
pebbles and aerates them.
However, I don't know if red wigglers will reproduce in a
submerged environment.
Worms /will/ reproduce, live, etc.. in a submerged enviroment..
HOWEVER, they do NOT like it one bit. Because they are a little
off neutral bouyancy, they either rise to the top or stay at the
bottom. They will reproduce, make castings, etc.. but as I said,
its not going to be an enjoyable life.
jal> Or maybe red wigglers would enjoy crawling around in a
gravel bed, maybe even keeping it free of solids buildup - so
maybe you could just pump the solids-laden water directly onto
the beds?
My aquaculutre -> vermiculture -> algaeculture system works
like this:m
1) Yabbies in large polystyrene indoor tanks get fed meat (high
protein)
2) Water from Yabbies' tanks gets passed through the first
vermiculture tank.
3) Water from the aquaculture tanks is drained to a settling tank
where algae grows.
4) A week later, water from the aquaculture tanks gets passed
through the second vermiculture tank. I have four vermiculture
tanks for my aquaponics system. On week one, 1 & 2 is used,
with three resting, etc.. etc..
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e-mail: mstrates@croftj.net www: http://www.croftj.net/~mstrates
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"Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes
turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you long to
return." - Leonardo da Vinci.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: earthworm & pathogens?
From: Michael Strates <mstrates@croftj.net>
Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999
On Fri, 12 Feb 1999, doelle wrote:
d> The gravel will absorb most pathogens, but I certainly
would like to see a good aeration in the pool to make sure that
pathogens do not grow happily in eventually anaerobic conditions.
Also one has to watch that the gravel is not eventually coated
with pathogens.
Or, the person who originally asked can do what I'm doing.. I
have a seperate wormfarm which I draw about 30L of nutrient rich
water off. I pour some sodium hypochlorite into it, and then
filter the (now sterile water) through granular activated carbon
and volia -- a hygenic aquaponic nutrient bed amendment. I
suspect this could also be done if you wanted to add earthworm
castings into the actual gravel beds as well. Just fill a bucket
up with about a 1:6 solution of sodium hypochlorite:water pour in
the castings and leave it for about a weak to dissipate.
d> In the case of earthworms, however, I have not heard of any
serious problems, since they live in the soil and not necessarily
in manure. I'd assume he is talking about redworms, which live in
places of high organic matter. If he harvested them from his
compost heap or wormfarm, they would be coated with potentially
pathogenous bacteria most definetely (even my properly run
wormfarm gets anerobic sometimes).
d> Always keep in mind that pathogens come from human or
animals . Reminds me of yesterday's disection of a few organs
from a sheep we were doing. Some of the other members were
happily cutting away, ripping lenses out of its eye and putting
them on newspaper. I decided to run over to the microscope and
put a section of what looked like its intestine underneath the
microscope. Now I understand why everybody must wear gloves!!
---------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Earthworms and Pathogens
From: mdsenger@webtv.net (Michael Senger)
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999
Current research around the planet indicates that "earthworm
powered" wastewater treatment can work very effectively. In
Pune India they are basically trickling raw sewage through beds
of earthworm castings and yeilding water with no pathogenic
components. It is not the earthworms per se that are doing this,
but the complex of aerobic microorganisms that accompany the
earthworms and live in their guts. These microorganisms will not
hurt tilapia and I believe can actually protect them from the
most common cause of fish death- opportunistic parasitic
bacterium (vibro, aeromonus, etc.) that can affect the fish at
water temperatures below 65 F. I have taken containers of
vermicompost with worms and have recirculated aquarium water
through it for months. The fish seem to benefit from the
treatment. I am continuing to experiment along these lines. There
are some pitfalls.
It can take a while to get the biology going and and you can
possibly kill your fish if the filter "collapses" and
consumes oxygen. It is nothing more than an enhanced biological
filter. The benefit is that the sludge (fish wastes) in the
system are consumed.
Anna Edey of the Solviva Corporation has developed (is
developing) similar systems for on-site residential and
commercial wastewater treatment. John Todd's "Living
Machines" are now very advanced. Forget complicated
aquaponic systems. You don't need UV, ozone, pure oxygen, solids
settling tanks or any of that. Just good aerobic growing beds
with a lot of earthworms and the right microbiology. Then just
feed it your aereated fish water which has been kept at the right
temperature.
It can be simple.
----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: purpose of earthworms in gravel
From: Gordon Watkins <gwatkins@yournet.com>
Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999
About a year and a half ago, I released a few worms in my gravel
beds, both red wigglers and night crawlers. I was dubious as to
how well they would adapt to gravel but I had some of each left
over from a fishing trip so, what the hey, I released them. Now I
see many of each species whenever I disturb the gravel. I also
see little piles of castings on the surface of the beds each
morning so I suspect they may offset compaction and aid in good
percolation. I've also seen baby worms (wormlings?) in the fish
vats where they have presumably washed during flood cycles.
Besides providing feed for the fish, the worms also help support
the small frogs I've released to help with pest control. There
are many benefits to worms in aquaponic systems but I have yet to
identify a detriment. Above all, they add one more strand in the
web of life and help create a more diverse and stable mesocosm.
I now have several bins where I raise quantities of red wigglers
which help compost spoiled produce, prunings, newsprint, etc. I
harvest a few to feed my tilapia breeders, use the tea to
fertilize plant starts, and the compost provides potting soil.
Worms have a secure and permanent place in my system.
Gordon
-----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Natural Feeds for fish.
From: Robert WALKER
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 08:52:57 +1000
Hi,
I have been experimenting with Crayfish & Strawberries.
The Strawberries have been loving the Fish water. Especially in
the summer conditions where nutirent value should be less (I
believe). Fruit is coming on thick & fast and better than
that
of soil. I am using flood & drain, with the sump filled
manually
with fish water.
However, my question is related to natural feeds. My crayfish
have been breeding madly in tanks in a shed, and I have some
fish (Silver Perch & Australian Bass). As a treat for the
fish I purchase now and then some black worms - these are
expensive
around \\$4 a shot (15 ml).
To my surprise all the crayfish come out and start gobbling up
all
the black worms. With discussions from a fish farmer he has shown
improved profits and superior taste from feeding fish more
natural
feeds rather than pellets.
My questions here are where can I get black worms from in large
supplys?, how can I farm them?
Regards,
Robert.
------------------------------------------------------------
This is an excellent forum with a lot of info on how to do
worms, how not to do worms and the various scams meant to do
you. Please get familiar with the scams as there are several
out there.
I do not recommend or warn you away from any of the
following sites. Buyer beware!! I send these as they are
representative of what is out there. A little browsing can
undoubtedly find more web sites.
http://www.smartgardening.com/wormsuppliers.htm
http://www.dragnet.com.au/~lindah/worms.html
http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/forum_vermi/
http://gnv.fdt.net/~windle/
http://www.unclejim.com/index.shtml
http://www.redclaw.com/
http://www.drylands.demon.co.uk/wigglers.htm
http://www.earthworm.net
http://www.ctvalley.com/nightcrawler.htm
http://www.wormfarm.com/
http://www.yelmworms.com/
http://www.kazarie.com/
http://www.nj.com/yucky/worm/
http://www.happydranch.com/
http://www.empnet.com/worms/resource.htm
http://www.mirinz.org.nz/penv/Publications/Composting.htm
http://www.wormwoman.com/commercial_vermiculture.html
http://www.vermint.com.au/growers.html.htm
http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~ccat/
http://overton.tamu.edu/smith/oldsmith/vermiculture.html
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/vermicom.html
http://uccecalaveras.org/compost3.htm
http://hopper.usfca.edu/env-safety/Compost/worm.html
http://www.smartgardening.com/wormcomposting.htm
Marc S. Nameth
------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: wrigglers
From: Adriana Gutierrez & Dennis LaGatta
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 04:08:41 -0500
> OK, I realize someone else probably thought of this already
so please
> enlighten me. Why don't people raising tilapia feed them red
wrigglers if
> they are 70% protien as opposed to 40% fish food, are they
not complete
> protiens or what am I missing here, worms are free, and grow
prolifically on
> greenhouse scraps, too perfect world?
Tim,
There's a really good answer to this one. The value of the worms
in \\$/#
is higher than the value of the tilapia you can produce with
them. So
in the turtle debate the return on investment needs to be higher
than
for tilapia for this to be financially feasible.
Adriana
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Subject: wriggler thoughts
From: "timjohanns"
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 11:54:15 -0800
The idea I had with wrigglers or what ever kind of worms etc, was
that they
eat your clippings, suckers, waste etc. and would therefore, be
somewhat
free, excluding triple-net costs, and could be fed to the trout,
in light
of the omnivours/tilapia thing, or yes, sold per pound, or thrown
to the
compost pile/garden whatever, the idea being to potentiate the
systems
waste/by-products to a usable product, feed the clippings etc. to
marron,
yabbies they like warm water systems like the tilapia? I'm pretty
sure I
didn't just think of this, so does it work like this or am I
being too
perfect world here?
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Subject: mealworms
From: "Peter D. Rau"
<prau@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu>
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 14:27:48 -0600
Has anyone given mealworms a try? They are easy to culture and if
I remember
right they contain 15 of 16 elements contained in animal tissue.
They digest
easily and the only waste product is the outer hard case. I've
used them to
feed my larger fish in the aquarium trade for many years.
Maybe this is a solution?
Peter D. Rau
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Subject: Re: Night Crawlers
From: marc@aculink.net
Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 22:18:14 -0600
Joy Pye-MacSwain wrote:
>
> Morning All.....
>
> I have recently informed that we are going to undertake a
new project at
> our facility and so ..some querries, cause I don't
know...sigh.....
> Anyway, has anyone grown night crawlers in a S&S style
aquaponics
> setup??? If so problems encountered???? Where can I purchase
a
> starting stock?? Thanks and i appreaciate any help that folk
can send
> my way.
>
> Joy Pye-Macswain,
> Future Aqua Farms
http://www.smartgardening.com/wormsuppliers.htm
http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/forum_vermi/
http://www.dragnet.com.au/~lindah/worms.html
http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/forum_vermi/
http://gnv.fdt.net/~windle/
http://www.unclejim.com/index.shtml
http://www.redclaw.com/
http://www.drylands.demon.co.uk/wigglers.htm
http://www.earthworm.net
http://www.ctvalley.com/nightcrawler.htm
http://www.wormfarm.com/
http://www.vermiculture.u8.com/2Menu.html
http://www.yelmworms.com/
http://www.afn.org/~kazarie/
http://www.nj.com/yucky/worm/
http://www.happydranch.com/
http://www.empnet.com/worms/resource.htm
http://www.mirinz.org.nz/penv/Publications/Composting.htm
http://www.wormwoman.com/commercial_vermiculture.html
http://www.vermint.com.au/growers.html.htm
http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~ccat/sub/vermi.htm
http://overton.tamu.edu/smith/oldsmith/vermiculture.html
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/vermicom.html
http://uccecalaveras.org/compost3.htm
http://hopper.usfca.edu/env-safety/Compost/worm.html
http://www.smartgardening.com/wormcomposting.htm
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