CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to raise red nematodes

In the natural environment, red nematodes mainly feed on bacteria, yeast, algae and organic debris (fragments of plants and animals). To cultivate red nematodes artificially, the culture medium must be prepared in advance.

Take 4.5 kg of fertile soil (garden or vegetable garden soil) and 1 kg of straw (cut into 2 cm pieces), pour them into a large vat, add 50 kg of water, stir thoroughly, place at 15-18°C for 3-4 days, then filter with gauze. The filtrate is called stock solution. Take a certain amount of stock solution and pour it into another vat, then add 2-4 times of pond water. In this way, the culture solution is prepared.

At this time, you can put a small amount of red nematodes into the culture solution, and keep the water temperature at 18-25℃. The red nematodes grow very fast and will multiply in large quantities to feed goldfish or other fish. During the cultivation of red nematodes, the stock solution should be added at any time to ensure that the fish and worms have enough feed.

Additional information:

The red nematodes are generally small in size, but their group production is high. The difference between the tail gill earthworm and the water silk earthworm is that the former has tail gills, and the tail is often exposed outside the mud. It swings with the water to breathe, and the tremors accelerate when lacking oxygen; the latter does not have tail gills. Red nematodes like to live in the silt of micro-mud waters rich in organic matter (commonly known as the slow-flowing black sludge in the stinking sewer), generally lurking 10 cm to 25 cm below the mud surface, and hiding deep in the mud when the temperature is low.

Red nematodes prefer darkness and fear light. They cannot be exposed to the sun. They feed on soil and absorb organic humus, bacteria, and algae. Red nematodes mature sexually in about 2 months. They are hermaphroditic and cross-fertilized. The eggs are enclosed in a cystic cocoon made of a transparent gelatinous membrane. Generally, one cocoon contains 1 to 4 eggs, and up to 7.

During the reproductive period, each adult can produce 2 to 6 earthworm cocoons. When the water temperature is between 22 and 32 degrees Celsius, the incubation period is generally 10 to 15 days, and the life span of artificial culture is about 3 months.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Red Nematode