80 FISHFOOD 



done as often as the food is consumed and in three or four weeks the 

 harvest of worms will be ready. Care should be taken not to overfeed, 

 as this will sour the soil. The soil should be removed from the box 

 about every two weeks, broken up, loosened and returned. This is 

 considerably facilitated if about half the soil is composed of leaf mold. 

 The breeding box does best in an average temperature of about 60 degrees 

 Fahrenheit. Ants, beetles and mice kill these worms, so they should be 

 excluded. 



The worms are separated from the earth in a number of ways. If 

 but a few are desired the simplest way is to remove two or three spoon- 

 fuls of soil and place in water just deep enough to cover. In a very short 

 time the worms will come out of the soil and entangle themselves in a 

 bunch near the surface of the water, when they may easily be collected. 

 Another method of separating the worms from soil is to place a 

 portion of the earth in an enameled dish, pouring on sufficient water to 

 cover soil, and placing a sheet of glass tightly over dish. Because this 

 will prevent sufficient oxygen from penetrating the dirt or water, the 

 enchytrae will promptly leave the soil, crawl up the sides of the dish and 

 the underside of the glass cover, and cling there. The cover can then 

 be removed and the worms washed or scraped off and fed to the fish. 

 This, of course, is a slow process, but by preparing an hour or so before 

 it is desired to obtain the worms, an ample supply may be procured. 



It is not advisable to feed all of the worms thus obtained. When a 

 considerable number are placed in a tank at a time, some are bound to 

 escape and, burying themselves in the gravel or sand, die and pollute 

 the water. A clever method of avoiding this risk is by use of a floating 



feeding tube as illustrated. Inserted in a cork float 

 is a glass thimble in which are several little holes. 

 A small bunch of worms is placed in the glass. They 

 gradually make their way through the openings and 

 into the waiting mouths of the fishes. This little 

 •p^T 66 device is made commercially, and sells for a trifle. 



White Worm Feeder The idea was developed by European aquarists. 



Mealworms. These are rather hard, glossy, light brown worms about 

 an inch long. They are good food for the hard-mouthed fishes, of fair 

 size, such as the Sunfish and the Cichlids. Lizards thrive on them and 

 they are about the only obtainable food to carry insectivorous reptiles 

 and toads over the winter unless they are maintained in a hibernating 

 condition. Pet stores sell them as bird food. They feed on bran or 

 other meal in which they are kept. If undisturbed and kept in a liberal 

 supply of bran they presently turn into small beetles which in turn lay 

 eggs and hatch into a new and much larger stock of mealworms. 



