Culture and harvesting techniques for Tubifex tubifex

Abstract

The oligochaete worm Tubifex tubifex is one of the best and one of the cheapest live foods for fish, prawns and frogs. The worm grows fastest (7.5 mg in 42 days) on a substrate containing 75% cow dung and 25% fine sand; the culture system (150 × 15 × 15 cm) requires continuous running water at the rate of 250 ml min^-1 to maintain 3 mg O₂l^-1. Addition of fresh cow dung (250 mg cm^-2) once in 4 days is the optimum frequency. If the O₂ and cow dung levels are maintained, the culture continues indefinitely. As the worm is photophobic, the best time for harvest from the substrate is before dawn or after dusk. Harvesting worms at the rate of 125 mg cm^-2 every 30 days maintains the worm density at 181 ± 16 mg cm^-2 in the culture system. At this rate and density, harvesting may be continued indefinitely.