Breeding / Feeding tubifex

[Andy Waldmann]

Hello.

Well, like every one who is breading salamanders and newts, there is always the same question again: what to feed the small larvae? Artemia should not be the only answer, I think  :-\ .... bloodworms very often let the water become depraved. Water fleas are welcome like a chocolatebar  ;D  But what do you think about tubifex and which experiences did you collect with feeding them, and how do you breed them?   ??? (topic mud)

Thank you in advance for your reply

Andy W.

[Rayliberty]

Well, I always use small graded Daphina water fleas which I wild catch. I find it easier and cheaper to catch waterfleas then breeding arthemia. Later when they get bigger I use al lot of tubifex and bloodworms as well.

I resently got my hands on californian worms or black worms I suppose, does any body know how to breed these guys. I think its verry good food for adults as well and a bit bigger then tubifex

[Niels D]

I've read on caudata.org that there's a method for breeding tubifex, but I've never tried it myself. When the temperatures allow it, I've got a Daphnia culture outside in a big tank. It gets automatically filled with other little fooditems like bloodworms and black mosquito larvae, which I also feed to my newts.

I only feed newly hatched artemia to the newts which are too small for Daphnia. The bloodworms will not deprave your water if you siphon the dead ones out using a straw. Try to feed the exact amount that your newts will eat at one time.