AQUATICS BY GEORGE
CAPTIVE BRED LIVE FOODS
FOR FISH, AMPHIBIAN AND INVERTEBRATE PETS
LIVE FOODS:
European nightcrawlers, White Worms, Microworms, Vinegar Eels, Grindal worms, Ramshorn snails, Mini ramshorm snails, Bladder snails, Limpets, Neocaridina shrimps, Gammarus shrimps, Daphnia, Marbled Crayfish
***AVAILABILITY VARIES. EMAIL AQUATICSBYGEORGE@GMAIL.COM TO INQUIRE***
All of the live foods we sell here at Aquatics By George were bred and raised in captivity, but does that make them safe to eat?
Just like the food we eat as humans, all of the things our prey animals consume will eventually end up being ingested by the predator who eats them. That’s why our live food animals, (including snails, crayfish and shrimps), are never allowed to be exposed to any toxic substances.
Although a regular dose of a typical aquatic plant fertilizer, containing copper, zinc and molybdenum may not have any apparent ill effects on invertebrates, these substances are known to grow plants which can be toxic to ruminants (cows, sheep, etc.), which is why we decided to err on the side of caution.
That’s why all of our plant eaters eat only organically grown vegetables, as well as trimmings from my planted tanks which have been fertilized with “Just The Essentials”, which is guaranteed to be safe for all hard water species of freshwater fish, reptiles and amphibians.
We do all of this so that you can feel confident that that the live foods you buy to breed or feed to your pets are free of heavy metals, parasites and other contaminants, to ensure that your little friends stay happy and healthy.
Learn more about safer alternatives for plant fertilizers, including “Just The Essentials”, and a brand new product called “Dirt Balls”, which are a type of root feeder tablet we invented, which contains both micronutrients and macronutrients, made using nothing but Calcium monmorillonite clay and Icelandic seaweed!
--- http://aquaticsbygeorge.wixsite.com/creations/fertilizers
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WORMS
Looking for some new kinds of healthy, captive bred feeders for your pet fish and herps? Start your own little worm farms, and have a lifetime supply of some of the most nutritious foods in existence.
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WHITE WORMS: (Enchytraeus albidus)
(SOLD OUT)
Excellent treat for small to medium size juvenile axolotls, small frogs, and other amphibians. Also great for conditioning Bettas, killis, and just about any other tropical fish to breed, or as a treat. Very easy to culture.
*** White worm starter cultures (Food safe plastic baggie with worms and media):
Small food safe plastic bag containing a small amount of soil and a few dozen worms. $5
Medium size food safe plastic bag containing soil and hundreds of worms): $10
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***White worm mini farms:
(Small food-safe plastic container with worms and media, (your choice of either soil, sponge or polyester, if you prefer), ready to harvest. $20)
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NEW: GRINDAL WORMS
(Enchytraeus buchholtzi)
Grindal worms are smaller cousins of white worms, and while adult size can vary, I find they are about 1/10th the size of white worms, reaching only about 1 cm or smaller, whereas white worms grow to an adult size of about an inch.
I culture them in small food safe plastic containers with damp coco coir using amphibian food pellets or dry cat food as a food for them, along with a bit of white bread squished under a piece of plastic or glass. Unlike white worms which like to stay cool, Grindal worms prefer room temperature and breed rapidly
Mini starters: $5
MICROWORMS: (Panagrellus redivivus)
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(Great alternative or addition to baby brine shrimp, for raising hatchling fish, axolotls, frogs, and other aquatics)
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***Microworm starter cultures (baggie)- $5
(add to oatmeal or bread and yeast.)
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***Microworm mini farms - $10
(Food-safe plastic bin with worm colony, ready to harvest)
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To learn more, see: http://www.fishchannel.com/freshwater-aquariums/fish-food/microworms.aspx
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***CAPTIVE BRED EUROPEAN NIGHTCRAWLERS (Giant Red Worms / Belgian Red Worms): *** SOLD OUT ***
(Eisenia hortensis)
$5 for twelve medium to large worms (mixed sizes from 4"-7" when extended.)
$10 for twenty five medium to large worms (mixed sizes from 4"-7" when extended.)
$10 for forty small worms (1"-2") ***WHEN AVAILABLE***
Feed your fish, amphibians, and reptiles the juicy earthworms they crave without the risk of heavy metals and other pollutants that are could potentiallty be present in wild collected worms ***See links below***. They are easy to breed. From hatching, they reach maturity within 3-6 months. European nightcrawers do not need to be refrigerated, (unlike Canadian Nightcrawlers), and are easy to breed in captivity.
Perfect for composting, (start your own organic veggie bin, and have a nightcrawler farm, and ongoing food supply of your own. Apparently, they also taste very good, unlike red wrigglers), and for nutritional balance, there is no comparison to real earthworms.
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VINEGAR EELS (Turbatrix aceti)
Starters are available for $5
These guys can live for days in an aquarium, and actually swim around, unlike microworms, which makes them very attractive to hungry hatchlings. These are extremely easy to culture. Just put your culture in a jar with a slice of apple, some cider vinegar and water, and they'll live and breed in there for up to six months.
Learn more:
"How to Culture and Harvest Vinegar Eels":
https://www.ibcbettas.org/how-to-culture-and-harvest-vinegar-eels/
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"How To Grow Vinegar Eels And Feed Them To Baby Fish" (Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfNuMt2NSCk
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SHRIMPS
RED CHERRY SHRIMPS, (Neocaridina davidii. $20 for ten juveniles or $3 each) - ***WHEN AVAILABLE***
Red cherry shrimp are a type of freshwater shrimp which come from rivers in Taiwan. They make popular pets and are also very valuable to fish and amphibian breeders since they eat fungus and dead eggs and keep healthy eggs clean, as well as eating algae and leftover foods, making them a sort of freshwater version of a saltwater aquarium "clean up crew".
Cherry shrimp are very easy to breed, so with any luck, you should have a booming colony of your own soon, to sell, trade, or use as algae eaters and clean up crew in a peaceful community tank.
These are juveniles, so they are mostly transparent, but the adult females should be nearly solid in a few months after you get them, when they mature.
(Coming soon: Fire red, Chocolate and Orange Neocaridina shrimp)
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Learn more about Neocaridina Shrimps: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/articles/frequently-asked-questions-on-neocaridina-shrimps
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CRAYFISH
MARBLED CRAYFISH
(Procambarus fallax f. virginalis AKA marmokrebs)
The famous self-cloning crayfish is the only crustacean which can reproduce by parthogenesis (cloning). This species is actually illegal in a few countries, because of the potential to become invasive, but because they are unable to survive the winter in Canada, that isn't an issue here.
Care is just like the Blue crayfish, and the marmokrebs can even be bred and raised in food safe bins.
$5 each for 2.5 cm juveniles. Limited.
http://aquaticsbygeorge.wixsite.com/creations/crayfish
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SNAILS
RAMSHORN SNAILS (Planorbis spp.):
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Red, Pink, Golden, Bronze, Blue, Spotted, Striped: $1 - $3 for pea sized juveniles.
Brown: $0.25 or $1 for ten
Breeding size adults may also be available. Inquire for details.
Excellent as a freshwater "clean up crew", eating algae, dead plant leaves and leftover foods, which helps to prevent ammonia spikes and high nitrates.
***Note: Ramshorns may eat live plants, but in my experience only eat dead or dying plant matter, which is actually beneficial to a planted tank.
NEW: Mini Ramshorns
(Planorbis arnoldi)
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MALAYSIAN TRUMPET SNAILS (Melanoides tuberculata) ($0.50 each)
These are cone shaped snails which live in the substrate (stirring and aerating, to prevent "dead" anaerobic pockets) and eat leftover foods, preventing ammonia spikes and high nitrates.
***Note*** MTS may not a suitable live food for most carnivores due to
their hard shells.
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TADPOLE SNAILS (Physa species): $0.25 each or $1 for ten (SOLD OUT)
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These small, football shaped snails (also commonly known as bladder snails or pond snails) make an excellent food source for dwarf puffers, crays and predatory fishes. (The only one of the "pest snails" which I would consider to be a true pest, due to their small adult size, and very fast rate of reproduction). One of the only species of snail that is definitely not an impaction risk for predators, due to their very delicate shells, which crumble away to a powder with the slightest pressure.
(Note: May eat live plants)
All of these species can be a bit of a commitment, but the tadpole snails and MTS especially can be hard to get rid of without draining the aquarium.
Ramshorns in particular breed at a relatively large adult size, and in my experience can be removed manually or trapped, and the population will die out.
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For more information on snails, see:
SNAILS
"Pond Snails, Bane or Boon?":
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pondsubwebindex/pdsnails.htm
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“Invertebrates for Freshwater Aquariums”: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwinverts.htm
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COMING SOON:
Daphnia, Gammarus shrimps, Assassin snails, guppies and more!
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For trades, I accept tanks, equipment (both aquarium and terrarium stuff), easy plants (both aquatic and terrestrial), live, frozen, or high-quality pellet foods. Let me know what you have.
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Have you seen one of our products available for a lower price, from another local seller? Let me know, and I might be able to match it for you.
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Pick up in Abbotsford, or from my table at the BC Reptile Expo, (Aquatics By George - Aquarium and Terrarium Supply, Consultation, and Creations) every April and September
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Let me know if you have any questions, by PM, comment, or email to aquaticsbygeorge@gmail.com
You can also text me at 778 347 8916, and I will get back to you as soon as possible, (often get distracted by my aquariums and painting, so please be patient while I get back to you, or try calling if it's an emergency.)
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Thanks for looking!
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SOURCES:
EUROPEAN NIGHTCRAWLERS
European Nightcrawler Facts:
http://www.wormfarmfacts.com/European-Night-Crawler.html
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“How Do I Farm European Nightcrawlers?”
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/farm-european-nightcrawlers-15672.html
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DO-IT-YOURSELF VERMICOMPOSTING BINS
“DIY Worm Composting Bin” (Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHS1UKdUzVo
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"Stackable Worm Condos / Bins"
http://www.instructables.com/id/Stackable-Worm-Condosbins/
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EARTHWORMS SAFETY:
EFFECTS OF METALS ON WILD COLLECTED EARTHWORMS:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3251976/
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WORM NUTRITION:
“Food Items for Captive Caudates” by Heather Björnebo: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml
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“Nutritional Values of Amphibian Foods” by Jennifer Macke
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods2.shtml
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“Worms: The Ideal Food for Caudates”
By Jennifer Macke
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/worms.shtml
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SMALL WORMS
“Microfoods for Caudate Larvae”
By Jennifer Macke
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/microfoods.shtml
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WHITE WORMS (Enchytraeus albidus)
“ White Worms Complete How to Start out, feeding, old cultures, new cultures”
(VIDEO) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0UjoY0ldHY&feature=youtu.be
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“White Worms”
http://www.fishgobble.com/product/white-worm
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“White Worm Information”:
http://www.worm-cultures.com/whiteworminformation.htm
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“Food Items for Captive Caudates”
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/foods.shtml
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MICROWORMS (Panagrellus redivivus)
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“Microfoods for Caudate Larvae”
By Jennifer Macke
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/microfoods.shtml
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“Microworms: The Perfect Live Food?”
https://www.petcha.com/microworms-the-perfect-live-food/
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LIVE FOODS TUTORIAL(By Sidi AKA Storm):