Andy M
Well-known member
Can you turn white maggots red/pink overnight and if so how?
Maggot dye
- Thread starter Andy M
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Avon Aquatics - Ryan
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Live maggots or dead, do they need to be live for your purposes.
Ryan
Ryan
slime monster
Senior Member
why not buy red maggots instead of white?
Andy M
Well-known member
Need them alive if poss and re buying red, if would if I could but I can't. Only one place I can get them easily and sometimes they have red but usually only white (Copenhagen).
Andy,
I think I'm right in saying that the dyes used by maggot breeders are actually put into the feed, so the colouration is more or less permanent on shop bought maggots.
Any dye that you use on white maggot will probably wash off after a short period of time in the water.
You can try Red Food Colouring, but it is a time-consuming job.
Can you not 'import' red maggot from Sweden? I know for certain that you can get red maggot in most tackle shops in Skane.
I think I'm right in saying that the dyes used by maggot breeders are actually put into the feed, so the colouration is more or less permanent on shop bought maggots.
Any dye that you use on white maggot will probably wash off after a short period of time in the water.
You can try Red Food Colouring, but it is a time-consuming job.
Can you not 'import' red maggot from Sweden? I know for certain that you can get red maggot in most tackle shops in Skane.
Andy M
Well-known member
Oh dear, I thought it might have been fairly easy but seemingly not. I will just stress to my supplier that red is best and see if he can influence the breeder.
Cheers all for your responses.
Cheers all for your responses.
Peter is right, all coloured maggots, reds-yellows-greens-discosare dye fed. Only bronze maggots are dyed from whites.
squash a red or a yellow and the stuff that comes out is the same colour, squash a bronze and the insides are white on freshly dyed ones, if they are a few days old then the colour soaks into them a bit
I remember many years ago we had a short period ( in our area anyway ) when there was a shortage of maggots in general and the breeders were only doing whites, we tried various types of dye in the shop i worked in and all were crap for reds. At best you got a light pink colour and the dye tended to only realy take in the creases of the skins
squash a red or a yellow and the stuff that comes out is the same colour, squash a bronze and the insides are white on freshly dyed ones, if they are a few days old then the colour soaks into them a bit
I remember many years ago we had a short period ( in our area anyway ) when there was a shortage of maggots in general and the breeders were only doing whites, we tried various types of dye in the shop i worked in and all were crap for reds. At best you got a light pink colour and the dye tended to only realy take in the creases of the skins
slime monster
Senior Member
cant help with red but a good sprinkling of tumeric will put a tinge of yellow on them and spice up the maggots albiet for a short time in water ,rated for winter roach
Andy M
Well-known member
OK I'll just leave them in the sun and see if they go as red as I do!