Earth worms and aquariums.

[jaylach]

I picked up a container of 'skinny' earth worms for my rope fish and noticed that as soon as they hit the bottom of the tank they went vertical and dug into the substrate. I was worried that they were just going to die and rot so did a bit of searching. I found the following article of interest.

Earthworms are Quite Happy Underwater - All About Worms

Share the knowledgeWe received a question from a reader who would like to know how much time a worm can...

www.allaboutworms.com

While I will hold on to the things in my fridge until I get the rope fish hand feeding I may throw in a couple now and then.

Here is what I wonder... OK, so earth worms seem to be able to live in an aquarium for quite a while digging into the substrate as long as the water's oxygen level is high which mine has to be. I wonder if they could be good for the substrate stirring things up and getting rid of garbage.

 

[Alice B]

I picked up a container of 'skinny' earth worms for my rope fish and noticed that as soon as they hit the bottom of the tank they went vertical and dug into the substrate. I was worried that they were just going to die and rot so did a bit of searching. I found the following article of interest.

Earthworms are Quite Happy Underwater - All About Worms

Share the knowledgeWe received a question from a reader who would like to know how much time a worm can...

www.allaboutworms.com

While I will hold on to the things in my fridge until I get the rope fish hand feeding.

Here is what I wonder... OK, so earth worms seem to be able to live in an aquarium for quite a while digging into the substrate as long as the water's oxygen level is high which mine has to be. I wonder if they could be good for the substrate stirring things up and getting rid of garbage.

I find them in pond filters all the time, burrowed into the submerged filter pad having a party

 

[jaylach]

I find them in pond filters all the time, burrowed into the submerged filter pad having a party

Cool, that backs my thought that they may actually be good. I'm not saying that they are good; just a possibility that they might be.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Interesting

 

[jaylach]

Interesting

Yes it is.

I want to do some more research and also see if my water parameters change before I actually start seeding my substrate with worms but, so far, I see zero negatives.

As of right now I don't really know but a hunch tells me that this would probably only be good with a heavily live planted tank.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Yes it is.

I want to do some more research and also see if my water parameters change before I actually start seeding my substrate with worms but, so far, I see zero negatives.

As of right now I don't really know but a hunch tells me that this would probably only be good with a heavily live planted tank.

I’d just be careful because if they do die and you don’t know and remove them it could cause a spike

 

[Rocky998]

This is very very intriguing... I will follow this.
I wonder how earth worms can live underwater or IF they even can for long...

 

[jaylach]

I’d just be careful because if they do die and you don’t know and remove them it could cause a spike

Valid point but with just going with a few now and then I figure that if they die they would just become plant food. My tank is heavily planted almost to the extreme.

This is very very intriguing... I will follow this.
I wonder how earth worms can live underwater or IF they even can for long...

One must understand that earth worms don't have lungs so can't really drown. They absorb oxygen through their skin. According to the article I linked they will take in oxygen in water as long as the water's oxygen level is higher than that within their bodies. I'm sure that some will die but that is true in the wild. Worms that die become plant food.

I figure a good test will be when I vacuum the substrate. If I suck up live worms I would have to figure that things are good to go.

 

[Lynnzer]

I guess the big question is what do they feed on?
If they eat detritus then all's well and good. My expeience with worms is collecting them for fishing trips and they are more easily found by looking for piles of extruded earth so I have to assume they just open their mouths and hoover up everything in front of them to digest as they move around. Detritus may have some nutrients thar could be beneficial, in which case the worms should be good for a tank.
I know that on the odd occasion I've put a small one into a tank it doesn't get time to work its way into the substrate. It's a meal in a few seconds.
Also, worms breed on the surface so you won't get overrun with them.

 

[jaylach]

I guess the big question is what do they feed on?
If they eat detritus then all's well and good. My expeience with worms is collecting them for fishing trips and they are more easily found by looking for piles of extruded earth so I have to assume they just open their mouths and hoover up everything in front of them to digest as they move around. Detritus may have some nutrients thar could be beneficial, in which case the worms should be good for a tank.
I know that on the odd occasion I've put a small one into a tank it doesn't get time to work its way into the substrate. It's a meal in a few seconds.
Also, worms breed on the surface so you won't get overrun with them.

Like I said this is in early stages of research but I figure that they would feed on fish poop and excess food. Think about it. In a strong way an aquarium's substrate is really just REALLY wet soil. If they find food in soil I don't see why they would not in substrate.