Red Worms

[dusky]

Going to try this in here as it wasn't answered in tropical. in the bottom of my pond living in the sludge are thousands of red worms. They are thin and about an inch long. Does anyone know if these are suitable for feeding to my bettas I don't want to feed something that may poison them. I'm just assuming that as they are breeding wild then they will be healthy worms? Are they larvea of some sort? Thanks :0

 

[constantine03]

Not sure, but I would be careful over which live foods you feed your bettas. Feeding a wild caught food can introduce new organisms that your bettas aren't used to, and they could get really ill from them...

 

[dusky]

Hmmm yes quite possibly,,i was thinking of them for my tropical fish too. thanks for answering

 

[ReMz]

hmmm. my advice would be along the lines of what constantine just told you.

.... i wouldn't want to introduce any sort of parasite or bacteria to my fish. bit of a risk, but it's ultimately up to you. you might not have any probs using the red worms as food at all.

 

[devon_charm]

My bettas and my gold fish eat these, i have containers set up for them, Mozz Larvea and daph to thrive in through the summer. They are a lavea of some sort. As they get bigger they make a cacoon and turn into a black wormy thing then into a mozzy/fly thing (very technical me). I have never had problems with feeding wild worms and larvea, my bettas get it all lol

 

[dusky]

Not sure I like the sound of these 'flying things' You couldn't get much more technical than that devon lol

 

[devon_charm]

I try my best

I think this is what you are on about

Tubificidae
These will doubtless be the most familiar: they are red worms which live in mud in pond margins and slow streams and some species are particularly capable of thriving amongst high pollution as in sewage polluted waters. As sewage discharges have been reduced, so the very heavy densities of these tubifex have decreased.
Tubifex species inhabit the mud with their heads on the mud and their sensitive tails waving around in the water - almost like red grass. They are very sensitive to vibration and will withdraw with lighting speed at the first disturbance. But if you wait, slowly the 'red grass' will grow again as they extend their bodies again. Their movement circulates the water, and their red colur is die to haemoglobin. This movement means they can survive in very foul mud with little oxygen.
The photo shows a colony of these worms in my aquarium. They are useful there as they do the same task that earthworms do in a garden. However, lots of fish will eat them, so geting a colony established depends on what fish you have.

*no pic due to being at work* (i'll try and get it up later)

The only other common redworm found in ponds is bloodworm but these are only about 1/4". Lots of hobbiest collect them and freeze then in icecube trays for the fish to eat

 

[mramell48]

Going to try this in here as it wasn't answered in tropical. in the bottom of my pond living in the sludge are thousands of red worms. They are thin and about an inch long. Does anyone know if these are suitable for feeding to my bettas I don't want to feed something that may poison them. I'm just assuming that as they are breeding wild then they will be healthy worms? Are they larvea of some sort? Thanks :0

I just cleaned out the filter in my pond and in all that nasty mud was a bunch of "red worms" also and I have been lead to believe that those worms are what killed a koi of mine. From what i gather they are parasites and if so I wouldn't feed them to anything. I would investigate much more before even thinking of feeding something growing in the mud or waste to any other fish or any other pet for that mater. I'm not entirely sure what they are, but before I do anything I will keep investigating thoroughly. I suggest you do the same. If I find anything I'll try to find this again to let you know what I find out.

Happy Ponding

 

[azulfire24]

ewww and yea there was somthing sililar in the ponds i used to work near and they had to get medicated,, or they just could be mosquietos, but i would trust my own judjement cause ther is always the chance they could get sick.

 

[nemosworld]

those sound a bit like bloodworms which are midge larvae

 

[dusky]

Well i've not delved into the pond again since. Knowing my luck i'd fall in head first. it's easier to buy them lol

 

[Amerce]

Here you go this might help

Bloodworm culture