Earthworms!

[luggy978]

Hi guys. I'm over here in the uk and I've got a great supply of brandling's. A small worm that I use for fishing. I was wondering if these would be ok to feed to my fish, mainly my ebjd. If anyone has any experience or knows anything about this it would be appreciated.
Thank you



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[tanyaelec11]

I wouldn't see why not . I feed my fish earthworms

 

[wiggywhitetrash]

I stopped feeding earthworms after my green terror caught a parasite from one. This is unlikely to happen to you as I fed them to an Oscar for a long time without any issues, but there's always a risk with live food. On the plus side, your fish will go nuts for them.

 

[Darth Nandopsis]

Been feeding earthworms to all my SA/CA cichlids for decades, up to & including Discus, never any issues. Not sure how a terrestrial parasite could have been transferred to an aquatic organism. Been keeping fish for 43+ years, I've never encountered that.

EBJD's are frail, though, so I would watch how much protein you feed them.....I would stick w/ a high quality pellet.

 

[FriedFlowerHornFillet]

it's called the cammalanus worm and I know of a person (on another forum)that lost an entire discus population recently to an infestation caused by mail order red worms that were infected. I was told to stick to aquatic proteins because in addition to the risk of parasites and pesticide residue you have bloat, and other digestion tract issues to worry about. With aquatic proteins you don't run any of those risks at all.
I raise red wrigglers for compost and was using them as a conditioning treat and while my worms are 100% clear of pesticides I can't guarantee they won't become infected by something and pass it on.
Not worth the risk in my opinion.

 

[Darth Nandopsis]

I would imagine that you could get them from feeding Tubifex or Blackworms, which are aquatic & Tubifex in particular are found near sewage, but since Cammalanus worms are aquatic, as they are parasitic to fish & reproduce in water, how would Cammalanus be transferred from a terrestrial worm like a red worm? I would put forth that the Discus population mentioned was fed live aquatic food & got infected or a fish was introduced that was already infected. I have a hard time seeing how an aquatic parasite could be introduced by a terrestrial organism.

I have been feeding earthworms/nightcrawlers to all my fish, including Discus, for decades & never had any problems.

 

[FriedFlowerHornFillet]

it's a big family there are also terrestrial nematodes.
IDK like I said I was feeding fish red worms thought it was ok and was told by several people more knowledgeable than myself that it's just not worth the risks.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

I would imagine that you could get them from feeding Tubifex or Blackworms, which are aquatic & Tubifex in particular are found near sewage, but since Cammalanus worms are aquatic, as they are parasitic to fish & reproduce in water, how would Cammalanus be transferred from a terrestrial worm like a red worm? I would put forth that the Discus population mentioned was fed live aquatic food & got infected or a fish was introduced that was already infected. I have a hard time seeing how an aquatic parasite could be introduced by a terrestrial organism.

I have been feeding earthworms/nightcrawlers to all my fish, including Discus, for decades & never had any problems.

+1 its highly unlikely, which is why earthworms/red worms are suggested for feeding as treats over aquatic worms/feeder fish. If theres concern, salt brine the worms for a few minutes or freeze then thaw them. That should eliminate any cause for concern. I'll feed earthworms over minnows any day.

 

[Darth Nandopsis]

Having been to a few farms that raised feeder fish, I would NEVER give them as a food source, even if raised @ home. You want to speak of risk? Anyone feeding live aquatic anything is playing Russian Roulette w/ their cichlids.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

Having been to a few farms that raised feeder fish, I would NEVER give them as a food source, even if raised @ home. You want to speak of risk? Anyone feeding live aquatic anything is playing Russian Roulette w/ their cichlids.

I put alot more trust in my quarantined/medicated/home grown feeders than I do ever just dropping a bag in from the lfs no doubt, in fact i put no trust in lfs feeders lol.