can earthworms stay alive underwater?

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vitaly

vitaly

Dovii
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Feb 4, 2010
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i fed my fish some earthworms 3 days ago. today, i have noticed an earthworm in my tank. naturally, i've assumed that it was dead. reached in to get it out.
but the damn thing moved and tried to get a way. it is still alive.
very strange.
and yes, i am 100% sure that it is an earthworm
 
this is normal, they don't die under water!
 
I feed nightcrawlers (one of the squishy fastest active wrigglers) to my bichirs so some will eventually escapes, tho they're been dug out by my fish they don't just die in water, my record was 7 days... then it vanished, turned into bichir's poop I guess.
 
They breathe oxygen so the worm will eventually die.I have fed them to my fish and had them vanish under the gravel before the fish could get them though and I dig around for them rather than let them die and decay on the tank.


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There must be types of worms that don't die in water too easily I assume then. Either way they get to our fish's stomachs so eventually they'll die.
 
Yeah,some types may be able to go longer without oxygen than others.I guess one example could be the worms in my yard.When I water the grass or after a good rain they come up out of their tunnels because they are flooded with water and the worms can't breathe....in this case the birds pick them off when they come up.
 
Terrestrial worms will eventually drown. They absorb 02 through their skin. In water, they don't last long since water holds 3-4% dissolved 02 and they're adapted to atmospheric air which contains roughly 21% 02.
 
Oddball I'm aware that you had a career in the Navy but were you ever a school science teacher?
 
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