Gut Loading Refrigerated Earthworms

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KING1307

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 29, 2009
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Ontario
Hey all, just wondering for those who know about earthworms or who feed their rays store bought earthworms. Do you gut load your worms or not and if so what do you feed the worms. Also, what is the reason to keep them refrigerated and can you gut load while their in the fridge?
Any info is appreciated.
Thanks!
 
Maybe you can take a syringe and inject fish vitamins it into the earthworms just right before you feed them...but that seems kind of messed up, but I guess them worms gonna get eaten anyways.
 
Put them in a small tank full of dirt and throw in some vege's. They will eat the vege's-get the natural vitamins and then pass them onto the ray's. That's how I do it.
 
refrigeration is to slow metabolism a good temp is 60f. a small worm box can raise keep and feed worms love fruits and veggies make a bed drain waste through dirt and best fertilizer ever keep small if inside can smell alittle
 
read up on starting a worm farm. Its really easy to do.
this is what I do
get a rubbermaid tub with lid (drill holes in lid)
fill with good dirt, (cheap potting soil and dirt mix works well)
take corn mill and shortening and mix in with the dirt mixture,
take vegies like lettace, raw squash, etc and also mix in the dirt,
go to walmart and get some bait worms, (get about 60)
drop worms in dirt
put lid on (once a week, mix dirt around, just be careful not to cut up worms if you use a shovel.. I use my hand with a rubber glove on)
every three weeks, add more vegies,
in about 2 months, you will have almost doubles your worms...
I leave mine alone for 4 months.. then I have plenty to use up while my other farm is making more...
this is cheap, easy to raise and have healthy worms...
 
But wouldn't injecting the worms with vita chem in a syringe look like those clowns that blow up those twisty tie balloons to make balloon animals and hats out of them? :eek:
 
hahah worm injection sounds a little messy, but the whole balloon worm does sound intriguing. The worm farm sounds like it makes a lot of sense, probably will save you lots of money in the end and insures lots of healthy, nutritional worms. Although Im not sure I have to room and time to start another project like that. Just with work and my rays Im really strapped for time. Im not just wondering what the purpose of refrigerating worms is and can will they eat in the fridge?
 
the reason they put worms in the frig is to slow down their digestion and there for produce less waist. that is why your LFS keep black worms in the frig. It helps them keep them fresh longer and slows down there digestion and they dont have to clean them as much. With worms like blackworms, they live in water, but that water can get very dirty fast. So slowing their digestion down keeps them from having to change their water as much and keeps them fresh longer till they get them sold.
I myself raise my own blackworms in a 10gal tank and also raise my own earthworms in the tubs I was telling you about. The earthworms are not alot of work. really easy to keep. Just have to sift there dirt around once a week and feed every other week vegies and stuff(at the least). We eat alot of salad, so I usually when Im making a salad with dinner, cut up a few extra cucumbers and take some lettuce and throw in the buckets real fast.. even thow in some tomato and whatever vegie in putting in my salad at the time.. carrots etc..... (watch how many tomatoes you put in though..they rot fast and can attract nats.. )
the blackworms I raise are more work. Water changes every 3 days and feed flakes and crushed pellets once a week. Its keeing up their water changes is the work since I have to do like 60% water changes to make sure it stays clean for them. you cant vacume the rocks or have a hanging filter due to it will suck them up and the babies up. So all you can use is a sponge filter and do water changes alot...
but to me its worth it, my rays, aro and my ghost shrimp(which I also raise in a seperate tank) love them. It was really easy to start, but is some work.
So if you start a worm farm someday, the earthworms are easier to do. That way you know what they eat and are in control of what they get. and saves money.
If you want though, get earth worms, cut a few up and put in a container in the frig. Add some tank water and add shrimp or whatever..
this way the shrimp will soak up the smell of the earth worms and can help get the rays eating the shrimp and whatever else you soak in the bowl overnight...


oh ya, worms will eat in the frig.. but very little. since the cold slows everypart of them down, they dont eat as much either. worms like it warm, even worm that live in water.. cold slows them down and also slows there digestion.. there for they dont eat like they should...
 
Balloon worm animals....holy c.ap lol. So try to get them on shrimp instead of worms. you can press food sticks into dead shrimp with a little less moral dilemma than pressing stuff into a live worm. then again, fishing we take a barbed hook and press it right through their flesh, and don't forget the baitholder hooks that have shank barbs to keep their worm flesh evenly distributed on the hook. lol.

So take some worms and market shrimp and mix them and freeze. then feed it to the ray. the scent should be there and after a couple trys the should take it. I would remove the shells. A shrimp should hold a few sticks. I jam food sticks in silversides for my bass works good.

AND, with the leftover worms you can try to make a worm balloon poodle or sword.
 
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