red wigglers (trout worms)

[john C]

just curios about the nutrition value of these worms. i just ordered a bunch and i am considering raising worms to cut back on cost but i don't here much about them other than rays love them. i am thinking it must be a pain to raise. worm farms advertise easy to do i think if it is so easy the would not advertise it being easy to do. most importantly i am more interested in knowing nutritional value for rays..

thanks john

 

[Miles]

From what I understand worms contain alot of nutritional value that frozen foods do not provide. Things like Vitaman K are easily lost during processing and freezing process, while the worms that naturally filter feed on the dirt packed full of nutrients, will have more fresh nutrients.

I know that it is important to keep your worm farm fresh with new nutrient enriched soil, and even consider feeding them or 'gut-loading' the worms with a specific food.

Keep in mind most nutrients are water soluble and will lose their nutritional value quickly when submersed.. that is why soaking massivore pellets to soften them up is great for texture, but bad for nutrition..

Live Worms is probably the best live food you can feed them.. Goldfish have thiaminase in them which make the consuming predator Vitamin B1 deficient.. that's bad. Ghost Shrimp and the like are great enticers, but hold little nutritional value. Prepared Seafoods are great fillers and a great source of protein, but the thawing process voids most nutritional content, so seafoods need to be fed with variety in order to meet nutritional needs..

just my 2 cents..

 

[john C]

thanks Miles
do you know anyone raising worms?

 

[Nic]

my buddy does john.... makes his own compost...

 

[invisyblegypsey]

i have 2 worm boxes they easy to work with
have a look here http://www.nyworms.com/index.html

 

[katrina98]

It is best to raise your own red wigglers for pets since some bait shops spray poison in the worm's beddings to control mites. This chemical might harm pets. So better if you raise your own worms so you know what they eat.

here are a few articles on raising red wiggler worms.

Must-know things on Red Wiggler Worms
Red Wiggler Worms as Food for Pets
Worm Composting with Red Wiggler Worms

 

[jclozano25]

Red Wigglers are packed with protein and they are very active even underwater,thus, making them look appetizing to your Ray fish. They are very easy to raise and grow in numbers. They are the hardiest worms and will eat almost anything that will rot. Compared to other worm species they are easy to raise- with them surviving in a wide range of temperature of 16° - 28°C (60° - 80°F)they are not so finicky eaters as well.

Here are some web 2.0 about Red Wigglers and how to raise them:
Using Red Wiggler worms as fishing worms
Red Wiggler Composting Worms on Indoor and Outdoor Worm Composting Bins

 

[longislandfish]

Trout worms are kind of skinny compared to earthworms so it will take more to fill your ray. I guess the trade off is not having to keep the earthworms in a cold climate.

 

[goestonemoa]

From what I understand worms contain alot of nutritional value that frozen foods do not provide. Things like Vitaman K are easily lost during processing and freezing process, while the worms that naturally filter feed on the dirt packed full of nutrients, will have more fresh nutrients.

I know that it is important to keep your worm farm fresh with new nutrient enriched soil, and even consider feeding them or 'gut-loading' the worms with a specific food.

Keep in mind most nutrients are water soluble and will lose their nutritional value quickly when submersed.. that is why soaking massivore pellets to soften them up is great for texture, but bad for nutrition..

Live Worms is probably the best live food you can feed them.. Goldfish have thiaminase in them which make the consuming predator Vitamin B1 deficient.. that's bad. Ghost Shrimp and the like are great enticers, but hold little nutritional value. Prepared Seafoods are great fillers and a great source of protein, but the thawing process voids most nutritional content, so seafoods need to be fed with variety in order to meet nutritional needs..

just my 2 cents..

i a grea with everything stated here and dew worm i buy at the local fishing store are my staple diet for my monsters aswell as seafood superworms...etc
and i was also thinking of farmong my own in the backyard this year to cut down on cost because they are real expensive
i have also looked into buying them directly from a farm until i can do this
also has anyone herd of fedding grasshoppers cause there is a million around me i live in a national park?

 

[goestonemoa]

i aslo just read that feeding your grasshoppers and crickets superworm etc....fresh carrots as red as you can find will help bring out all the color