# earth worm



## mauls (Mar 25, 2004)

its been raining alot lately so i grabbed an earth worm and threw it in the tank, the piranha's loved it.

is that ok? or is it bad for the water or fish?

i dunno,

Thanks mauls


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## HOLLYWOOD (Feb 6, 2003)

Should be fine. Its always best to just rinse it before tossing it into your tank.


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## ctarry (Nov 29, 2003)

its an excellent food for all fish as it gives them different nutrients and soil in them which helps with their health


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

If you live in an urbanized area, don't collect them outside - god knows what chemicals and other stuff they may carry: rincing may help, but better safe than sorry, IMO...

Instead, buy them at a bait store









*_Moved to Feeding and Nutrition_*


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## mauls (Mar 25, 2004)

ooh ya good call judazz

BTW sorry for posting in wrong catagory!


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## NTcaribe (Apr 8, 2004)

i just fed my piranha a big juicy worm,when they bit into it,it was so juicy it burst into a big cloud of murky water

the dirt that was inside the worm ,should be alright,shouldn't it

dont want any contaminents


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## HOLLYWOOD (Feb 6, 2003)

Judazzz said:


> If you live in an urbanized area, don't collect them outside - god knows what chemicals and other stuff they may carry: rincing may help, but better safe than sorry, IMO...
> 
> Instead, buy them at a bait store
> 
> ...


 True. If it was harmful enough it would have killed the worm in the first place. Just think about the runoff polluting our main river systems. Chubs, shiners, bass,...... all kinds yet we feed them to our P's. IMO Those are more likely to cause harm than a worm from the garden.


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## Atlanta Braves Baby! (Mar 12, 2003)

I feed my P earthworms, but only from the store.


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## Guest (Apr 28, 2004)

I feed all of my fish earthworms that I collect myself in urban New Jersey. The other people in my apartment complex think I am crazy.

I would guess that the risk of pollution harming your fish are minimal because no where is more polluted than where I live. I just avoid immaculate lawns that have tons of chemcials dumped on them.


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## Morpheus (Feb 12, 2004)

I think Earthworms are a great type of food for p's. As I dont use feeders they are an alternative 'Live' food, and my p's love them. I used them when my p's were on hunger strike and Earthworms snapped them out of it.


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## NTcaribe (Apr 8, 2004)

earth worms are plentiful and can be found anywhere especially after a light drizzle when you go out on a golf course


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## SLANTED (Dec 7, 2003)

I feed all my pred. fish earthworms( meal worms too) They are an excellent source of protein. Also, they can be pumped with vitamins so they can serve as a substitute for beef heart if need be.


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## Dummycrusher (Apr 28, 2004)

I had a bad experience with an earthworm a yers or so ago. Had been feeding my 6" RBP with earthworms as a weekly treat until one day when he bit into one and it exploded. It was like a mud bomb. He wouldn't eat for a day or so then I found him at the bottom of the tank DEAD!!







I don't know if it was the worm or not, but I'm a bit wary now.

Just got 2 new baby reds and am currently feeding them frozen bloodworms. Do you guys think I should try earthworms again?

I'm a new member, so be please be nice to me.


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## Guest (Apr 30, 2004)

Dummycrusher said:


> I had a bad experience with an earthworm a yers or so ago. Had been feeding my 6" RBP with earthworms as a weekly treat until one day when he bit into one and it exploded. It was like a mud bomb. He wouldn't eat for a day or so then I found him at the bottom of the tank DEAD!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I couldn't imagine what that was. I don't think there are any earthworms that are poisonous to fish.

If the worm was contaminated with a chemcial so deadly it would quickly kill the fish, the worm wouldn't have been alive. If it was a disease, I doubt the fish would have been exposed to the disease and died in the same day.

Could the water quality degraded?


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## Krueger (Dec 18, 2003)

Dummycrusher, my guess is that the dirt and all the crap from inside the worm made an ammonia spike in the tank (i think its a possibibility). that is my guess.. i say go right back to using worms.. they are god and healthy for ur fish...


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## Rhombo (Aug 26, 2003)

all that "dirt" inside is crap. it'll create an ammonia spike, so just put them in the sink with some water in it, and squeeze around on their midsections. they'll crap it all out and you won't have much of it in your tank then.


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## Dummycrusher (Apr 28, 2004)

Thanks guys. I think I'll give the earthworms a second chance.


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## the grinch (Feb 23, 2004)

i dont think your earth worms poop will harm your tank or fish what so ever. It sounds crazy to me. Do you rinse off your feeders who sit in filthy nasty tanks waiting to be snatched out. Do you put them in water and squeeze the sh*t out of them? No disrespect but this all seems very crazy to me. I always give my p's worms they love them. And after all what does a worm eat to where his poop would harm your fish. p's aren't a porceline dolls. Their creatures who live in the wild that eat what ever they can get their jaws on. They are scavangers. They eat dead, decaying, dying, diseased creatures. I doubt that a worms poop will spike your cycle. Deffenitly not more than 2 dozen filthy feeders.


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## Rhombo (Aug 26, 2003)

Poop has nitrates in it. worms are big tubes of poop. they don't necessarily eat anything in particular that's poisonous. waste, like poop, is the reason you clean your tank... if you've ever been fishing you'd know that the second you get a grip of an earthworm they start crapping all over, so it's not too hard to get them to take a dump... when i feed big nightcrawlers to my fish, i do squeeze them so they crap, because it takes 2 seconds. i'm not saying that they'll kill a fish, but i'd like to have my water parameters as close to ideal as possible.

As for the goldfish... they aren't big tubes of crap like a worm is. having a fish inside dirty water doesn't mean that they themselves contain extra nitrates. yes, piranhas are scavengers, but they're in a huge body of flowing water where nitrates constantly get washed away.

here are 2 links to members talking about poop releasing nitrates
http://www.piranha-fury.com/forum/pfury/in...c=30047&hl=poop
http://www.piranha-fury.com/forum/pfury/in...c=35951&hl=poop


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## Atlanta Braves Baby! (Mar 12, 2003)

Rhombo said:


> Poop has nitrates in it. worms are big tubes of poop. they don't necessarily eat anything in particular that's poisonous. waste, like poop, is the reason you clean your tank... if you've ever been fishing you'd know that the second you get a grip of an earthworm they start crapping all over, so it's not too hard to get them to take a dump... when i feed big nightcrawlers to my fish, i do squeeze them so they crap, because it takes 2 seconds. i'm not saying that they'll kill a fish, but i'd like to have my water parameters as close to ideal as possible.
> 
> As for the goldfish... they aren't big tubes of crap like a worm is. having a fish inside dirty water doesn't mean that they themselves contain extra nitrates. yes, piranhas are scavengers, but they're in a huge body of flowing water where nitrates constantly get washed away.
> showtopic=35951&hl=poop]http://www.piranha-fury.com/forum/pfury/in...c=35951&hl=poop[/URL]


 Good post!


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