White worms are an excellent live food for fish and are incredibly easy to raise. White worms (Enchytraeus albidus) are, well, white-colored worms which range in size from approximately 3/4" to1 1/2". If you are familiar with other live foods, they fall between tubifex and grindal worms in size. White worms are particularly good for conditioning fish for spawning. They are eagerly eaten by most fish and are suitable for a wide range of fish since their size is appropriate even for the smaller fish. They should, however, be fed as part of a varied diet since some sources consider them to be excessively fatty. The actual breakdown (see source below) is approximately: protein 70.0, fats 14.5, ash 5.5, carbohydrates 10.0.
White worms are very easy to culture. The hard part, it turns out, is finding the starter culture of white worms, since they are usually not found in local fish stores. However they can often be purchased from aquarium society auctions, or from other hobbyists. There are also a number of biological supply companies and live food retailers on the Internet which list starter cultures for sale for around $5 - $10.
To house my white worms I use a plastic shoebox. You can often find these handy containers on sale for as little as $1 at department and hardware stores. Worms need to "breathe", so if the cover is airtight (although most are not) cut a hole in th ...
Get New Articles via RSS