# Worm Composting to raise worms for fish



## wlyons9856 (Sep 16, 2010)

Hey guys, I recently just set up a worm composting bin. I did this for a few reasons, to eventually get fertilizing rich worm casting and to feed my fish when they become a bit bigger. I will have a never ending supply of red worms to feed my fish at my will.

A few questions.

What size is a good size to start feeding worms?
How often should I feed them worms?
Are these worms at all harmful?

I will keep you guys posted and show you a pic of the worm bin up and running when I get a chance.
Thanks!


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

A lot will depend on what type and size fish you have in mind. For instance, too many worms for many African cichlids is a sure path to bloat. I do not personally feed worms but I have no scientific proof to offer. Sounds risky but still an open question with me. I feel like in nature many fish will come across an occasional worm but not often. It may be a matter of how many how often. Healthy fish like healthy people can throw off the occasional pest, but not everyday?


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Carnivore type fishes do well on worms, because they are a very good food, but adding something else is probably a good idea.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I agree with BillD that many fish find worms good food. Most will eat anything you throw in even if it is not good for them so I try to go with a variety. There are so many good well tested food on the market that the price does not stop me from feeding several things. Part of it is the convenience. About the only live food I feed is snails. That's one way to control them and a four year old grandson likes crunching them. Digging or growing worms seems a bit too much work and then it does throw in a bit of wild card on bacteria and such. I don't keep any really large fish, though.


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## kriskm (Dec 1, 2009)

I recently started a white (or "pot") worm bin about 6 weeks ago. A fellow hobbyist gave me a clump of compost from her own white worm bin. White worms often occur by accident in regular compost bins. They do the same job as they're bigger cousins, but take a little longer (they are much smaller). They are well known as a great fish food: http://www.allaboutworms.com/pot-worms- ... nhabitants

My bin is going great now, tons of little wrigglers. I "harvest" them a couple of times a week by putting a clump of worm-rich compost in a plastic container, adding some water, then putting the container in a dark place for several hours. The worms all come to the top or start climbing the sides to get out of the water. Then I just scoop them up and into the tank. Fish love them. All my fish are protein eaters, not vegetarians like mbuna or tropheus. I use them as a supplement, not as the main food for my fish. They are small enough to feed to little 1 1/2" brevis, but my 7" fronts like them as well.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I used to raise lots of red worms for my fish but lost them to a parasitic fly that lays one egg on each worm. Sometimes you will notice what look like whiteworms in with the composting worms, but they are babies and will turn red as they grow. I would feed some of those to my smaller fish, keeping in mind I had to save some of the baby worms to have a next generation.

Worms are one of the best single foods for many fish in terms of growth and low mortality. But a variety of foods is always better than any one food.


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## dogofwar (Apr 5, 2004)

Red wigglers are a great food and super easy to culture.

My bin is a rubbermaid container...with holes for drainage in the bottom (I keep a couple of empty tanks under the bin to collect drainage) and airholes for air circulation in the lid (covered with a piece of scrap Poret foam).

I started with a couple of pounds of red wigglers that I bought online from a guy who runs an organic farm in Southern MD. I added the worms to a bunch of moistened shredded newspaper and a couple of handfuls of leaves in the bin...and voila.

Whenever there are veggie / fruit scraps from the kitchen...I toss them in. And I periodically add shredded newspaper and stir the substrate in the bin to keep everything exposed to air.

I mushed up our (starting to get soft) Halloween pumpkin and added it a week ago... It's cooler in the garage (where the bin is) so they haven't completely consumed it...but close.

I keep primarily new world cichlids (which almost all LOVE red wigglers) but a lot of Africans like the too: Haps (Victorian and Malawi), peacocks, a lot of West Africans, Madagascar fish...basically anything but Tropheus-types and mbuna will benefit from an occasional red wiggler feeding. They help female Haps bounce back from breeding holding way faster than with just pellets.

Matt


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