What is the difference between water earthworms and red worms?

Abstract: Water earthworms are called universal fish bait. They are a favorite bait for goldfish and koi. They are also the main bait for eels and young turtles. They are often used for fishing and are the best bait. Learning to breed water earthworms will give us fishing friends a fixed bait, which is very convenient. The cultivation of water earthworms is divided into steps such as building pits, introducing seeds into pits, management, and harvesting. Water worms and red worms are different. Red worms are generally only used as crucian carp bait, and they contain many bacteria, so be careful when using them. How to breed water earthworms

1. The living and breeding habits of water earthworms

The individual water earthworms are not large, about 100 mm long, but the group yield is high. The difference between tail-branched earthworms and water-threaded earthworms is that the former has tail gills, and its tail is often exposed out of the mud, swinging with the water to breathe, and the tremors accelerate when it is deprived of oxygen; the latter does not have tail gills. Water earthworms like to live in the mud of micro-mud waters rich in organic matter. They usually lurk 10 to 25 cm below the mud surface and hide deep in the mud at low temperatures. Water earthworms prefer darkness and are photophobic and cannot be exposed to sunlight. They live by eating soil and absorbing organic humus, bacteria, and algae. Water earthworms are sexually mature in about 2 months, are hermaphrodites, and undergo cross-fertilization. The eggs are contained in a sac-like earthworm cocoon composed of a transparent gelatin membrane. Generally, an earthworm cocoon contains 1 to 4 eggs, and as many as 7 eggs. During the reproductive period, each adult can excrete 2 to 6 earthworm cocoons. When the water temperature is 22 to 32°C, the incubation period is generally 10 to 15 days, and the life span of artificial culture is about 3 months.

2. Pit culture method

1. Pit conditions

Building an ecological environment suitable for aquatic earthworms requires micro-flowing water, loose soil and humus. Rich quality, protected from light, etc. The pit can be newly dug or rebuilt using a water pit connected to the ditch. The area depends on the need. It is suitable to be 3 to 5 square meters (length-width ratio is 3:1 to 5:1). The water depth is 20 to 25 centimeters. The bottom is Build the bottom with loess or triple soil with good water retention, and set up drainage outlets (Rural Wealth Network: /). Generally, the inlet and outlet should be separated, with one end for water and the other for drainage. Before introducing the seeds into the pit, the bottom mud must be cultivated. It is best to dig fertile fish pond silt and spread it on the bottom of the pit to a thickness of 10 cm. Then add 7.5 to 10 kg of livestock and poultry manure or farmyard manure per square meter, and finally add regular Fermented cakes, bran, bran, etc.

2. Introduce seeds into pits

The amount of seeds introduced depends on the water quality, mud quality, manure source and season. Fertilizer sources and mixed feed sources are sufficient, the amount of introduction is large, and the yield is high. Generally, 0.25 to 0.5 kilograms of earthworms are placed per square meter. After 30 to 45 days of cultivation, the daily harvest per acre can reach 10 to 15 kilograms, and the maximum can be 48 kilograms.

3. Management

Maintain micro-flowing water to keep the water fresh and high in dissolved oxygen, accelerate the dissipation of metabolites, and increase the feeding and growth of earthworms. The general flow rate of water flow is 2 to 8 cm/second. The speed should not be too fast. If the water flow is too fast, the nutrients and cocoons will be washed away, affecting the output. After earthworms are introduced, they should be fed every 2 to 3 days. If concentrated feed is used, the feed coefficient is about 2.6; if pig or cow dung is used, the feed coefficient is 7.8 to 10.4.

4. Harvesting

The water flow can be reduced or cut off at night, resulting in lack of oxygen in the pit the next morning or in the morning, and water earthworms will be forced to swarm and float in the pit. If it floats to the surface of the mud or to the surface of the water, just use a fishing rod to pick it up.