What are the methods for breeding red worms at home

Choose sludge rich in organic matter as the culture medium, add water to submerge it, soak for 2-3 days, then add decomposed fertilizer and mixed feed. When the temperature drops to around 28°C, you can introduce the seed stock, with 500-750 grams per square meter of culture area being suitable for inoculation. Generally after 30 days they enter the peak breeding period of red worms.

I. Living habits of red worms

Red worms like to live in the sludge of slightly muddy waters rich in organic matter (commonly known as the black sludge of slow-flowing sewage ditches), generally lurking 10-25 cm below the mud surface, and burrowing deep into the mud at low temperatures. Red worms prefer darkness and fear light, cannot be exposed to sunlight, and feed on mud, absorbing the organic humus, bacteria and algae in it. Red worms reach sexual maturity in about 2 months; they are hermaphroditic and cross-fertilize, with eggs wrapped in a cyst-like cocoon made of a transparent gelatinous membrane. Generally one cocoon contains 1-4 eggs, or as many as 7. During the reproductive period, each adult can release 2-6 cocoons. When the water temperature is 22-32°C, the incubation period is generally 10-15 days, and the lifespan of artificially cultured ones is about 3 months.

II. Nutritional value of red worms

Red worms reproduce quickly and have high nutritional value (dry matter contains 62% crude protein, total essential amino acids reach 35%, and nitrogen recovery rate reaches 98%). They are a favorite opening bait for many aquatic animal fry and fingerlings, and are also the main food for bottom-dwelling fish such as sturgeon, mandarin fish, carp, crucian carp, loach, giant salamander and yellow eel.