Tubifex worm (fish food): breeding at home

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The tubifex is a slender, segmented worm that can be up to 20 cm long. The number of body segments can range from 34 to 120 and have on each side an upper and lower tuft of chitinous bristles (setae) that are used for burrowing. The worm may be red in color due to the presence of the respiratory pigment hemoglobin. This species is a hermaphrodite with a complex reproductive system.

Origin of the species and description

The tubifex worm is also called the silt worm or sewer worm. This is a segmented worm that lives in polluted silt deposits of standing reservoirs or rivers - in places where wastewater is discharged. The tubifex belongs to the type of annelids, class - zonules, subclass - oligochaetes. Latin name – Tubifex.

The nervous system consists of a nerve ring and a nerve cord. Ringed animals are sensitive to external stimuli. The mouth is located in the front, food enters the pharynx through it, the esophagus is crushed in the stomach and digested in the intestines.

The circulatory system is closed; blood circulates throughout the body due to the pulsation of blood vessels. There are no specialized respiratory organs; oxygen enters the blood through the skin.

Annelids are initially dioecious, but Tubifex is a hermaphrodite, each individual has paired genital organs, i.e. produces both sperm and egg at the same time. It reproduces sexually; during mating, the worms fertilize each other and then lay eggs in special cocoons. They then hatch into full-fledged individuals.

Type Annelids. Class Oligochaete worms

Annelids
are multicellular, three-layered animals with bilateral symmetry.
Unlike flat and roundworms, annelids belong to
the group of higher worms
(as they have a more complex structure).
Annelids are ubiquitous
. They are mainly represented by free-living species, less often - parasites.

The body of annelids is divided into segments

- identical parts of the body. The segments are located one after another and resemble rings, hence the name of the type - Annelids.

The phylum is divided into 3 classes: Polychaetes, Oligochaetes and Leeches.

.

Class Polychaete worms.

These are sea creatures.
They live freely in water or soil ( sea mouse, nereis, serpula
).

Class Oligochaete worms

– inhabitants of fresh water or soil (
tubifex, earthworm
).

Leech class

– parasites or predators living in fresh water bodies, swamps (
medicinal, snail leeches
).

Annelids measure

from a few millimeters to several meters.

The structure of annelids

Let's look at the example of the most famous representative of this class - the earthworm.

Earthworm

has a long, flexible body, pointed at the ends, which contains
from 100 to 180 segments (rings). The segments have the same structure
and perform similar functions (each segment has muscles, nerve nodes, blood vessels, and excretory tubes).

The earthworm has dorsal and ventral sides of its body.

.
On the ventral and lateral sides of each segment there are pairs of short setae
that participate in movement.

The body consists

from the anterior section, which is represented by
the head lobe
, the middle section, represented by
the segmented torso
, and the posterior section,
the anal lobe
.

The body wall is formed by a skin-muscular sac

, consisting of epithelium covered with a thin cuticle and
two layers of muscles
.
The contraction and relaxation of muscles causes changes in the length and width of the body, which helps the movement of the worms. The epithelium contains glandular cells that secrete mucus
. The mucus protects the worm's skin from drying out.

Between the skin-muscular sac and the internal organs they develop a coelom - a secondary body cavity

.
The cavity is filled with liquid
. Cavity fluid gives the body elasticity and is involved in the transport of nutrients and metabolic products.

The digestive system consists of
three sections
:
anterior
(mouth, pharynx, esophagus, crop),
middle
(tubular stomach and midgut) and
posterior
(hindgut and anus).

Like roundworms, the digestive system is continuous

– it begins with the mouth and ends with the anus.
The pharynx
helps capture and crush food.
The esophagus
extends from the pharynx , expanding into
the goiter
, in which liquid food accumulates.

Food is digested
in the stomach
absorbed
the midgut Undigested remains are expelled through the anus
, located at the posterior end of the body.

The earthworm feeds on fallen leaves, plant debris and soil humus.

Like flatworms and roundworms, annelids lack a respiratory system

. Gas exchange occurs across the entire surface of the body.

Annelids develop a circulatory system for the first time

.
It consists of hollow tubes - vessels
that penetrate the entire body of the worm.
There are two large vessels in the circulatory system: the abdominal
(passes under the intestine) and
the dorsal
(passes above the intestine).
The ventral and dorsal vessels in each segment are connected by annular vessels
.
Annelids do not yet have a heart
.
Therefore, blood moves through the vessels due to the pulsation of the walls of the spinal vessel
.

capillaries - depart from large vessels.

.
Blood contains pigments
that color it red. Therefore, the worm itself has a reddish color.

Circulatory system is closed

(blood moves only through the vessels and does not flow into the body cavity). Blood moves through the dorsal vessel from the rear end of the body to the front, and through the abdominal vessel - from front to back.

Blood functions:

transport throughout the body of nutrients and oxygen, which enters the worm’s body through the surface of the body.

Excretory system

represented
by excretory tubes with funnels
surrounded by
cilia
(2 tubes in each segment).
Metabolic products enter the excretory tubes and are removed from the body through excretory pores. Such tubes are called metanephridia
.

Nervous system

consists of
suprapharyngeal and subpharyngeal nerve ganglia
,
peripharyngeal nerve ring and abdominal nerve chain
, consisting of paired
nerve ganglia
in each segment, connected by trunks. Nerves extend from the ganglia to the sense organs.

Sense organs

in earthworms they are poorly developed. They only have sensory cells located in the skin. It perceives external stimuli, such as light or smell.

Earthworms are hermaphrodites

.
Each worm has a male and a female reproductive system
.
Cross
fertilization : two worms come closer, join at the front parts and exchange sperm. After this, the worms disperse.

Eggs enter a special formation on the body - a belt

.
It secretes mucus and surrounds the area of ​​the body. The girdle moves to the anterior end of the body, sperm enter it, and fertilization
.

Next, the belt slides from the front end of the body, its edges close, and a cocoon

, in which young worms develop after about a month.
This development is called direct
.

The earthworm is characterized by regeneration

. If the body is cut into several parts, then each of them restores the missing parts, and new worms are formed.

The earthworm is a representative of the class Oligochaetes, or Oligochaetes.

They are called oligochaetes because they have bristles, but there are very few of them. They usually have 4 tufts of bristles. There are no setae only on the first segment bearing the oral opening.

Low-chaete worms live in water bodies and soil. The sizes are very varied. A common earthworm measures 20 – 30 cm in length, an Australian earthworm

reaches a length of three meters.

Earthworms are also called earthworms

because they live in the soil. Worms overwinter in the soil, at a depth of 1 m. During heavy and long rains, the worms crawl to the surface, since the water accumulated in the soil interferes with their breathing. This is why after rain we can see many earthworms on the soil surface.

The importance of oligochaete worms is very great

. It is believed that earthworms are one of the most numerous animals on the planet, inhabiting almost all geographical areas. They are food for animals (frogs, toads, starlings, rooks, hedgehogs feed on them).

Charles Darwin was the first to discover the usefulness of earthworms.

in his book
Formation of the Vegetative Layer by the Activities of Earthworms and Observations on the Lifestyle of the latter
, published in 1881. Earthworms are beneficial animals.

They increase soil fertility

, dragging fallen leaves into holes. Improve its structure. Making its way through dense soil, the worm loosens it. Darwin provides the following data: 60 – 133 thousand earthworms live on one hectare of soil. During the day, each worm passes through itself an amount of earth equal to its own mass. It turns out that on one hectare of land the worms process about 250 kg of earth.

Some species of oligochaete worms live in fresh water bodies. This is, for example, a tubifex

, which serves as food for fish. The front end of the body is immersed in silt, and the rear end makes oscillatory movements. The tubifex feeds on silt and plant debris, is able to reproduce quickly and forms clusters in the form of red spots.

Appearance and features

Tubifex are thread-like worms that are reddish in color due to the high concentration of iron in the blood. The animal's body is divided into identical parts isolated from each other. From each segment protrudes 4 small setae, which differ significantly in appearance among different subspecies and families. The length of individuals ranges from 10 to 80 mm.

Tubifex is distinguished by the following characteristics:

• the body looks like a thick thread;
• length reaches 10 cm;
• the body is pink, reddish or brown;
• There are small bristles on the surface.

Tubifex worms do not live alone, but accumulate in large colonies. In the mud they form a tube-shaped burrow. It contains the head part of the body. Worms use their mouths to absorb silt deposits. The back of the body is always on the outside. They make oscillatory movements with their peculiar tail, creating the impression of “swaying ground.”

The tubifex can cause an allergic reaction in people, so careful hygiene should be observed during and after contact with it. It accumulates toxic substances in its organs, so you should approach the selection of the fishing location responsibly and choose a reservoir away from industrial emissions.

The tubifex grows up to 40 mm in length and has a characteristic pinkish color.

Long-lived worm discovered at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico

Tube worm Escarpia laminata. On the right are representatives marked with dye to study annual growth.

Durkin et al. / The Science of Nature 2017

American scientists studied the life cycle of a population of tube worms of the species Escarpia laminata

and found out that they are one of the longest-living creatures on Earth.
By tracking changes in the tubeworm's body length and simulating its growth over time, the researchers found that members of this species can live up to 250 years. The article was published in the journal The Science of Nature

Springer
website .

The deep ocean is home to many long-lived organisms due to the low likelihood of death from predation and the presence of cold seeps - areas in the seafloor through which substances enter the water, providing a favorable environment for the life of autotrophs. The nutrition of tube worms depends on autotrophic microbes living inside them, which oxidize methane and hydrogen sulfide (substances of volcanic origin that enter the water due to cold seeps), necessary for their life. The stability of life in symbiosis with bacteria and the low temperature of the deep sea are reliable sources of longevity, therefore tube worms, in particular representatives of the species Lamellibrachia luymesi

and
Seepiophila jonesi
, can live up to two hundred years.
The authors of the new work examined a little-studied species of tube worms that live in the depths of the ocean - Escarpia laminata
.
Representatives of this species live at a depth of 1000 to 3300 meters on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. To this species of tubeworm, the scientists applied the same annual growth method that was used to study the tubeworm species L. luymesi
.
356 members of the species E. laminata
were measured in situ, marked with a waterproof blue acid dye, and collected after one year. The uncolored area that appeared on the worm's body during this time was an indicator of the annual growth of each individual representative.

Graph of exponential distribution of annual growth (centimeters per year, Y-axis) of E. laminata versus initially measured length (centimeters, X-axis)

Durkin et al. / The Science of Nature 2017

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After obtaining a year's worth of tubeworm growth data, the researchers simulated the growth of E. laminata.

The simulation method was based on work on another tubeworm,
L. luymesi
. Scientists measured the average age of both individuals in each population and the average age within the same population.

It turned out that the average age of one tube worm with a length of 50 centimeters is 116.1 years (for comparison, with the same length, the age of representatives of L. luymesi

and
S. jonesi
are estimated at 21 years and 96 years, respectively).
The longest (and, accordingly, the longest-lived) collected representative of E. laminata
turned out to be more than 250 years old.

Scientists suggest that the reason for the longevity of tube worms is a decrease in metabolic rate, which became possible due to the increase in the depth of the species' habitat.

With a life span of more than 250 years, the tube worm E. laminata

second only to one known long-lived invertebrate - the mollusk
Artica islandica
, whose age can exceed 500 years. You can read about the long-lived vertebrate, the Greenland polar shark, in our article.

Elizaveta Ivtushok

Where does the tubifex live?

The habitat of Tubifex is wide - the tubifex lives in stagnant, heavily polluted, silted reservoirs. The most numerous accumulations are located in places where wastewater is discharged or concentrated. The tubifex thrives in polluted water and easily tolerates a lack of oxygen. Much less often, these animals are found in clean flowing reservoirs with a sandy or rocky bottom.

For ecologists, the presence of ringed fish in a reservoir is a kind of indicator of the quality and purity of water resources. The appearance of tubifex worms indicates an ecological imbalance and severe pollution.

When worms form numerous colonies, covering large areas, the bottom of the reservoir acquires a reddish tint. In addition to silt, they cling to plants, and when oxygen levels are low, they even come to the surface.

The Tubifex lives everywhere, in stagnant silted reservoirs, rivers and streams

Is the tubifex necessary in the diet of fish?

For all types of aquarium fish, Tubifex is a healthy and high-calorie food, rich in protein (45%), amino acids and vitamins. This is an excellent food base for young animals, saturating their body with nutrients, as a result of which the fry will grow up full and healthy.

The hemoglobin contained in the composition will strengthen the immune system of the inhabitants of the aquarium, and will be especially useful for females during the spawning period, providing her and future offspring with nutrients.

However, the high calorie content of such a diet can have an adverse effect on the fish, so their diet should be varied so as not to lead to obesity.

Tubifex is necessary in the diet of both fry and adult fish.

Reproductive system of annelids

Sexual, sometimes asexual reproduction (budding, fragmentation). Mostly the genitals appear only in certain segments of the body, sometimes in all. Oligochaete worms are hermaphrodites, while polychaete worms are predominantly dioecious. Sexual dimorphism is not expressed. Fertilization is both internal and external. In marine forms, indirect metamorphosis is developed (with a larva, incomplete metamorphosis), while in freshwater and terrestrial forms, direct metamorphosis is developed.

Some annelids are capable of regeneration.

Advantages and disadvantages of food

The positive qualities of such complementary feeding include the fact that the fry quickly gain weight and develop correctly and fully. And sexually mature individuals, having become saturated with nutrients, are ready for spawning earlier.

In addition to the positive aspects, feeding with tubifex has its disadvantages. If there is an excess of such food in the diet of aquarium inhabitants, the fish develop obesity. The fatty acids included in the composition, necessary for full development, are in a form that is difficult to digest, which is why the color of the fish looks dull. Excessive feeding of worms even leads to deformation of the body of the fry.

Tubifex is especially useful when fattening young animals, preparing pets for spawning, and when depleted, to replenish protein deficiency, as an additional, reserve source of nutrition.

Feeding the Tubifex has both positive and negative sides.

How to feed fish with tubifex

Fish are fed with tubifex through special feeders - cone-shaped devices with holes that are attached to the glass of the aquarium using a suction cup. This is necessary to ensure that none of the tubular representatives gets into the ground. Otherwise, the worm will burrow into it and begin to decompose, silting up the aquarium. Or, on the contrary, it will begin to multiply in it.

You can feed not only whole specimens, which are more suitable for adult and large fish, but also cut ones, and even minced meat for feeding fry.

Excess food can be frozen. At the same time, it will not lose its nutritional value, but due to its fragility it will become more like minced meat.

To avoid any uneaten food, determine the optimal serving size for the aquarium. It is believed that underwater inhabitants should eat the amount of food in five minutes. Leftover food is removed to prevent contamination of the aquarium.

The amount of such protein foods must be strictly dosed

When preparing aquarium fish for spawning

Feeding fish with tubifex is an effective method of increasing their population. The nutrients supplied by the worm contribute to the rapid maturation of germ cells in aquarium inhabitants.

However, you should not limit your diet to only live “meat”. Additionally, the food must include multivitamins and mineral supplements, which are sold in pet stores.

After such preparation, the fish begin to spawn willingly, and the offspring are healthy and numerous.

Feeding producers with tubifex stimulates the maturation of reproductive products

When adapting wild fish

Fish placed in an aquarium from the natural environment go through an adaptation stage. The presence of live food in their new place of residence brings them closer to their natural habitat and has a calming effect.

Dry food is less easily absorbed and digested by the inhabitants of the aquarium. Therefore, a properly prepared tubifex for feeding will soften the process of adaptation of wild fish to new living conditions.

Fish caught in the wild often do not take dry food

How to protect your fish from possible diseases

Due to the fact that the tubifex prefers places that are far from clean and feeds on organic debris, its body is stuffed with a huge variety of different pathogens. Therefore, if it gets into the aquarium without being properly prepared, the ecosystem of the vessel will become infected.

Before feeding the worms to aquatic pets, it is cleaned of silt, dirt and disinfected from bacteria.

The colony must be kept in a shallow container at a temperature of 5-10 degrees, pouring a small amount of water. The family should be washed several times a day under running water. Settled, distilled or bottled is suitable. To separate the sludge from the body, the container with dirty worms is covered with gauze and heated. As the temperature rises, the tubifex worms will detach and come out to the surface of the gauze.

To disinfect, Tubifex is dipped in a weak solution of manganese, or washed with a 5% saline solution. You can also disinfect food with antibacterial drugs (for example, Metrogyl). Frozen Tubifex is also subject to disinfection.

After all treatments, the food should be kept in quarantine for a few more days and only then used for its intended purpose.

Before feeding, the Tubifex is treated and kept in quarantine for a week

Common tubifex

The tubifex is a common species of oligochaete worm. It has long been used by aquarists to feed aquarium fish. This type of live food for aquarium fish is very nutritious and high in calories. Also, for fish, the common tubifex is a delicacy, and sometimes it is completely impossible to do without it. The common tubifex has many advantages as food for aquarium fish, but due to the characteristics of its habitat, it may not be safe for your underwater world. Read this article to learn how to minimize the risk when using this live food.

Latin: Tubifex tubifex

Area:

Distributed everywhere. Lives in standing or slowly flowing waters. [sam_ad id=»15" codes=»true"] Inhabits ponds, as well as creeks with a muddy bottom. Sometimes found in reservoirs with a sandy bottom.

Description:

The common tubifex is a thin thread-like annelid with a pink color, which is caused by the presence of hemoglobin in the blood. The length, depending on the subspecies and habitat, can vary from

Each segment has bristles.

one to ten centimeters. Each body segment has four setae. Only the oral and preoral segments lack setae. It prefers places that are very polluted with organic residues and therefore is a kind of living indicator of environmental pollution. More often it can be found near wastewater discharge sites. Where it forms entire colonies, making the soil appear red. Each individual makes a kind of burrow for itself from silt glued together with mucus. Its head end is immersed in this hole, and the tail section, equipped with gills, is located above the silt and makes oscillatory movements, especially when there is a lack of oxygen. It feeds by passing mud rich in bacteria through itself. Thus, it is a natural environmental cleaner. Reproduction is only sexual. In the fall, the female lays several eggs, and the hatched young overwinter in the mud until spring.

How to get it?

It is relatively not difficult to obtain. You just need to find a suitable body of water. Or take a closer look at places near the discharge of domestic wastewater rich in organic matter. For fishing, you need to get a sieve with a stainless steel mesh or fishing line. The diameter of the sieve should be approximately twenty to twenty-five centimeters. The height of the sieve side is about one and a half centimeters. The cell size of the 1x1 grid is 1.5x1.5 millimeters. For convenience, you need to attach a long handle to the sieve. This sieve is used to scoop up sludge from the bottom. Then, in the same sieve, the catch is initially washed from silt. Large debris such as leaves and branches can be picked out manually. The remaining ball is transferred to a clean container with a thin layer of water. To clean them from small debris, place them on a baking sheet or the bottom of a tin can. Cover the top with gauze and place a jar of warm water underneath. To escape the heat, the worms will crawl through the holes in the gauze, and all the debris will remain below. But it’s too early to give this food to the fish. Since the common tubifex lives in places heavily polluted with organic residues, its intestines are absolutely teeming with pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, if you throw a freshly caught worm into an aquarium, then

burrowing into the silt, leaving the tail end on the surface

the likelihood of a bacterial outbreak that could result in a massive fish kill. Therefore, before giving it to aquarium fish, its intestines must be cleaned of the sludge and bacteria that it contains. It must be kept in a shallow container with a thin layer of water above it at a temperature of 5 - 10 degrees Celsius. Rinse three or four times a day with running water. And only after 3 – 7 days of such cleaning can you give it to aquarium fish. Such cleaning should be carried out not only for worms caught independently, but also for those purchased on the market.

How to choose at the market?

To choose the right tubifex at the market, you should pay attention to its color, which should be light pink. Red-brown or white color indicates that decay processes have begun. There should be no extensive mucus formation, which could indicate their death. The Tubifex tubifex in the pile you choose should shrink when the container in which they are kept is shaken. It's theirs

reflex to danger. Finally, the pile you have your eye on should not contain debris (leaves, branches). The common tubifex bought at the market also needs to be washed for three to five days, just like the one caught on your own, before giving it to the fish.

The common tubifex is a very high-calorie live food. Contains about 5% proteins and about 1% lipids. But this food is not rich in vitamins. Therefore, you should either enrich it with vitamin supplements or alternate it with other foods.

Many aquarists refuse to use this food for aquarium fish. The reason for this is

there is a high probability of pathogenic microorganisms being introduced into the aquarium. But nevertheless, there are cases when it is quite difficult to do without it. For example, when feeding juveniles of some fish. Or when keeping fish that feed only on live food, and what’s more, they were brought from Asia, where they were accustomed to it on a fish farm. For example, elite discus specimens. It is quite difficult to train them to accept other food. At least it takes time. Then you should follow all the rules stated above and follow all the steps to cleanse the worm’s intestines of silt from its native pond.

Sometimes it is recommended to freeze this food. This promotes its disinfection and allows it to be stored for a long time. However, the tissues of this animal are very delicate and ice crystals greatly destroy them. Freezing can have satisfactory results only with large specimens, and even then not always.

To feed young fish, large worms can be carefully cut into several pieces using a safety razor blade. Cut Tubifex tubifex, as well as whole ones, should be washed with a stream of water in a net made of thick fabric immediately before feeding. A method for separating large individuals from small ones is also described. This method is based on the fact that large specimens sink to the bottom faster than small ones. To do this, place a ball of worms at the bottom of a three-liter jar and fill the jar with water under slight pressure. If it is cloudy, then, after allowing the animals to settle to the bottom, it is carefully drained. This procedure is repeated until the water becomes clear. Then, under pressure, the jar is again filled with water and, allowing large specimens to settle to the bottom, the top layer with small specimens floating in it is poured into an empty three-liter jar. Then, after waiting until the fines sink to the bottom, drain the water from this jar. These operations are repeated until large specimens remain in the first jar, and small juvenile fish suitable for feeding migrate to the second.

How to store?

It should be stored in a shallow container with a thin layer of water over it. The water should be changed at least twice a day. You can also drain all the water and cover the ball of worms with a paper towel, which will prevent them from drying out or suffocating. In both cases, the storage temperature should be maintained at 5 – 10 degrees Celsius. To do this, the food container can be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

The fish should be given either in small portions or through special feeders, the same as for bloodworms - a net attached to a floating base. The common tubifex will crawl through this mesh

The feeder will prevent the tubifex from falling to the bottom and burrowing into the ground

gradually and the fish will have time to eat it before it hits the bottom. Tubifex tubifex should not reach the bottom and burrow into the ground. Having died there and begun to decompose, they will greatly spoil the microclimate in the aquarium. Therefore, after a meal, uneaten food remains should be removed using a siphon, tube or net. [s[sam_ad id=»22" codes=»true"]When using this food, you should remember the basic rule of feeding - do not overfeed. If you give your fish only tubifex, they can become obese. Therefore, it is better to alternate it with other types of food.

The common tubifex is a nutritious, high-calorie food loved by many fish. However, due to its biological characteristics, it may be unsafe for the inhabitants of your aquarium. Therefore, sometimes it is probably better to get by with dry food than to resort to feeding on tubifex. If, however, there is a need to use this particular live food, then try to more carefully follow the recommendations given above. I hope this keeps you and your pets out of trouble.

Rules for purchasing a pipe maker

You can buy a tubifex at a bird market or at a pet store. When choosing food, first of all, they look at the color of the individuals: they should be pink or light red. A darker, brown color or, conversely, too light, almost white, indicates the process of decomposition of the feed.

An increased mucus content also indicates the death of ringed fish.

In living worms, a danger reflex is triggered when any touch is made to them - they shrink into a ring, and accordingly the pile of food shrinks. The food must be cleared of excess silt and other natural impurities in the form of leaves, sticks, etc. Purchased food must be washed and processed in the same way as food caught independently for several days before being administered to the fish.

To choose the right tubifex, you should pay attention to its color

Natural enemies of tubifex worms

Photo: What a tubifex looks like

Tubifex worms are an important food source for young and small fish and many other small aquatic predators. Aquarists know that tubifex worms are a popular fish food. Worms are available in freeze-dried form. Sometimes they turn into small cubic bales - pet food. Meanwhile, when an aquarist discovers live tubifex worms in an aquarium - usually found in a detritus-covered gravel layer - this is a sign that the aquarium needs cleaning. These oligochaete worms, which are often collected from sewage-contaminated mud, are a popular food source for some tropical fish.

Tubifex is usually available as live, frozen or freeze-dried products. This is most economically important for humans as the host of the parasite Myxobolus cerebralis, which causes disease in fish stocks. No other worms are known to harbor this parasite. Therefore, care should be taken when feeding live tubifex to aquarium fish.

Commercially processed tubifex should be safe. But you should be careful with low-value or old stock pipe makers. This food was extremely popular in the past, but since the discovery of this parasite in live worms, aquarists have been wary of using it, and live worms are now generally not sold in stores.

Tubifex is a small food with a high protein content, making it very suitable for small fish and fry. But you should be careful about feeding them tubifex worms constantly, because no single food can satisfy all of the animal's nutritional needs. The use of tubifex as live food for juvenile fish has long been practiced in farmers' fields and is an important spawning food.

Storage and types of prepared feed

To reduce the negative impact on the microclimate of the aquarium, its inhabitants should be fed only fresh, high-quality food. To do this, it is necessary to organize its proper storage.

Live tubifex worms are placed in a low container in a small amount of clean, non-chlorinated water. It should only slightly cover the upper edge of the colony. Food should be stored cool at a temperature of 4-5 degrees. It is best to place the container on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Live food is washed several times a day. If the above conditions are met, such food can be stored for about 2 months.

The best way to keep food alive is to keep the tubifex under a constant stream of running water.

The shelf life of Tubifex can be increased by freezing. But its nutritional value decreases. Freezing kills many parasites, pathogens and bacteria. However, toxic substances accumulated during life in a polluted body of water remain.

Frozen food manufacturers ensure quality, disinfection of raw materials and product safety. However, transportation, thawing and re-freezing make the food harmful to the fish.

Worms are served to fish either whole, cut or in the form of minced meat. On an industrial scale, Tubifex feed is produced in the form of granules, plates and tablets.

Freezing helps disinfect food and allows it to be stored for a long time.

Freeze-dried tubifex for fish feeding

Some aquarium fish food companies supply vacuum-dried tubifex (lyophilized Tubifex) to pet stores. This food consists of 100% natural product and retains all the beneficial properties of tubifex.

You can find a large selection of freeze-dried food in pet stores. In addition to freeze-dried food, many manufacturers produce food in the form of tablets that stick to the walls.

Currently, well-known aquarium companies produce fish food that consists of 100% tubifex

Method of catching tubifex

There are several simple ways to obtain tubifex. First of all, you need to find a polluted body of water or a wastewater disposal site. A stainless mesh net with cells no larger than 1.5 mm is suitable for catching. The diameter of the net should be about 25 cm, and its handle should be long enough for fishing from the bottom.

Mining is carried out 3-4 meters from the shore. If, when walking along the bottom of a reservoir, you feel the sensation of stepping on rubber, it means that the silt is covered with colonies of tubifex worms. At this point, scoop up the soil with a net and immediately wash it. In this case, half of the net should be in the water, and half outside, so as not to lose the catch. Then the contents are cleared of large debris in the form of twigs and leaves. The remaining catch is transferred to a clean container and transported in a small volume of water.

You can get Tubifex using bait. Spoiled fruits, vegetables, potato peelings, etc. are suitable as bait. The bait is lowered to the bottom in places where Tubifex accumulates. After a few days you can take it out - it will be completely covered with the tubifex family. After this, the prey is tied in a piece of gauze and lowered into a container of water. The worms will swim to the surface in search of oxygen. If this does not happen, then the container begins to warm up, and the tubifex worms will easily detach from the bait.

The fishing method is selected based on the required amount of live food

General characteristics of annelids

Type annelids. Structure of an earthworm: external structure (ventral view), cross section, circulatory and digestive systems (front end of the worm)

Representatives of the phylum Annelida are the most highly organized worms. They mostly live freely in the seas, fresh water bodies, and soil. About 9 thousand species are known.

The body is elongated, divided into relatively uniform (homonomous) segments ( metameres ), separated by internal partitions, and has a head and sometimes a posterior lobe. Almost every segment has paired organs (nerve ganglia, excretory organs, etc.). In cross section they have a rounded shape. The segments have bristles.

The integument is represented by a skin-muscle sac. Covered with cuticle, which is secreted by the epidermis. There are many mucous glands in the skin. Two layers of muscles: the outer layer is circular and the inner layer is longitudinal. Most polychaete worms develop organs of movement - parapodia . These are mobile muscular outgrowths of the body (primitive limbs), which consist of dorsal and abdominal branches. They can cling to nearby objects.

They have a fluid-filled secondary abdominal cavity ( coelom ), with each segment containing a pair of coelomic sacs (except for the head and posterior lobes), which are located between the intestine and the body wall. The whole differs from the primary cavity in that it is lined with a special epithelium, which, on the one hand, is adjacent to the body wall, and on the other, to the walls of the digestive tube and separates the cavity fluid from the tissues and organs. The lining leaves grow together above and below the intestine and form a mesentery, which divides the coelom into right and left parts. The liquid is in constant motion, thanks to which it transports nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and gland secretions. Forms a hydrostatic skeleton. The secondary cavity develops in the middle of the mesoderm and is lined with epithelium of mesodermal origin.

Appearance (a) and structural diagram (b) of an earthworm

Breeding tubifex at home

Many aquarium owners are wondering how to breed Tubifex themselves, so as not to buy expensive food at the pet store. This is not at all difficult; even a novice aquarist can cope with its cultivation at home.

To grow a colony of tubifex worms you will need a container in which the worms will live and a special substrate. It is made independently.

Mix rice and wheat in equal quantities (0.5 tsp each), boil in 0.5 liters of milk for 20 minutes. This “porridge” must be left in a warm place for at least two days in order for the bacteria that the worms will feed on to multiply in it. The decoction is mixed with garden soil and dry moss, ground into powder. The finished substrate is placed at the bottom of the container and filled with a small amount of water. The water and soil should be approximately 10 cm deep.

Clean, quarantined Tubifex is placed in a container and a compressor is installed to supply oxygen. Periodically (once a week) the water in the container is replaced with fresh water. The substrate is also renewed once a month. If all conditions are met, then soon you will be able to see “ripple” soil, indicating the successful reproduction of worms.

To breed pink worms at home, you need to prepare a special mixture

Riftia, giant tube worms

Pictured are giant tube worms ( Riftia pachyptila
), captured with sea anemones (center) during a 2011 expedition to the Galapagos Rift (rift) at a depth of approximately 2600 m. The worms sway under the influence of bottom currents, showing from the tube (white structure in the photo) bloodshot tentacles. When danger appears, the tentacles hide in the tube. It is not for nothing that Riftia is called a giant worm - the length of its tube reaches 2.5 m, the length of the body is 1.5 m with a thickness of about 5 cm.

Estimate the size of the rift. Photo from northcountrypublicradio.org

Riftia belongs to the unusual annelids - the pogonophora family ( Siboglinidae

), which now includes the former types Pogonophora and Vestimentifera (giant worms). Riftia was previously classified as a vestimentifera. The general structure of pogonophora and vestimentifera is almost the same; vestimentifera differ only in their gigantic size and the presence of a vestimentum - two wing-like processes that hold the tentacles outside the tube (so that they do not fall inside).

Rifts at the bottom of an underwater basin in the Gulf of California.
Photo from schmidtocean.org Pogonophores live in tubes of their own secretion, attaching them to solid substrates. Riftfish live mainly in muddy sediments in the deep sea, and are found in large numbers around deep-sea hydrothermal vents, for example in the area of ​​“black smokers”. Some species of the genus Sclerolinum

live in rotting wood on the seabed, and worms of the genus Osedax (
Osedax
) settle on the bones of dead whales (see picture of the day Zombie Worms).

Rifts from “black smokers” at the bottom of the Gulf of California

The tube supports and protects the worm's delicate body and is composed of chitin and protein fibers (fibrils) secreted by multicellular epidermal glands. The worm is attached to the tube thanks to the setae of the posterior part of the body - opisthosoma. The opisthosoma also serves as an anchor for fixation in the substrate. This is the only segmented part of the pogonophoran body; its discovery at the end of the 20th century allowed scientists to attribute pogonophora to annelids (remember the earthworm - its entire body consists of segments). Pogonophora is also related to ringlets by the presence of setae on the body (see picture of the day Setae of polychaetes) and the similarity of the larvae.

The entire body of pogonophora is covered with a cuticle, which consists of collagen fibers and is penetrated by microvilli of epithelial cells. The body of Riftia, like all vestimentiferans, is divided into four sections: obturacal, vestimental (bearing tentacular apparatus), trunk and opisthosoma. When the animal hides in the tube, the obturaculum completely closes the entrance to it, like a lid. The tentacles function like gills, they are penetrated by a large number of capillaries (hence their red color), have a thin cuticle and thus ensure efficient gas exchange. In most cases, the tentacles are separate, but there are species in which they are interconnected (for example, species of the genera Lamellisabella

and
Spirobrachia
).

Left

— diagram of the general organization of pogonophora.
The anterior section of the body includes tentacles and a frenulum (a denser chitinous coating). The metameric (segmented) section contains the neurotroch (cluster of sensory cilia). The non-metameric section includes attachment papillae with chitinous scutes and belts of serrated setae, a condensation zone (a longitudinal row of ordered papillae), a posterior diaphragm (a thin transverse septum of the secondary body cavity - the coelom) and an opisthosoma. The worm is divided into preannular and postannular sections by the girdle (annuli), segmental setae inherited from the ancestors. The scutes (chaetes) and serrated setae, consisting of chitin, and papillae are located along the body in several rows, thereby attaching the worm to the tube. Drawing from the site zin.ru. On the right
is a diagram of the structure of riftia: 1 - ring of tentacles;
2 - tentacle; 3 - ciliary strip; 4
- vestimental wings;
5
- anterior border of the body;
6 - posterior border of the body; 7
- opisthosoma. Drawing from the site bio.bsu.by

Pogonophorans have a frenulum, a denser chitinous covering to support the front of the body against the wall of the tube. In Riftia and other species previously classified as vestimentiferans (for example, Ridgeia piscesae

), at this place there are pterygoid processes (vestimentum), which hold the tentacles outside the tube. They bend and form the vestimental cavity, into which the ducts of the excretory system and the ducts of the gonads open.

Anterior end of Vestimentifera Ridgeia

. You can see the head part, consisting of an obturaculum, tentacles, connected to each other in the photo, but able to straighten out like a feather, and a vestimentum (two lateral wings at the site of the frenulum). Photo © F. Pleijel from the article F. Pleijel et al., 2009. Progress in systematics: from Siboglinidae to Pogonophora and Vestimentifera and back to Siboglinidae

Pogonophorans do not have a mouth or intestines; in the mid-20th century it was believed that they cling to victims with their tentacles and immediately digest them. But subsequently, the necessary enzymes that carry out external digestion were not found, which is why this theory was declared untenable. By the end of the 20th century, scientists described two types of nutrition for pogonophoras: diffuse and with the help of symbiotic bacteria.

The fact is that the tube in which the worms live is permeable. The densely packed protein fibrils interspersed with layers of chitin form a physical barrier to even the smallest bacteria (0.1 µm), but water and small molecules such as sodium chloride can pass through them. And amino acids, glucose and fatty acids can be absorbed by animals through the epidermis when the worm emerges from the tube. Pogonophorans can absorb and metabolize dissolved organic compounds in the environment at a rate sufficient to support respiration, but not sufficient for growth and reproduction. Of course, small thin pogonophores with a diameter of up to 2 mm can live solely due to diffuse nutrition, but this is not enough for larger species, since they have a smaller surface/volume ratio (the surface capable of diffusion is less than the volume of the organism, and, therefore, lack of nutrients).

Now we know how pogonophorans were able to survive. It turned out that these worms have trophosomal tissue, in whose cells—bacteriocytes—live symbiotic bacteria that provide nutrition to the entire body through chemosynthesis. The trophosome makes up 5% of the total body volume of the worm and is located between two large vessels located in the abdominal and dorsal parts of the body next to smaller blood vessels, thus providing the symbionts with oxygen and sulfides, which are very abundant at hydrothermal vents.

Transverse section through the trunk region of the vestimentifera Ridgeia

,
arrows
show the direction of blood movement. You can see the location of the two large vessels and how the trophosomal tissue is washed by the capillaries. Image from an article by V.V. Malakhov. Vestimentiferans are autotrophic animals

Dissolved sulfides and other reduced sulfur compounds diffuse from the water in Riftia through the tentacles, in other genera (e.g. Lamellibrachia

) the walls of the tube are more permeable than those of riftia, so sulfides can penetrate through them and further through the epidermis. Next, the sulfides enter the bloodstream and are sent to trophosomes, where the bacteria, through the oxidation of sulfides, receive energy and nutrients, some of which are returned by the bacteria to the bloodstream and supply food to the host worm.

The question of how bacteria enter the tissues of pogonophorans still remains open. The most convincing are two theories. The first says that pogonophora larvae, sinking to the bottom, feed on bacteria (at the larval stage, some species have a mouth and esophagus, which disappear in older individuals) and thus become “infected” by those who will subsequently live in the trophosome. The second theory is quite similar, only the methods of “infection” differ: here it is believed that the bacteria penetrate the outer epithelium of the larva. It is also important to note that the symbionts are specific to each habitat and the trophosome contains only one type of bacteria.

Since we have touched on the topic of the larval stage of life of pogonophorans, it is time to discuss the reproduction of these strange organisms. Pogonophorans are dioecious, with the exception of the hermaphrodite Siboglinum poseidoni

.
The reproductive organs are usually paired and in adulthood occupy quite a lot of space in the body, often severely limiting trophosomes. Fertilization is usually external, with clumps of eggs and sperm released into the surrounding water, but in Riftia pachyptila
internal fertilization predominates, as sperm have been found inside the oviducts. It is still difficult to say exactly how internal fertilization occurs, because it has been recorded based on indirect signs.

The larvae of some pogonophora, which have internal fertilization, “hatch” in tubes until the development of cilia for movement; in vestimentifera, egg dispersal is common, which allows the future larva to cover a distance of up to 100 km before attaching to the substrate. When the larva lands on a surface suitable for life, it secretes a tube as it grows, attaching it to the substrate. Some larvae settle in empty tubes that no longer contain the worm.

Photo © NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, Galapagos Rift Expedition 2011 from flickr.com.

Anastasia Sheshukova

How to keep worms alive for a long time

Live food is best stored in the refrigerator in a separate container with a small amount of water at a temperature of 4-8 degrees. The worms need to be washed several times a day (at least twice) to remove dirt and dead worms. Live worms will sink to the bottom, curling up into balls, while dead worms will float on the surface of the water.

It should be remembered that tubifex plants do not tolerate chlorinated water, so storage and washing should be carried out with settled water. If all conditions are met, the food is kept alive for two months.

At home, the tubifex should be stored in a low ditch

Features of character and lifestyle

Photo: Tubifex at home

Pipe worms and their relatives typically hide their heads in small tubes in the sediment while the rest of their bodies rise up, waving the water around. Gas exchange (respiration) occurs directly through the skin, while the oral cavity is nourished by the decomposition of organic matter from the substrate. Their waste is released into the water, and thus the tubifex worms “turn over” the sediment in the same way as earthworms.

Tubifex worms are able to thrive in oxygen-poor environments, such as sewage treatment ponds, because they have a much more efficient way of assimilating dissolved oxygen than most other organisms. The worms, typically 1 to 8.5 centimeters long, are found in mud tubes that they create from a mixture of mud and mucus. However, they often leave their posterior segments outside the tubes, waving them around and creating a current that allows them to collect any surrounding traces of dissolved oxygen.

Like other worms, tubifex worms have relatively high hemoglobin levels and a characteristic bright red color. They are familiar to many aquarium hobbyists who often purchase them as high protein food for their pet fish. Tubifex plants are sold frozen, dried or live, although this practice is becoming increasingly rare. Live tubifex worms are not as widely available commercially as they once were due to concerns that they may contain human pathogens they acquired in contaminated waters.

Interesting Facts

In polluted water bodies with a large amount of organic matter, especially in places where it accumulates, the number of tubifex colonies can be more than 100 thousand individuals per 1 m2. The tubifex is of great ecological importance, participating in the natural purification of water bodies from human waste products.

Why is it called tubifex?

Colonies of tubifex worms construct peculiar tube-shaped burrows in the muddy bottom, consisting of silt and mucus secreted by worms. The front part of their body is immersed in these burrows, receiving nutrition from the ground. The back part is always located outside and with oscillatory movements promotes the flow of oxygen. If there is enough of it, then Tubifex almost completely goes into its hole-tube. Pipes also hide there if they sense danger. This is why they got their name.

Population and species status

Tubifex belongs to the phylum of annelids, being its own family. Like all annelids, the tubifex's body is made up of many distinct segments, each possessing organs. In total there are about 17,000 species of ringed animals.

The tubifex population has a life cycle that depends on the time of year. It was found that the period of sexual activity and reproduction occurs in winter and the first half of spring.

The population reaches its maximum density in mid-May (613,000 individuals per 1 m2), the lowest in mid-September (5420 individuals per 1 m2).

In the muddy bottom, worms live in peculiar tube holes

Natural enemies of tubifex worms

Freeze-dried tubifex food is properly processed and is absolutely safe. The same cannot be said about live food. A parasite such as Myxobolus cerebralis, which causes diseases in fish, is transmitted from humans to the tubifex. Therefore, safety precautions should be observed when handling live food.

What does the tubifex eat?

Tubifex are natural “filters” of polluted water bodies. Due to the fact that their habitat is located in places where organic waste accumulates, the main food of worms is bacteria living in dirty sludge. Essentially, tubifex makers process any material in which a large number of decay microorganisms are formed. It could even be rotting plants, a dead animal at the bottom of a pond, or decaying algae.

The commercially farmed tubifex lives in the wastewater of trout farms and grows on fish manure.

Capturing silt, Tubifex passes through itself an amount of soil that exceeds its own weight many times. By feeding on organic matter, worms process “dirty” food into a natural substrate, thereby purifying water resources.

Tubifex feeds on anaerobic bacteria

The common tubifex is a nourishing, high-calorie protein food for aquarium pets. However, to keep them out of trouble, feeding live food should be done with great care, carefully observing safety precautions. Only then will aquarium inhabitants be able to please their owner with excellent growth, active reproduction and good health.

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What does the tubifex eat?

Photo: Tubifex worm

Aquatic tubifex worms are associated with detritus, dirt, still water and lower oxygen levels - generally speaking, poor water quality. However, like their earthworm cousins, they recycle nutrients, scrape decaying algal mats down to substrate, and play an incredibly important role in the food chain. Like earthworms (which eat dirt), tubifex worms are worms that feed on whatever material they grow in.

Most commercially farmed tubifex fish are raised in trout pond effluent, which means they live on fish manure. Needless to say, this makes them potential hotspots for the transmission of bacterial or parasitic infections. But freshwater fish love tubifex and thrive on them if they are managed properly.

The tubifex can even live in heavily polluted waters. It buries its head in the dirt to eat, allowing its tail to sway while it does so. Like the land worm, the aquatic tubifex worm feeds primarily on dead plants. If there's a particularly juicy dead animal nearby, he'll munch on that too, so long as he doesn't have to travel too far.