Banana worms are a healthy food that can be used as an alternative to traditional fish feed sources. Banana worms are grown on organic banana plants and they contain the protein and nutrients that fish need.
In this article, I will cover how to grow banana worms and the benefits of feeding your fish with these worms instead of the typical staple fish feed.
Benefits of Feeding Banana Worms to Your Fish:
- Easy food source for tropical, coldwater, and betta fish.
- No more unhealthy foods such as supermarket flake or pellet food.
- No more buying pre-made frozen foods from your pet store.
- Use up bananas that would otherwise go bad (or give you diarrhea).
- Provide a vitamin-rich food source with no chemicals added to it!
Where do banana worms come from?
Banana worms are a food source that has been consumed by many generations. Banana worms can be found in the rain forests of Central America and they have been used for both food and medicine. The banana worms that you feed to your fish come from organic banana plants.
How do you grow these banana worms?
The first step is finding an organic banana farm that sells their bananas directly to consumers.
These farms will provide you with instructions on how to care for the plant, but it’s very simple: just plant the fruit in some soil, give plenty of water when needed, and pick the fruit when it ripens (it should look like a yellowish-green color). After you let the harvested bananas lay out overnight to dry off, you can cut them into thin pieces, and then you will place these pieces in a dark area of your home. This is where the banana worms will emerge from the bananas and grow.
Basic instructions for growing banana worms:
- Cut fresh organic bananas
- Lay out on paper plates overnight to dry (simulating rain)
- Use a toothpick or sewing needle to poke small holes in 1/2 inch thick banana slices (3 per plate maximum)
- Place one banana slice every other day in a secure container such as a wide mouth glass jar with a metal lid or plastic storage container
- Spray water occasionally if it dries out
- Worms will emerge and eat through their “slime trail” until they reach the surface of the banana slice
- Banana worms are ready to feed your fish in 2-3 weeks.
After you harvest the banana worms, it is important to not throw them away! Keep them in a cool, dark area of your home.
They will hatch thousands of baby banana worms every few days. The only time that you should throw away the banana worms is when there are huge moths present in your containers (this means that they have laid their eggs).
Also, if any of your fish have gotten sick after eating the banana worms then obviously don’t feed this food source to them anymore.
How To Feed Them To Your Fish?
Once you have harvested enough banana worms and you are sure that they haven’t been contaminated with anything harmful (maggots, etc.), you can feed them to your fish.
Tetra AquaSafe Plus, 8.45 Ounces, aquarium Water Conditioner And Dechlorinator, Model Number: 46798162681
$8.49 (as of November 23, 2024 20:13 GMT +03:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
API STRESS COAT Aquarium Water Conditioner 4-Ounce Bottle (85B)
24% Off
API TAP WATER CONDITIONER Aquarium Water Conditioner 16-Ounce Bottle
The banana worms that you feed to your fish should be the size of a pinhead (only 1/32 inches long). They will stay alive longer if you keep them damp and cool, so misting with water is a good idea before feeding them to your pets.
How many worm pieces should I feed my fish?
You should not overfeed their food – keep it at no more than 5% of their daily ration per feeding. Typically, this means about 3 banana worms for larger tropical fish and less for smaller species.
Also, don’t give them anything else except the bananas from now on until they are ready to be fed something else (remember: only harvest as many as needed for that feeding).
As your fish get used to this food, they will eat more and more of the banana worms by themselves. I’ve found that my Goldfish love these worms – so much so that they actually swim all over their tank in order to see if there are any banana worm pieces floating around.
It’s pretty cute! And it is great knowing that you’re not putting something unhealthy into their system just for them to live a day longer.
How long do banana worms last?
Even after they have been fed to your fish, keep the banana worms alive by placing them in some water (only up to the top 1/3 inch or so) and place it in the refrigerator on a paper plate. They will stay alive like this for a month or more.
What are the benefits of giving your fish banana worms?
Banana worms contain protein, vitamins, and other nutrients that your fish need to live a healthy life. Also, because they eat mostly bananas they don’t consume as many resources needed by humans – such as meat-based feed sources.
So it’s great knowing that you’re not contributing to worldwide pollution just so you can have some extra time with your pets (in addition to making them healthier). Overall, this food source is much better than any of the traditional foods used in aquariums today!
What are the differences between banana worms and microworms?
They are very similar. The banana worms and micro worms have different sizes, but they contain the same nutrients that your fish need to live healthy lives.
They also both can be used as food for new fry fish. Banana worms though grow much larger than microworms, so it’s important to keep them in a controlled environment (such as a sealed plastic bag or container) while feeding them to your fish if you don’t want baby banana worms everywhere!
And finally, unlike microworms which come from cattle manure, banana worms are organic and come directly from bananas – no extra waste is left over from this process.
Are banana worms harmful?
No. Banana worms are completely harmless to your fish. I have never yet heard of any problems with feeding them to fish and they can even help cure some diseases that your fish may have – such as ich or fin rot!
Can I grow banana worms at home?
Yes. You will need a small box for them though (it needs to be hot and dark) in order to get hundreds of these worms every week.
Even just a few banana worms at a time that you get from your grocery store really helps because it gives you an extra food source for emergencies plus provides vitamin-rich food for your pets.
Can betta fry eat banana worms?
Absolutely yes! Banana worms are great for fry fish – they contain the protein and nutrients that baby fish need to thrive. Even after your fry have grown you can still feed them banana worms to keep them full.
In Conclusion
Although it may sound strange to feed banana worms to your fish, there are many benefits.
For one, the worms will provide a natural source of protein for your fish and they also produce an enzyme that helps with digestion.
You can grow these banana worms in fruit or vegetable peels in just three steps!
If you’re looking for more ways to keep your tank clean and healthy while providing good nutrition for all of your pets, look no further than this blog post on how to easily care for your fish by feeding them bananas worms.
Hi, my name is Sean, and I’m the primary writer on the site. I’m blogging mostly about freshwater and saltwater aquariums, fish, invertebrates, and plants. I’m experienced in the fishkeeping hobby for many years. Over the years I have kept many tanks, and have recently begun getting more serious in wanting to become a professional aquarist. All my knowledge comes from experience and reading forums and a lot of informative sites. In pursuit of becoming a professional, I also want to inspire as many people as I can to pick up this hobby and keep the public interest growing.
Read more about Sean.
Please join also my Facebook group.