Are white worms a "complete" diet?

[vetteguy53081]

My culture has been overflowing this week, so I've been feeding almost exclusively the worms. Usually I vary from day to day between mysis (staple), freeze dried black worms, and live white worms. I also have a Plank dropping TDO pellets and freeze dried calanus 6x/day for the wrasses (so this week just white worms and the plank).

Does anyone know if white worms have all the nutrients they need, or are they missing essential nutrients from the mysis?

Note: foxface (only algae eater) eats all that, plus I give him chunks of turf algae from the ATS every day or two.

Thanks!

I regard them more of a supplement than a diet often lacking the vitamins and aminos contained in commercial foods.

 

[atoll]

I doubt any one food is a complete diet. Why would it be. Variety IMO is what is needed along with live foods.

 

[mcarroll]

I'm not going to over-summon, but maybe Paul will also weigh in with hist ideas on variety....he does go into it in his book tho....he's the most avid white-worm user I know. (I know three, so maybe that's not saying much.)

From memory, frozen-whole clams, live black worms, live white worms and baby brine shrimp are at least some of his staples. Not sure if I missed a major one. Hm.

 

[Snoopdog]

You can probably get away with feeding just white worms to some fish, but we noted that some fish we introduced took a while to start eating them. During that break in period with the fish, we fed other frozen foods but eventually they took to the white worms and now destroy them. The only fish that will not eat frozen or white worms at the moment is our target mandarin. Just like humans, I think fish need a variety to thrive so we feed a mix most of the time. Can you get away with just white worms? Likely. Should you, probably not optimal.