Blackworm keeper

[Paul B]

This last live blackworm keeper so far is working great. I never have a dead worm and they are even multiplying. This is my third model as the first two were too small for the amount of worms I need to keep.
The secret to these things is they have to age for a couple of weeks to build up some bacteria. I have some eggcrate in there for that purpose. The shallow water flows over the worms and into the tank below. Some of the worms manage to get into the tank but they ball up and I suck them out and put them back on top in the trough. There is a very small powerhead in the tank that is suspended off the bottom. The worms don't swim so they don't get sucked into the pump.
This model has been running for a few months and I am very happy with it.
I feed the worms pieces of paper towels and some occasional flakes.

 

[iwishtofish]

Paul, what kind of water quality/parameters do the worms require? Do you have to do water changes, or does the bacteria keep toxins under control?

And they actually eat paper towels?

 

[Paul B]

It is tap water. They don't actually eat the paper but as the paper deteriates, they crawl through it and eat the products of decomposition. A small piece of paper lasts about 4 days.
I change the water occasionally but the worms are not particular. The main thing is it needs time to mature. When the thing is new and clean, it is very hard to keep worms. They die and rot fouling the water very fast. Now I could throw a dead water buffalo in there and the bacteria would take care of it.

 

[Rybren]

Paul,

Where do you buy your Black Worms? I've never seen any for sale, live or frozen.

To confirm, these aren't the same as bloodworms, right?

BTW, how are the bumblebees doing?

 

[Paul B]

The bumblebees are fine. Here in NY blackworms are very common in every pet store. Bloodworms are not worms but insect larvae

 

[Rybren]

Thanks Paul,

I've never been able to find them. Guess I'll keep looking or bring some home with me the next time I do some cross border shopping.

 

[iwishtofish]

It is tap water. They don't actually eat the paper but as the paper deteriates, they crawl through it and eat the products of decomposition. A small piece of paper lasts about 4 days.
I change the water occasionally but the worms are not particular. The main thing is it needs time to mature. When the thing is new and clean, it is very hard to keep worms. They die and rot fouling the water very fast. Now I could throw a dead water buffalo in there and the bacteria would take care of it.

So this is basically an inexhaustible food supply for your fish, almost for free (after parts and electricity). Are these worms particularly nutritious?

I don't know why I'm asking this - there is NO way my wife would let me keep one of these things...:hmm4:

 

[Paul B]

there is NO way my wife would let me keep one of these things...

Tell your wife, it's her or the worms. Then run..fast.
The electricity is a 10 watt pump which costs less than $5.00 a year to run and there is no light. A roll of paper towels lasts about 10 years at an inch a serving.

The worms are very nutritious and I would not be able to have many of my fish spawn with out them. I also don't have to quarantine because of them.
At least in the last 30 years or so. Worms are full of HUFA oils that fish need in quantity to get into breeding condition. If fish are not in breeding condition they are very suseptable to paracites and all sorts of malady's.
In the sea fish eat mostly whole fish. A fish can be about 1/5th oil.
Commercially prepared foods, even frozen foods do not have any where near the quantity of oil that fish need to keep in the best condition.
Fish are not like us, we can eat potato chips and drink beer for years and still "look" healthy and "spawn" Fish can not. They are very dependant on their food for their health. A healthy fish is a spawning fish as they spawn continousely all year. To spawn or be in breeding condition they need oil. Their eggs are composed of mostly oil which the fish needs in large quantity.
So to answer your question, No, fish do not need worms to live, but they need the oils in either worms or whole fish to get healthy and stay that way.
Mysis, brine, squid, kelp, angel formula, spirolina and shrimp have very little oil.
If your fish are not spawning or exhibiting spawning behavour, they are not as healthy as you believe them to be and you better quarantine everything.
Have a great day
Paul

 

[iwishtofish]

Alright, Paul, I may have to work on this. I'd love to keep my future fish as healthy and disease-resistant as possible. Thanks for taking the time to answer!

 

[TheMcs]

That's pretty cool - another good project for the fish room. I've never seen or noticed live blackworms around here but I'll be doing some looking & asking.
Look like you could take a quality wallpaper tray & partition it off.

 

[g8gxp]

why do you need the tank of water below the trough? it doesn't look like there is any type of filtration so this is just for circulation? if so, could a small PH in the trough do the job?

also, you said they don't need light, so would a closed container work?

subscribing...

 

[madmike]

hey paul,

on the blackworms-direct.com website it states that they have to be kept in the refrigerator. At what temp are yours being kept at?

Thanks
Mike

 

[Paul B]

The tank is below because there is hardly any water in the trough and it is only a half inch deep. There is not enough volume to put a pump or surface area to grow enough bacteria. Also worms do not do well when they go through a pump so if you nitice there is a plastic container in the tank that catches the worms that go into the tank.
The worms sink in the container and the water overflows into the tank. I suck out the worms in the container every day and put them back into the trough which is a Home depot fence post sliced in half.
If you don't want to go through all this, they can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week.
I like to keep the worms fat and healthy so I keep them this way and feed them but mot people including LFSs keep them in a refrigerator.
Mine are kept at room temperature which is about 72 degrees. They don't do well if it gets too hot.
They live in very shallow flowing water which is the way I keep them but I am an inventor and like to build things.

 

[g8gxp]

do you think the refrigerated kinds provide adequate nutrition, or is it only the live worms that add any benefit?

 

[fishbait2]

The refridgerated worms are live. The cold keeps their metabolism slow so they live longer. They are poo eaters so they need to be cleaned out.

 

[gjk]

Paul,

Thanks for being willing to share your knowledge. My cbb is alive and very healthy because of your other threads about the blackworm. It was slowly fading in spite of a variety of frozen food with supplements, then I found your information and began feeding the blackworms. Thanks!

Do you think the "worm keeper" would be as effective in the refigerator? It is where I keep them now and may be my only place to keep them for various reasons.

 

[Paul B]

My cbb is alive and very healthy because of your other threads

Oh no, does that mean if it croaks, it is my fault? :worried:

They will be fine in the refrigerator but don't put that worm keeper I built in the refrigerator.
If you keep them in the fridge, just put them in enough water to cover them and check them every day. When some of them start to die, you need to remove the dead ones or the entire thing will crash.
Refrigerated worms are fine, you won't be keeping them for extended periods there as they will not live that long.

 

[krowleey]

what kind of fish are you feeding with these worms?

 

[gjk]

Thanks again Paul for more info. What would your opinion be about freezing the worms. Would their nutritional value be greatly lost? The smallest amount I can buy is 3/4 lb so I am interested in freezing if I have no space for your type live "keeper". As you know, 3/4 lb is quite a few worms!

 

[Paul B]

All of my fish except the pipefish and mandarins, so that would include
7 or 8 types of gobies, hippo tangs, purple psudos, fire clowns, chromas, Bangai's, burrfish, wrasses and butterflies. etc.
All of my breeding fish get them except the pipefish.