Blackworms

Bwall19d

Bwall19d

New member
Was thinking of starting to feed black worms, I apologize if there is already a thread about this, but I wanted to compile everyone who has used them thoughts in one thread, so pros and cons please?
 
I feed them regularly, and the fish love them. Just don't feed more than once a day, as they are very high in oil. I keep a very heavy fish load, do not quarantine(not trying to start a debate), and my fish just don't get sick. I believe that high quality, regular feedings keep the immune systems of the fish in top shape.
They are super cost effective, a 1/4Lb portion is about 5 bucks and lasts 2+ weeks for me.
 
Thanks for the info mhucasey, i am curious what size tank do you have just so I have an idea of about how much my fish would eat, I have a 300 with a medium fish load
 
I have 24 fish with a maximum size of ~4", tank volume is about 80 gallons. I feed 10-15 mls in a turkey baster with the pumps on, the fish go into a frenzy and there are no worms left after 30-45 seconds or so. For the second feed of the day I use pellets or mysis or baby brine, rotating the foods to provide variety. Everything eats the blackworms, including scooter blennies, clown and cleaner gobies, leopard wrasses, etc...

I get 1/4Lb at a time from my LFS and put them in a tupperware in the fridge. Every time I feed I fill the container with water from the fridge dispenser to rinse the worms. I pour off all the water except enough to just cover the worms.
picture.php
 
i feed live black worms a few times a week. my fish love it.

mainly i feed them for my mandarin, but my mccosker's and yellow tang can't seem to get enough of them.
 
i feed them every day. have had very few fish losses since i started feeding them. rinse every day, leave in fridge , open top container, worms just covered in water. they'll last for weeks like that.
i usually rinse about 10 times when i first get them to clean them real good, it seems to help them live longer.
fish go nuts for them...
oh, a feeding tip- i use a fork, just scoop them out and no/very little water goes into the tank. as with all food, only feed as much as the fish will eat. the worms only live around 5-10 seconds in the saltwater...
 
I feed them regularly, and the fish love them. Just don't feed more than once a day, as they are very high in oil. I keep a very heavy fish load, do not quarantine(not trying to start a debate), and my fish just don't get sick. I believe that high quality, regular feedings keep the immune systems of the fish in top shape.
They are super cost effective, a 1/4Lb portion is about 5 bucks and lasts 2+ weeks for me.
Click to expand...

This looks like something I wrote. I use them every day and if it were not for live worms I would not stay in this hobby as that is the absolute best food you could feed your fish. If you disagree with me, speak to my lawyer as I won't argue about them any more and my lawyer don't know a black worm from Justin Bieber's showlace. :idea:
 
PaulB has built a worm keeper (that I modified and copied); I suspect he would share pictures and specs with a query. I get them from this place. If you get them in bulk, you will need to keep them in a worm keeper for long term usage, which flows water over them to keep them clean. They will eat brown paper towels.
 
I keep them in here but buy them every week in an LFS. They are very common here in New York and most pet shops carry them.
 
I gladly admit that I had never heard of blackworms before hearing about them from you Paul:)
As for feeding fish keeping them healthy, that is something I have believed and experienced for quite a while, you were definitely a confirmation on that belief. I just wish there were more live foods besides Blackworms and Baby brine that I could feed.
 
I bought through these guys a couple of times: California Blackworm Co. Looks like the previous link is a little cheaper, but I like their little keeper trays. You can change the water without much hassle or losing too many worms. Not as slick as PaulB's little rig though.

I've only fed them in fresh water, but I've yet to find a fish that wouldn't go crazy for them. I attempted to get a colony going a couple of times, but it proved to be a pretty difficult task for me.
 
I don't think that they breed, although I am not sure about that. What I did is very similar to what Paul did, but I order them in large quantities since the LFS around here do not have them.
 
I just wish there were more live foods besides Blackworms and Baby brine that I could feed
Click to expand...

There is, White Worms. They stay alive in salt water for many hours and mandarins love them.
 
Do you think there is much truth to the freshwater food isn't sufficient for marine fish line? It looks like you're having pretty good success with all of the same tricks the freshwater breeding crew use to prime fish for breeding condition. Basically, lots of fatty wiggling critters.

I don't think fry are as often a concern with marine fish, but there are an awful lot of tiny worms that people culture for feeding freshwater fry as well. I wonder if there is much of an application for those little guys in a reef tank. I wonder if they'd get small enough that some of the plankton eating critters would be interested in them or something like dwarf seahorses. I've raised a couple kinds and they seemed less problematic in a lot of ways than baby brine.
 
I would not feed to many freshwater fish to marine fish, but worms don't seem to matter as I have been using these for decades and almost all my fish are spawning.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Canister + pre filter ?
Replies
4
Views
252
kharmaguru
kharmaguru
S
Seeking Feedback on Pro Photo Album Platform
Replies
1
Views
248
samuelbenjamin
S
T
Gph for 32 biocube
Replies
1
Views
327
griss
griss
DPauley
Bonnethead Shark Collection and Care in Home Aquaria
Replies
3
Views
888
Dr. Reef
Dr. Reef
BigEZ77
DIY Plumbing Repair Options?
Replies
3
Views
1K
Uncle99
Uncle99
Back
Top