Live BlackWorms: Best Fish and LPS Food Ever?

[twelvejewelz]

Paul B, do you know of the store aquarium adventure in westbury? Its overpriced on most things but thats where i buy my blackworms. I usually just get 2 of their containers and it will last me about a month and costs about 3 dollars total. Its funny you guys mention leeches, as my recent purchase had 2 leeches in it. My GF had nearly had a heart attack and almost banned me from getting backworms for life 0.o ! LOL . I was really surprised and actually took them out and squashed them. Are you sure they are safe to feed the fish? I didnt want them to latch on and start sucking my fish haha.

 

[twelvejewelz]

thanks for re-surfacing this thread, I just remembered I bought live black worm and they have been in refrigerator for a week already ....

I hope youve been rinsing them once a day with fresh water!!

 

[vaporize]

My GF had nearly had a heart attack and almost banned me from getting backworms for life 0.o ! LOL . I was really surprised and actually took them out and squashed them. Are you sure they are safe to feed the fish? I didnt want them to latch on and start sucking my fish haha.

I wonder if freshwater leeches can actually survive in SW long term, I think they will just die naturally, so will not be an issue for your fish, worth it to give it a try next time you find some.

I hope youve been rinsing them once a day with fresh water!!

obviously not, still in the plastic bag, let me see if it's alive yet (yeah not checked yet, gf will kill me if she sees black worm beside the soup)

Update: just washed them, surprisingly, they are still very much alive. If my rotifer culture is half as hardy, nobody will crash theirs.

 

[Paul B]

The leaches die in a few seconds, I have been feeding them for years.

 

[vaporize]

The leaches die in a few seconds, I have been feeding them for years.

Paul what do you feed the leeches to?

 

[Paul B]

Whatever eats the worms eats the leaches, I don't think they know the difference.

 

[vaporize]

Have anybody feed live black worm (or leeches) for long time? I did remember some reading that prolonged time of feeding live black worm can cause fatty liver type of issues

 

[Paul B]

I feed them every day to my reef and have been for about 30 years, I don't know if that is long enough for a liver to get fatty.
I do not just feed that. I like it if the fish would get a couple of worms each day but they also get clams, mysis or whatever else is on the menu.

 

[Elysia]

To anyone whose LFS does not carry blackworms -- if you have a local herp or reptile store, they often stock these.

For what it is worth, I have blackworms that live for months at room temperature in standing water with live plants in an area in one of my frog enclosures.

 

[jjstecchino]

Will keep on trying... I have 1 lb of worms to go.
Day 2 still the CB not eating much worms.
He peck at the rocks all day long and I wonder if is just getting full with pods.

I had a similar issue with my Indian Trigger. He at first showed little interest in the blackworms. He then sampled a worm and thereafter joined the feeding frenzy. He then grew to love the worms so much that he stoped eating other foods, and I had to stop feeding the worms for a bit so that he would go back to eating other foods. Give your fish a little time. If she is sampling the worms, she will definitely join the frenzy, particularlly a butterfly who are known to love these worms.

 

[snorvich]

I obtained blackworms (1 lb) from Eastern Aquatics (an excellent experience) and put them in my worm keeper (which is patterned after Paul B). They are kept at room temperature and seem to do well. I feed with a turkey baster. Once a fish tries them, they go after any more available. So far, at least on day one, not everyone will try them.

 

[tcmfish]

I think if I ever try such a large quantity of worms it will be from eastern aquatics.

 

[Daniel Reef]

I finished reading this thread. Sounds like a good idea. For those of you who started feeding LBW as a result of this thread, some before and after pics would be helpful. Please let us know about your experience so that we can continue to learn and improve. TIA.

 

[snorvich]

I don't do aquarium photos and I am certainly not trying to sell the concept. Paul B does aquarium photos but his before is decades ago. I can tell you that the worm keeper as designed by Paul B works exceptionally well.

 

[Paul B]

If you make a worm keeper the thing needs about two weeks to build up the bacteria needed to keep it clean. Without the bacteria, it will crash in a day or less.
The first few days, the water may have to be changed twice a day. After a while it will only have to be changed every week or two. I use some eggcrate in the tank below to grow bacteria. It works well, I never find a dead worm and it has been in use for years.

 

[snorvich]

If you make a worm keeper the thing needs about two weeks to build up the bacteria needed to keep it clean. Without the bacteria, it will crash in a day or less.
The first few days, the water may have to be changed twice a day. After a while it will only have to be changed every week or two. I use some eggcrate in the tank below to grow bacteria. It works well, I never find a dead worm and it has been in use for years.

Actually, I cheated and added bacteria that I use with my pond. I do have layers of egg crate in the "sump" and I do wash the worms with fresh water and do a water change once per week. So far, so good.

 

[firereef]

Black worms and blood worms the same?

 

[vaporize]

Black worms and blood worms the same?

already discussed. black worm are black, blood worm are red; black worm are worms, blood worms are insect larve

 

[firereef]

Black worms and blood worms the same?

 

[firereef]

already discussed. black worm are black, blood worm are red; black worm are worms, blood worms are insect larve

Ok. Didnt want to go through 500 pages to find an answer.