Live BlackWorms: Best Fish and LPS Food Ever?

[Beenalongtime79]

http://www.eeob.iastate.edu/faculty/DrewesC/htdocs/LVCULT.htm

A very interesting and quick article to read on culturing. It states that it takes roughly 3-4 weeks to double the population. So if you give it about a month in a large enough container.... Say 2 ten gallon tanks, you could probably have a steady supply of live worms for a large population of fish as long as you had a large enough container and were patient enough to wait for the population to reach a size of sustainability.

 

[Paul B]

Thanks for the link, that is about how I keep them and I use paper towels but brown paper is better.

 

[Beenalongtime79]

I have been using blackworms and white worms and blackworms die within a few minutes of being placed in the tank, but white worms continue to wriggle for up to an hour after being placed in saltwater.

Very impressive and definitely capture the attention of the fish. They seem to both be eaten with robusto by the fish. The main reason for looking for live foods is because of my copperband, he is being a real picky pain in the butt and doesn't seem to want to eat anything and just picks and hunts off the rock and he is completely ignoring the aiptasia.

Cheers,
John

 

[ebacon]

So after reading this post I took a chance and ordered some. You have to give your card info up front then tell them what you want. So its kinda scary not knowing what will be charged exactly. When I inquired why i didn't get the sale price listed on the front page i sent an email and asked if i had been mistakenly overcharged. Instead of explaining that the sale price was for worms only and didn't include keepers the guy was immisiatly sarcastic and rude. After a few emails i figured out the difference (on my own, he just kept avoiding the question). I had assumed the worms were shipped in keepers, it seems as though they are not. But all could have been avoided had he simply explained the difference instead of making wild accusations and essentially calling me simple minded. In the end I had to sit down and figure it out myself. Something i would think he would have been happy to do rather then repeatedly insult a first time customer. Curious if anyone else has had a similar experience or did I just happen to pick the second Monday of the month?

 

[Beenalongtime79]

I like white worms a lot more than black worms. White worms will actually survive for more than 24 hours in saltwater. It's amazing to see those suckers wriggling around after a whole day of being submerged in the tank water. And fish love them just as much as the black worms I think.

 

[Beenalongtime79]

So, been culturing in my little styrofoam box with thick/coarse brown paper on the bottom and a small air pump constantly bubbling (no stone diffuser needed) in it.

It's kraft brown paper. It's thicker and coarser and doesn't break down as quickly so it is easier to extract the worms to feed the fish.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/300...campaign=PLA&gclid=CIHUt8i8_LUCFQ7znAodgRYA5w

Works great, thick brown paper degrades really slowly, and my blackworms are thriving and dividing like gangbusters. I doubt I will have to go back to store to buy more (even if they are cheap, at least I know I won't get a dead smelly supply of them). I don't feed the fish everyday with them, but they love the blackworms and white worms I'm feeding. At the rate they reproduce, the current setup will hopefully feed my small display tank of 80 gallons indefinitely unless the culture crashes for some reason or another.

I like the simplicity of the setup and would definitely have two shallow culture tanks setup in the future if I ever am able to upgrade to the 300-400 gallon plus tank I would like to set up.

Cheers,
John

 

[ebacon]

So, been culturing in my little styrofoam box with thick/coarse brown paper on the bottom and a small air pump constantly bubbling (no stone diffuser needed) in it.

It's kraft brown paper. It's thicker and coarser and doesn't break down as quickly so it is easier to extract the worms to feed the fish.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/300...campaign=PLA&gclid=CIHUt8i8_LUCFQ7znAodgRYA5w

Works great, thick brown paper degrades really slowly, and my blackworms are thriving and dividing like gangbusters. I doubt I will have to go back to store to buy more (even if they are cheap, at least I know I won't get a dead smelly supply of them). I don't feed the fish everyday with them, but they love the blackworms and white worms I'm feeding. At the rate they reproduce, the current setup will hopefully feed my small display tank of 80 gallons indefinitely unless the culture crashes for some reason or another.

I like the simplicity of the setup and would definitely have two shallow culture tanks setup in the future if I ever am able to upgrade to the 300-400 gallon plus tank I would like to set up.

Cheers,
John

the paper is the food i assume? any estimation as to reproduction rate? how often are you changing the water? what temp do you maintain?

 

[wonderz]

So, been culturing in my little styrofoam box with thick/coarse brown paper on the bottom and a small air pump constantly bubbling (no stone diffuser needed) in it.

It's kraft brown paper. It's thicker and coarser and doesn't break down as quickly so it is easier to extract the worms to feed the fish.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/300...campaign=PLA&gclid=CIHUt8i8_LUCFQ7znAodgRYA5w

Works great, thick brown paper degrades really slowly, and my blackworms are thriving and dividing like gangbusters. I doubt I will have to go back to store to buy more (even if they are cheap, at least I know I won't get a dead smelly supply of them). I don't feed the fish everyday with them, but they love the blackworms and white worms I'm feeding. At the rate they reproduce, the current setup will hopefully feed my small display tank of 80 gallons indefinitely unless the culture crashes for some reason or another.

I like the simplicity of the setup and would definitely have two shallow culture tanks setup in the future if I ever am able to upgrade to the 300-400 gallon plus tank I would like to set up.

Cheers,
John

So you can culture white worms the same way as black worms? And by white worms, I assume you mean Grindal Worm?

 

[Beenalongtime79]

So you can culture white worms the same way as black worms? And by white worms, I assume you mean Grindal Worm?

White worms are terrestrial and often found in composting piles but they are cultured in potting soil usually. They are very easy to care for. Freshwater aquarists have used them for years.

White worms are not grindal worms, white worms grow to be a bit longer and they thrive at slightly lower temps than grindal worms.

 

[Beenalongtime79]

the paper is the food i assume? any estimation as to reproduction rate? how often are you changing the water? what temp do you maintain?

The paper or the bacteria that it supports is the food that the blackworms eat I believe.

At first I changed water everyday, and then after 2 weeks I change once a week. And I only do like a 50% water change.

I changed out the water a lot at first so that the bacterial cultures could populate and handle the ammonia waste the worms produce. Essentially once the biological filter gets situated, you only have to really change the water out if the culture gets too dirty looking for your liking. The water will get a bit more turbid as the paper breaks down.

Temp wise. House vacillates between 60 and 70 degrees.


Cheers,
John

 

[coral_lagoon]

So after reading this post I took a chance and ordered some. You have to give your card info up front then tell them what you want. So its kinda scary not knowing what will be charged exactly. When I inquired why i didn't get the sale price listed on the front page i sent an email and asked if i had been mistakenly overcharged. Instead of explaining that the sale price was for worms only and didn't include keepers the guy was immisiatly sarcastic and rude. After a few emails i figured out the difference (on my own, he just kept avoiding the question). I had assumed the worms were shipped in keepers, it seems as though they are not. But all could have been avoided had he simply explained the difference instead of making wild accusations and essentially calling me simple minded. In the end I had to sit down and figure it out myself. Something i would think he would have been happy to do rather then repeatedly insult a first time customer. Curious if anyone else has had a similar experience or did I just happen to pick the second Monday of the month?

Order them from here next time..

http://blackworms-direct.com/LiveBlackwormsM.html

 

[jedimaster1138]

I've read through this entire thread since I picked up a baby Copperband Butterfly a few weeks ago and have been trying to find a way to get him to eat a little more of my prepared foods. Yesterday I picked up some live blackworms from a local Petland. 6$, yay. I fed just a few in the afternoon and the CBB definitely gave them a look, but then my doorbell rang and I couldn't see the end result. More importantly though, later that night he took to frozen spirulina brine (enhanced with garlic/selcon) right from the water column, which is the first time I saw him chomp on anything directly in suspension... so I wondered...

Tonight I squirted in a bunch and ALL my fish went bonkers for them. The CBB wasn't left out of the party. I saw up rip a few singles and a clump right out of the water column and later slurp down a few that had fallen to the sand. Great stuff. He seemed to love them.

I also squirted some on my acan lords as well as a short tentacled plate coral. I've never, ever seen the acan's react so fast to food. They reached out to grab them and suck them in like the Sarlacc in Return of the Jedi. I've never seen a reaction like that before.

So, long story short - color me a believer in live blackworks. Petland will be getting a visit from me every week or 2

:bounce2:

 

[Beenalongtime79]

I've read through this entire thread since I picked up a baby Copperband Butterfly a few weeks ago and have been trying to find a way to get him to eat a little more of my prepared foods. Yesterday I picked up some live blackworms from a local Petland. 6$, yay. I fed just a few in the afternoon and the CBB definitely gave them a look, but then my doorbell rang and I couldn't see the end result. More importantly though, later that night he took to frozen spirulina brine (enhanced with garlic/selcon) right from the water column, which is the first time I saw him chomp on anything directly in suspension... so I wondered...

Tonight I squirted in a bunch and ALL my fish went bonkers for them. The CBB wasn't left out of the party. I saw up rip a few singles and a clump right out of the water column and later slurp down a few that had fallen to the sand. Great stuff. He seemed to love them.

I also squirted some on my acan lords as well as a short tentacled plate coral. I've never, ever seen the acan's react so fast to food. They reached out to grab them and suck them in like the Sarlacc in Return of the Jedi. I've never seen a reaction like that before.

So, long story short - color me a believer in live blackworks. Petland will be getting a visit from me every week or 2

:bounce2:

Fish love the wriggle, wriggle from these guys. I wished they wriggled a bit longer, but once accustomed the fish snap them up so quickly, it doesn't really matter.

I am glad your CBB has started eating so quickly!

Cheers,
John

 

[Paul B]

hey guys quick Q? have any body seen a mandarin eating These??

My mandarins did not used to eat blackworms but now they run after them like the other fish do, but of course mandarins run slower. My mandarins eat well and don't need worms but who am I to tell them what to eat. They are also spawning all the time as they are doing here.

I put this little copperband in my reef and my old copperband tore her up in a few minutes. I managed to catch her by accident and put her in a separate tank. All I did was feed her blackworms a few times a day for three days and the second picture is her 3 days later, completely healed.
If it was not for blackworms, I would not be in this hobby.

 

[Rare Angels]

I used to feed live blackworms to my breeding pairs of clownfish and they definitely help improve the quality and quantity of the eggs laid.

 

[kabe87]

So after reading how good blackworms are I tried to look for some and guess what? It does not exit in Argentina. So

Please tell me this type of worms are fine for feeding

Eisenia fetida

Redworms from california?

 

[wonderz]

So after reading how good blackworms are I tried to look for some and guess what? It does not exit in Argentina. So

Please tell me this type of worms are fine for feeding

Eisenia fetida

Redworms from california?

Redworms are a lot bigger than blackworms. So depends on what fish you keep, they might be too big. Also redworms lives in dirt/compost, you would probably want to somehow flush their system before feeding, which might be a lot of work.

 

[kabe87]

Oh.. thanx

 

[knight2255]

Kabe87, try white worms instead, you can raise them yourself and gutload them good stuff like selcon or any other kind of fish food

 

[kabe87]

White worms as in grindal?