California Blackworms

[bobbdd]

Here goes the on-going debate;

California Blackworms have been studied and discussed at great lengths on Simplydiscus.com. They come from;

Http://aquaticfoods.com/worms.html

The source has had worms sent for analysis for pathogens and cleared and MANY discus breeders and hobbist swear by them.

So, have we considered them as a good food souce for our apistos?

May the discussion begin (again?)

 

[Cichlids1]

I have been using blackworms from aquatic foods for close to a couple years now. Fish love them and I've yet to have a single problem that I can blame on the worms. I believe some of the negatives about them are myth/legend or actually from another worm (like tubifex). With the popularity of message boards and chat sites, it doesn't take long for the myth to spread...I read it in (insert board/chatroom here) so it must be true...

 

[farm41]

I feed blackworms everyday, no problems here. They do need to be thoroughly rinsed everyday though. The problems I have heard from feeding blackworms are from feeding dead worms, probably from not cleaning them daily.

 

[Richgrenfell]

I don't feed blackworms, I have gotten better results with feeding fresh chopped shrimp. The fish grow quickly and the colors really come out. I don't really have a problem with the worms, I just don't use them. Aside from the shrimp, I use hikari bloodworms, glassworms, dapnia (live and frozen), and brine (live and frozen). When I was breeding discus, I did use quite a few blackworms. At the peak of my discus days, I was using a pound per month. It took a little time for me to be able to maintain so many, but I got the hang of it!

Rich

 

[bobbdd]

Richgrenfell, is the fresh shrimp you use cooked or raw?

Thank you everyone for your replys so far!

 

[bobo31]

I just got my first order from California Black worms Yesterday.
I must say I was very happy with the Company and the Quality of the worms.

They will see my name many more times in the future.

 

[Park Bear]

I am new here. I am mainly a Killifish breeder and have breed apistos and rainbows off and on. I have used blackworms since 1982, they were a special order in in the 80's because I lived in Ohio. I moved to California in 88 and I started using blackworms more often because they were cheaper and more readily available in CA. I moved back to Ohio 5 years ago and I now mail order blackworms from Aquatic Foods.

 

[Neil]

Park Bear,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Glad you found us. Do you keep your killies and apistos together?

I might have to give a try to these C. blackworms. Believe it or not, I have never used them. Funny because I have heard of so many that have and are very happy with them. Aquatic Foods is only a few hours away from me. I could drive there to get them if the shipping wasn't included in their reasonable price.
Neil

 

[Park Bear]

I use to drive there to Aquatic foods when I lived in the Anetelope Valley, Edwards AFB. Yes, I have kept killies with apistos. You have to be selective because of the higher temps needed for apistos, but there are a few killies that can live in higher temps. Mostly Lampeyes or Epiplatys

 

[Richgrenfell]

Hi bobbdd,
the shrimp I use is raw, and frozen. The stop and shop around here has it on sale for 6.99 per pound once a month. A pound if use correctly will last me almost 6 weeks.

Rich

 

[farm41]

I have a few killi's with my apisto's, they have even produced a few offspring.

 

[mak]

"California" blackworms - Lumbriculus

I found an interesting site describing the biology of these "blackworms", or Lumbriculus, at http://www.zool.iastate.edu/~c_drewes/Lvgen4.htm . The author, Charlie Drewes, has collected a number of refs associated with its use in biology education. He also gives a reference on culturing Lumbriculus - http://www.zool.iastate.edu/~c_drewes/lvcult2.htm

Lumbriculus appears to be more of a surface organism than Tubifex. One little bit of info I thought I'd share:

Lumbriculus is found throughout North America and Europe. It prefers shallow habitats at the edges of ponds, lakes, or marshes where it feeds on decaying vegetation and microorganisms. Favorite microhabitats include layers of decomposing leaves, (snip)

Hmmm, decomposing leaves... where have I seen mention of that lately? :lol:

mk

 

[bobo31]

Thanks for posting the article mak. Very interesting reading.

 

[Park Bear]

I put pieces of paper or paper towels in with my worms in the frig. I've never tried to breed them at room temp in an aquarium. I will try this on my next shipment of worms in 3 plastic tubs on the bottom of one of my racks.