Matt Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Hey All, I have been reading a few post and talking to some people and they all said that blackworms are not the best things to feed fish because they tend to carry diseases.... Is there anyway that i could kill the diseases befor feeding to my fish, Like giving the worms some antibiotics in there water or something like that... Would this work and if so what would i give them? Thanks All Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 When I buy live blackworms, I make sure the container has clear water and the blackworms are bunched up like an anenome - to be sure they are healthy. Once I get them home, I put them in a 10L bucket with about 5L of water and an airstone. I do 100% daily WC on them for 1-2 weeks before I feed them to my fish. I try to keep 2 going at the same time, one to feed and one in QT. I have not had problems with them before. It's a bit of a pain in the butt doing it like this, I haven't had any for a few months now as I do not have much room on the floor (plus I have a very nosey cat!) If the water is murky at the shop and you see dead ones (not bunch and not on the move) I wouldn't buy them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 I think quarantining is the way to go. I've not had any problems that I could definitely attribute to feeding black worms, but I change the water every day and make sure you rinse out any white/dead looking ones and also don't use if there is a smell in the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren MacFish Posted November 21, 2006 Report Share Posted November 21, 2006 Yep, clean water, bunching blackworms, but I keep mine in a container right at the back of the fridge where it just starts to form ice and change the water everyday as well. If you have growing or breeding fish, it's probably worth the risk for the growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted November 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Hey all Thanks for that... I was also Wondering if i is possible to breed them? Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 yes it is - or at least to sustain a culture if not to actually breed them. There is some method that involves the use of unbleached paper as a substrate, but I just keep them in a half-full 20L bucket with floating plants and a sponge filter, in a cool spot. Some people 'disinfect' the worms by treating with myxazin before use. I had a spate of dropsy deaths very soon after feeding blackworms recently so decided to try tetracycline to treat them. There are no longer amy worms in the bucket so I guess it killed more than the bacteria, LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 oops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 hehe i guess you sorta "fried" them i currently put a few drops of Myxazyn after the first 3 water changes in a new batch, not too sure if it helped in any way but i rather play dafe :flex: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 actually this morning i looked and there are a few worms left in the bucket. so whadda you know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishchick Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 have seen a drop of listerine used. It is tolerated by the worms and will kill topical bacteria. just ONE drop though - ok! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 I'm having visions of exploding buckets, but I might try that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted November 24, 2006 Report Share Posted November 24, 2006 have seen a drop of listerine used. It is tolerated by the worms and will kill topical bacteria. just ONE drop though - ok! i definetly gonna try that! one drop to how many litres though? any rough ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted November 25, 2006 Report Share Posted November 25, 2006 apparently you can cut them up too, like worms they can then grow from each half, it is also possible to establish a culture in the substrate of an estabished tank, which is good for bottom feeders and substrate feeders. when i was naive like 6 months ago i went out and bought 500ml of live blackworms from auburn aquarium and fed them straight to my fish...no problems though i wouldnt suggest it... there are cultivation techniques on http://www.gelf.com.au/fish/production_art...black_worms.pdf i think he may also sell clean cultures too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howlsn Posted November 25, 2006 Report Share Posted November 25, 2006 I have them growing in my yabbie tank in the gravel, they are abundant in dams/swamps in the mud/plant roots! I haven't been game to feed them to fish though..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted November 25, 2006 Report Share Posted November 25, 2006 one drop in how much water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJ Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 I have a resident population of blackworms in my 2' spawn tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argylebetta Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 Hi Matt. I would be saying the exact opposite, and that is that blackworm are the best live food to be given to fish, especialy betta. The disease passed on fish by feeding blackworm, over the feeding of hundreds of fish daily, is extremly minute, mainly parasitic but still ........very minute. To be honest it is not worth the worrying as any live food either bred wild, or under conditions, harbour the same quantity of disease as blackworm, our blackworm here in Aus. I also think that adding preventatives to worm water is a waste of time as none will kill the very small amount of parasites present inside the worm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 I have a tub of old water outside that I throw useless aquatic plant cuttings into... its been running with the same muck for the last year and a half with just some top ups with aged water now and then... and I've got stray blackworms that have populated in there and the bottom muck is absolutely full of them now... Maybe they will be good as snacks for conditioning adults, yeah? I wouldn't need to sterilise them. The plants - mainly elodea and the like, grow well in it and I'm able collect some every now and then - but it wastes away in the tank for some reason :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 the onset of dropsy in my fish in such close proximity to the feeding of blackworms (and this has happened more than once, with worms from different, ostensibly hygienic sources, fed fresh) is far too much of a coincidence for me to dismiss BW as a disease threat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted November 26, 2006 Report Share Posted November 26, 2006 Even tho mine stemmed from a couple stray BW that wound up in a tub 1.5 years ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howlsn Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 I only feed BW to fry which I am now trialling blowfly/maggot eggs with mine which I feel is much cleaner,I don't feed BW to adults as I have just heard so much bad I figure why risk it when there are so many other alternatives. My yabbie tank is just a mass of them & I will separate a few into a specific tanks purely for fry as whether bought from LFS or grown here in Q enviro I don't see the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 i get the impression that BW puts enormously fast growth on the bettas, but it's almost like they max out too soon and have a shorter lifespan as a result. That's based on absolutely no science whatsoever, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argylebetta Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 i get the impression that BW puts enormously fast growth on the bettas, but it's almost like they max out too soon and have a shorter lifespan as a result. That's based on absolutely no science whatsoever, though. I agree with that Lilli. Keeps them at bi-annual I think for sure, but with the odd exception. I think a lot of problems occur with the overfeeding of blackworm. I reckon most people overfeed anyway, but the overfeeding of blackworm produces an increase in disease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 i guess all things in small quantites are good (well, not arsenic so much, LOL!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJ Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 (well, not arsenic so much, LOL!) I dunno - I've got colleagues who I'm sure would be a lot better off with a good dose of arsenic. Actually, I'm pretty sure a few of them think arsenic is what happens when you put your nose to far up and your glasses/jewelry gets caught... I should probably stop now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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