Betta_Endeavours Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 I got Robert to bring me home some live blackworms last night as a rare treat for my lot. When he brought them home it hit me that I couldn't remember how to keep them, how many to feed to each betta in a meal or best way to dish them out. Silly isn't it? Any help would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 I keep mine in the fridge - I don't like putting their water in the tank, so I either use a plastic fork (they hang on in clumps) to lift a bunch out and drop in the water, or I have a very fine mesh tea strainer that I can put a bunch into, then tip into a feeder... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Just be careful not to give them to many. Ive found somtimes when they first get worms they can over eat and die, but if they slowly get used to them, any extra worms will just live on the bottom of the tank till the betta is ready to eat them. I wash my worms about 3 times in tap water before taking any out to feed. I stir them up, let them settle, then tip off the water as a wash. I have no problem keeping them alive in tap water, just so long as it is always cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 i rinse mine off really well before i feed them to my fish - i make sure there aren't any dead worms in them. someone suggested putting a half or quarter drop of listerine in the water that you're keeping your worms in while they're in storage (in the fridge) as it helps reduce the bad bacteria that they can carry :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishchick Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 http://www.aquariumfish.net/information/black_worms.htm#top2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara_01 Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 i have always fed blackworms to my bettas, they get a few worms each day as well as a small serve of frozen bloodworm, so far as i knew blackworms were great for the fish and okay to be fed daily provinding you don't go crazy and feed too many but i read somwhere recently that blackworm should only be fed when conditioning to spawn coz they'll get fat and sick, is that so? becuase if that is the case i've been doing the wrong thing for years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 If by "fat and sick" people mean "dropsy" then yes, it is believed that blackworms can be a cause, but this is only based on colloquial evidence. IME bettas raised on blackworms are not as long lived as bettas that are not. no food should be fed exclusively, of course. if your source of blackworms is clean and trustworthy and it hasn't harmed your fish, then my view is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" . But I would feed other foods as well, for variety. The frozen bloodworms usually have vitamins added, so feeding them as well is a good approach. There are studies I have read about to the effect that 'controlled starvation' (ie, the opposite of overfeeding - feeding small amounts with regular fast days) is one of the best ways of increasing the longevity of fish. Even if you don't overfeed blackworms then it stands to reason, if this study is true, that bettas fed such a rich diet as blackworms, as frequently as daily, would not live as long as those 'on a diet'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishchick Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 of interest http://www.springerlink.com/content/0317744044411242/ so, as always - everything in moderation!! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betta_Endeavours Posted August 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 I don't think I'll be getting black worms for a while. The serve we got is way too much for what I need and storing them in our fridge is risky to say the least. I was lucky today because the fridge had started to freeze the water but only round the edge so I was able to fix that. I think I'll stick to pellets, Frozen bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp with the occasional serve of live brine shrimp as a treat. Not sure if I'll be able to harvest mosquito wrigglers when it warms up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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