Black Worms and parasites

[PaulS]

During the CCA meeting the other day the guest speaker said that black worms introduce internal parasites to the fish and it will adversly affect the long term health of the fish. I've been regularly feeding my fish black worms for a long time. Do others in this group feed their fish black worms? In a similar thread on the CCA forum, I heard that Francine uses them a lot and her fish looked great.

[krisw]

I use blackworms as well for the fish I have that require them. I think anytime you're using live foods, you run a risk of introducing something to your aquarium. It's important to get your food from a good source, and maintain that food properly, washing the worms daily, etc, to lessen the risk. As Dick Au mentioned, there's nothing better for growing up fry, so that's the main reason I use them.

[PaulS]

I usually get two ounce portions from Scales. I keep them refrigerated in a small tupperware container that has a hole in the lid for air and I do not keep them longer than one week. In addition to washing them daily, is there anything else I should to minimize risk? BTW, how do you wash them?

On a side note, my wife can't stand having worms in our frig... She tolerates it but I have to keep them on the bottom shelf way in the back so they remain out of site.

[halak]

Paul,

I have fed black worms or Tubifex worms for decades with no problem whatsoever. Here is a link to an earlier discussion on the topic:

http://www.gwapa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2422&start=0

[ddavila06]

it is true what Chris said, you have to be careful when you buy them and have a good source, i have seen bunch of discus die from who knows what before at super pets after feeding them live ones (our source had changed sources...) i feed my fish frozen and freeze dried and they love them, better safe than sorry

side note: same applies to feeder fish and just about anything else...

[PaulS]

Thanks for the link Viktor. I remember you telling me you kept black worms.
Question: Has anyone come up with a good DIY worm container? If not, I may purchase one of those worm keeper containers referenced in the other thread. It looks like it makes the water changes easier - I always seem to lose a lot draining off the excess water...

[halak]

When I was a kid I remember fish stores in Hungary were selling a container for black worms that you placed into the water tank for your toilet. Because the water changed frequently, it kept the worms clean. I have not tried it however, and I have not seen it in the States. It does seem to be a good idea though.

[sherrymitchell]

I feed black worms to my puffers and have had no ill effects. I've also started feeding them to a pair of blue spot gourami, in the hopes that it will help condition them to spawn. I get half portions from Centreville Aquarium and rinse them daily.

With that being said, I also have to say that when I kept bettas, the black worms cause no end of problems. Feeding the black worms brought on flukes in the fish, so I abandoned that in favor of frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms. Also, I was at that CCA meeting and pondered what the speaker said about the black worms carrying disease to the fish. I can't help but wonder if fish that are overly bred like Discus and Betta are more susceptible to illness brought on by the black worms... ???

[eleontie]

I kept black worms 2 ways :
- in a fridge(and outside) with frequent water changes ( untreated water-chlorine, chloramine affects the worms I noticed ). They can last for at least a month this way.

- in a container outside of the fridge for more than a month and without frequent water changes. The container can be an aquarium or a plastic tray (I did not use any substrate). I used some sort of water sprite with the worms to keep them oxygenated and to offer some biological filtration. Water must not be to deep. oh and feed them from time to time regular fish flakes. I can not tell if they multiply or not - probably they do. Do water changes once a week - can be partial water changes, just like you do for fish. The only downside - if you forget to do water changes for a really long time, once they start to die, the worms fowl quickly . In a day or two you can have a stinky tray of death...

Eugen

[SCMurphy]

I used to harvest Tubifex worms at trout hatcheries. I kept them in a gallon jar in the back of an old toilet that had a large capacity flush. I don't know how a jar that big would fit into most modern toilets.