California Blackworms information

[Bilbo]

Ok my question is this . This thread was started about 2 years ago it seems ..... I would like to know if anyone here has ran into some disease problems while using live black worms? If so please pm me or let me know here. I have been hearing nothing but good things about this product and im glad to hear it. Its rare to hear no health problems occuring from a live food like this. Eventually there is always some somewhere . So please help me out. Thanks, Rashidi

Sorry for the double post. I forgot to email subscribe to this topic.

[londonloco]

I've been buying blackworms from my LFS for 6 mths now, no ill effects. THE ONLY LFS I go to is 20-25 mins away. Around Christmas, I couldn't make the trip to the LFS for about 3 weeks. I was surprised in that short a time what a difference there was in my discus, in size, growth rate, color and even attitiude (friendliness). I was shocked. I got tired of paying LFS prices, so yesterday I put in a standing order with California black worms for 1/2 lb twice a month. I'm sure I'll up it. Hope this helps.

[BobB]

How much would you order for a 90 showtank with 9 discus.

[karl wagner]

I'm a big fan of the live blackworms.
My fish used to eat, now it seems they look forward to eating.

I think the shortness of this thread is due to the lack of trouble that
people have had with this food.

[lhforbes12]

How much would you order for a 90 showtank with 9 discus.

Bob,
That's difficult to say. How big are they? I go through a pound in about a week and a half, I have 3 adult and (24) 2 1/2" and cbw is fed once a day *(obviously not their main food) CBW is by FAR their favorite food.

Larry

[Imperialdiscus]

I'm a big fan of the live blackworms.
My fish used to eat, now it seems they look forward to eating.

I think the shortness of this thread is due to the lack of trouble that
people have had with this food.

I've been using blackworms for years as a food source. I have never had any suspicious disease problems with them, the fish love them and grow like mad on worms.

the lack of responses on this thread are most assuredly due to lack of issues.

[LizStreithorst]

I love them when they arrive fresh. IME, that was about 15% of the time.

[Imperialdiscus]

I love them when they arrive fresh. IME, that was about 15% of the time.

hmmmm...

I typically buy huge bags of them, and have had pretty good luck getting fresh and active worms.

[Tony_S]

I've been using blackworms for years as a food source. I have never had any suspicious disease problems with them, the fish love them and grow like mad on worms.

the lack of responses on this thread are most assuredly due to lack of issues.

100% agreement!

Tony

[Apistomaster]

I'm a regular customer of Dan's (Aquatic Foods) and only a have a small fishroom with a lot of discus, Hypancistrus and small Peckoltia plecos and Corydoras that I breed and sell to regional shops. I go through a pound a week of California blackworms. They are a Corydoras breeder's best friend.
I keep them in a dishpan in the fridge with just enough water to cover the clump of worms so they have maximum exposure to oxygen without drying them out. I rinse them like washing aquarium gravel and then the same each day but for the first day after the initial washes I put them in the wash tub with a small 5x8 inch plastic organizer basket with the slotted sides. Then I run water on this flow deflector basket for about 20 minutes with the water flowing as fast as possible without washing good worms down the drain. The point of this crude set up is that it seems to gradually rinse out the dead worms and help continue the purging process. They stay cleaner for me but they don't last longer because my fish can eat more blackworms than I can afford.
I think that when problems with fish are associated with the worms it is usually linked to feeding dirty dying worms that should'nt have been used.

[kdazzel]

I'm trying to click on some of the links here and it's not working.
So here's my question:

Okay I've seen these CBW's at the fish store by my house. They come in little bags, water looks clean.

If I get some, i would rinse them real good with chilled aged water..wondering if my refridgerator water would count as that? Lol..I figure it sits in the water line? or no? Is this due to the chlorine? because I have a water filter on my fridge.

then I keep them in a container with a small amt of water and take them out and rinse them a couple times a day x2days. Day 3 i rinse them again and can give them to my fish.

Is this right?

Thanks
kdazzel

[lhforbes12]

I get my CBW from here;
http://wormman.com/default.cfm

or here;
http://www.aquaticfoods.com/Blackworms.html

or here: BillEagan@aol.com

I prefer the last source.
I use these; http://aquaticfoods.com/accessories.html to store them, and I would no longer be without them.

As for keeping and feeding, I rinse them when I get them and feed as soon as I am done rinsing. They are washed and their water replaced daily. I can keep them for up to two weeks. I now order 2 pounds every two weeks, mainly because it's a lot cheaper the larger the quantitiy you buy.

[Cosmo]

I stopped feeding CBWs a couple months ago and went to frozen blood worms to save some money... now I feel guilty My poor fish do love the blackworms but 2lbs a month was adding up.... hmmm, maybe if I go without eating my lunch

Jim

[Kindredspirit]

Me too Jim!! I just ran out as well ~ thank goodness my fish all eat anything......for a split sec they will look at it whatever it is...and think..."okay...then...it isnt moving....but I will eat it!"

I am feeling guilty too ~


But hey ~ you can only do so much ~


Marie~

[Jarrod]

I have never fed my fish any CBW but I used to feed live tubifex. Of course the tubifex was what the LFS that I bought them from years and years ago called them. That was waaaay back then when I had African/SA cichlids only tho. When I first got into discus I did a alot of research on the various live foods. And when I went into the LFS here closest to me I asked if they had tubifex live food and they said yes they did. But this was after reading so much about the problems alot had with live worms. While I never had any probs with any of my fish while feeding tubifex as they were called I after studying and researching discus foods found the frozen bloodworm concept and for a reason still unknown to me decided to switch over to them for my discus just to be on the safe side I guess. Call it being overcautious if you will but all I want is for my fish to be healthy and happy and disease free like everyone else does. So can someone please remind me yet once again about why CBW are so bad? I know I could do a search for it but ok so I'm kind of lazy this morning lol. I do remember it had something to do with disease transmission or something like that..so could I be enlightend once again?
TIA
George