do we feed cbw ? how long does it take it to strave to death?

[leechiahan]

do they need to eat or how long does it take for them to die??
Henry

[Carol_Roberts]

It can take months for them to starve to death. Trust me, as long as they are healthy, they will eat flakes and bits after a few days

[henryD]

wait.....i am a little confused. How does everyone maintain their CBW? I have only bought from a LFS but was thinking of putting in an order. Are you tell me you feed flakes to your worms? Please let me know because I only have 5 discus right now and doubt they could eat 1 lb in 2 weeks. Esp since I like to give them a little variety.

[Francisco_Borrero]

I think that if you only have 5 fish, you shouldn't buy a pounde of worms. Either they will go bad, or you will be feeding worms exclusively. Neither situation is advisable IMO. Also, I would not buy blackworms from any LFS; I just don't know how they keep them and where they come from.

I think the original questions is whteher people feed the CBW while you keep them in storage as food for your fish. The answer is that there is no need. Sure, over time the worms will be hungry, but they take a long time to die, and if kept clean, will be okay.

Cheers, Francisco.

[henryD]

I guess I was a little confused by Carol message. Sorry Carol I may have misread it.

So how long does CBW tend to last? I do want to buy some but trying to make sure I don't end up wasting them.

[Francisco_Borrero]

From my own limited experience and what I read from others, about 1 month is about the maximum length of time to keep them. I wouldn't want to keep them longer.
It is perfectly possible to achieve a balance of how much to buy, how many fish to feed, how often to feed, and stay within freshness. They need to have water changed at least daily.
Good luck, Francisco.

[Carol_Roberts]

Sorry, I misread your question and thought you were asking how long it took discus to starve to death :o

AS Francisco said, CBW will last a month with daily rinsing in the fridge. You should start with a smaller order and rinse very, very well when you first get them. Rinse until water runs clear. Then I usually rinse them (with dechlorinated water that I've kept in the fridge) right before I feed them to the discus.