why did i pay $17.50 for the same worms!!?!!

[ReeferKimberly]

ok heres the thing. I have been feeding what i thought were tubifex worms for some time now. but many people have told me "shame shame tubies are bad news". So following this advice i ordered cbw yestrerday. i'm not complaining about the service or the product as they arrived this morning quickly and healthy, the thing i have a problem with is that THEY LOOK, ACT, TASTE (from what i can see) AND SMELL EXACTLY LIKE TUBIFEX. Before i ordered them i asked many many times what the difference between tubifex and black worms is but i never got a straight answer, just tons and tons of praise for black worms and negativity for tubifex. Now, i need someone to please inform me why i just blew almost $20.00 on some worms when i can get them from the lfs for half as much...

and maybe $17.50 isn't a lot to some people but i'm 16 and just started a new job, it's a lot to spend on fish food every week.
thank you for reading, kim

ok,i should correct my statement, it was $14.95 for the worms, $17.50 for the surcharges, sah ect..

[Discusgeo]

I don't know the differnce between the 2 but if I did a serch in Google I could find out. I always said they were expensive Kim.

[ReeferKimberly]

"California black worms and tubifex are NOT the same. Why don't you order from Dan on the link above so you can see what good quality cbw look like?"

this is a quote from carol about a month or two ago in response to almost this same question oh what the diff is. I'm just puzzled b/c the worms look the same to me. i ordered from dan. I have no problems with the worms, just mainly the price, and am wondering why they are so over priced. I have been to many stores around here that sell these same worms. black worms, tubifex, whatever they are i see no difference.
kim :-*

[fcdiscus]

go to the blackworm sight, and they give a good idea as to the difference. CBW are more related to earthworms, whereas a tubifex worm comes from sewage pond areas, and is a different kind of mud worm. They look similar, though. Just what is inside that counts! Frank

As far as I know by experience. They are similar in size but tubifax is thinner and more reddish in color. They tend to stick together and tangle up in a big lump. When they relex and spead out in a wider area. Once disturbed, They contract into a small mass that needs vigorus stirring and tearing to separate them. whereas the CBW can be easily separated with a tiny flow of water. They are bigger than Tubifax and spread out more readily. It's unlikely dirt and debris can trap among them. HTH
Jimmy.

[ReeferKimberly]

Thank you guys for replying, I will continue for quest for the truth, j/k :). Oh well it's over, my fish like the cbw too and i will just get a bunch of tubies, or maybe cbw whatever they are from the lfs every week or two.
kim :-*

[Discusgeo]

Info about Tubifex by David Lyle Robinson

Part of the confusion comes from naming convention. True blood worms are the larvae of the midge fly. They are generally red in color and look similar to mosquito larvae. These worms are generally considered OK to feed to your fish. They are found in clean water. (Though even clean water contains bad bacteria and parasites, so you are never 100% safe.) Tubifex inhabit muddy, polluted streams and cannot be recommended as fish food because they harbor parasites and toxins, and have a low beneficial nutrient content. Always soak the worms in water for several days before feeding. Feed sparingly as uneaten Tubifex worms will burrow in the gravel and may die. Tubifex worms are only good to feed temporarily, if fish refuse all other foods.

The confusion comes with tubifex worms. Again these worms grow in sewage sludge with obviously a high concentration of bacteria. Many "experts" claim that they can be a carrier for both bacterial infections, and also tapeworm. Whether you believe the tapeworm theory or not is beside the point. The bacterial conditions that these worms live in is enough for me to stay away from them.

Now the confusion: Tubifex worms come in a variety of colors. The common ones are either red or black.... hense the names "blood worms" (Different from the midge fly larvae), black worms, or tubifex (technically "black worms" are a different species, but for purposes of this discussion, they will be lumped together with tubifex). I've heard some people say that the black variety does not live in as dirty conditions as the red variety. Nevertheless, lump them all into the same category, "tubifex-like worms." Walk into just about any fish store (USA) and ask for live blood worms. They'll give you tubifex. Walk into just about any fish store (USA) and ask for live black worms. They'll give you tubifex! On the other hand, if you ask for frozen bloodworms, you will usually get the correct item, the midge-fly larvae. Recently, the "Kordon" brand has been selling little packets of live midge-fly larvae in breathable bags. These are outrageously expensive, but at least you get the right kind of "Blood worm."

Bottom line: Stay away from tubifex, or any other name that it goes by. Midge-fly larvae are probably going to be OK.

[brewmaster15]

Kim,
Tubiflex and blackworms are absolutely , positively different. They may look similar but they are not. The confusion is all in the common names...which is why scientists use specific latin names...

Tubiflex... Scientifically... Tubiflex tubiflex

....http://www.hacklewing.net/worms.htm
http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/worms.html


blackworms ... scientifically Lumbriculus Variegatus
http://www.zool.iastate.edu/~c_drewes/

In nature looking similar and being the same species don't go hand in hand. Blackworms have not been shown to carry disease. Tubiflex has. They come from different habitats, and belong to totally different genus and species.
hth,
-al

[EthanCote.com]

I am a bit confuse (ok nuttin' new here), what is the difference between "Blackworms" and "Bloodworms"? From my understanding on this post, Bloodworms are midget larvae while Blackworms are actual worms?

Can someone clarify the difference here for me.

Danks in advance.


Cheerio,

Chi.

[brewmaster15]

Hi Chi,
blackworms are worms,
blood worms are midge fly larvae

Tubiflex are a worm

http://www.alienexplorer.com/ecology/p37.html

help any? :),
al

[EthanCote.com]

Thanks Al,

Wasn't sure since sometimes I see people use those two interchangablely.


Cheerio,

Chi.

[flogger426]

hey kid,

what are you blind? you can tell the difference just by looking at them - they are apples and oranges.

now listen here, i have a son your age - why don't you save your hard earned dollars and go and make yourself a good cheap nutritious prepared food for your fish - like in a beefheart mix.

blackworms are not needed to grow big beautiful discus!

good luck,

flogger

[ReeferKimberly]

there is no need to be rude, and no, many people cannot tell the diff just by looking at them and if they can well they must just have a lot more experience with the two. I'm not talkig about bloodworms, that was a different member. But in reference to black and tubifex worms, now that i have seen some pictures compared side by side (from dan) they look very very similar. And how would you know i havn't already tried a bh mix. i have and my fish wouldn't touch it. it just fell to the bottom and rotted there. and btw, whoever said bh mixes were cheap. think of all the different stuff we put into it. first off the beefheart, the shrimp (for many), the viatamins, the veggies.....ect ect. It's not like that stuff is free, and even if it was my fish wouldn't touch it. excuse me for trying o find some more variety in their diets. And as i had to point out in another e-mail, my age has nothing to do with this. i could be a broke 40 year old so i see no need to insert my age into your comment.

oh and by the way, my name is kim not "kid"

kim

[ReeferKimberly]

al, is it tubifex or tubiflex? half say one half say the other..
thanks for the info,
kim :-*

[brewmaster15]

tubifex!!! :-[ :)


http://www.gsas.org/Articles/1997/tubifex.html
http://fins.actwin.com/live-foods/month.200103/msg00028.html

:)
-al

[ReeferKimberly]

lol, thanks, i had been calling them tubiflex for years before i joined simply, where i found most of the members were calling then tubifex, so i changed.
kim :-*