Blackworms In Substrate?

7itanium

7itanium

AC Members
Jan 31, 2009
1,794
0
0
39
Spokane, WA
So about 2-3 weeks ago I was feeding some of my fish some live blackworms.. when I lost control of the bag and dump WAY to many in there....

I was always told that if you lose control of blackworms in the substrate they will die and cause issues with levels...

BUT... I just dug around in my gravel and noticed numerous live blackworms still living in my substrate-- there is at least a hundred of them meaning they have multiplied.

Does anyone have experience with this?

Is it bad?

if it is how do I get rid of them?
 
Bump
 
its good if you like live food, but this is also the reason that many people prefer frozen foods rather than live, along with the whole chance of internal parasites thing.

try doing a few more gravel vacs to vacuum up some of the worms and anything they are feeding on
 
I've done that before.. just hated it. But yes, JM is right. You can gravel vac them out of there.
 
Some people intentionally keep blackworms in their tanks to eat gunk out of the substrate and be a snack for the fish when they can get one. They are aquatic worms, so I don't see any reason that they would all die off. That said, I've had some terrible luck with my blackworm culture, so I'm probably not the best person to be listening to on this subject!
 
If you want them to disappear, put a loach in there. They'll be gone in no time.
 
What sort of fish were you feeding them to, and what is your substrate/how deep?

Blackworms can die from lack of oxygen (that’s why they’re stored in shallow water with lots of surface area. They might be an issue if they die in the substrate, but if they’re multiplying, they must be getting some, and that may not be an issue.

If vacuuming (you need to use one of those canister(?) type vacs to get the worms) doesn’t work, cut back or eliminate your feedings for a few days, and your fish will hunt out a lot of them (depending on what type fish you have) – the worms stick their tails out of the substrate from time to time and get snatched up.

So weird to see this posted - I’m doing a little blackworm ‘breeding’ experiment and was going to post some pics, but never see any posts about them on here.

Also IMHO, live foods, which do carry the risk of bacteria, are still MUCH cleaner than frozen, which can really gunk up your tank. Fish fed live food are also way more active. You can cut down some of the risk by rinsing in chlorinated tap water before your dechlorinated rinse, and by rinsing them for a few days before introducing the to your tank.

Good luck!!
 
Ok thanks.. I really dont mind them being there if it isnt a problem
 
I've had a tank with a crayfish in it that use to house fish I fed blackworms to. Without any predators (the crayfish didn't bother them), the surviving black worms multiplied. It freaked me out at first but, they lived there without any problems. They should be fine and if anything, they will provide snacks for your fish in between meals.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom