Blackworms and substrate - El Natural

Johnriggs · 07-14-2009, 03:06 PM

I got some blackworms today and dropped a few into the tank with my African dwarf frog & betta...
the betta caught one and ate it with great delight, frog knew something was up
but couldn't quite figure out what. The survivors of Firebolt the betta's
assault burrowed into the gravel and my soil substrate and vanished from site.

Anyone with experience with blackworms know if this is typical? Will they set
up a colony under there and emerge occasionally to feed my creatures? Or die
and feed my plants? Firebolt is staring at the spot where they disappeared with
great intensity, hoping they stick their heads out again.

John R

Cliff Mayes · 07-14-2009, 06:02 PM

I do not know if they will eventually die or not but I once fed Blackworms to fish in a tank that had Cories in it. Worms would escape and burrow into the gravel and Cories seemed to take great delight in rooting them out. The activity level of the Cories went way up and they seemed to quiver with anticipation looking for worms. Cories are, in there own little world, predators. Yeah, they are scavengers, but they are looking for live stuff, being the captives that they are Cories will eat anything to survive.

When the tank was broken down, months later, there seemed to be a heathy colony of worms. Blackworms could very well be air breathers. I heard that they were a larvel stage of some creature but I am not sure. I never saw anything morph out of the worms and there did not seem to be any infestations in the fishroom.

wwh2694 · 07-14-2009, 07:15 PM

I have been feeding blackworms on my discus tank for about a year now. Everytime I vac my substrate on my gravel I see alot of live BW. BW will try to go in your subtrate is not compacted. BW will eat fish poop which they love and will try to multiply on your tank. I never had any problem with it or any problem with my tanks. If you want to elimminate that, you have to feed only a little at a time without them reaching the bottom of the tank. Now I only feed BW as a snack for my Discus or if I see my Discus is getting sick. I only saw those BW on gravel substrate not on my seachem flourite which if more compacted which they cant burrow them self in there. Hope this help.

Supercoley1 · 07-15-2009, 07:41 AM

Its actually very good for your substrate and many Cory breders will add them to the substrate of their fry tanks (bar ebotom tanks is a no no with bottom feeding fry)

Here's a quick link to some good info on planet catfish:

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/v...22784&p=129981

Hope that reassures and helps

AC

Johnriggs · 07-15-2009, 08:46 AM

Thank you for the interesting and helpful replies!

My tanks are doing remarkably well; plants and creatures are happy and I want to keep it that way. Seems like I should drop a few more worms in.

John R

merk1_99 · 07-16-2009, 09:32 AM

Blackworms do not morph. What you see is what you get.

Cliff Mayes · 07-16-2009, 09:39 AM

What are Blackworms and are they air breathers?

vancat · 07-16-2009, 09:59 AM

http://aquaticfoods.com/Blackworms.html

awesome food for your fish.

Cliff Mayes · 07-16-2009, 11:10 AM

Thank you for the Site but I cannot find pertinant info about the Blackworms. They do indeed seem to be a quality food for fish, I fed them for many years, and they do not appear to be air breathers but I do not know what they are or what they turn into if anything. Perhaps the income produced for the purveyors is cause for restricting the info.

vancat · 07-16-2009, 11:17 AM

Googled it.
>Are blackworms mosquito larvae?

They are annelids in good standing. Carolina Biological Supply has four
articles on the California blackworm or mudworm, Lumbriculus variegatus.