Leo2o915 Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 Any tips or advice to know you getting the safe kind ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modified lung Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 What do you mean by safe kind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo2o915 Posted July 4, 2022 Author Share Posted July 4, 2022 On 7/3/2022 at 8:17 PM, modified lung said: What do you mean by safe kind? Like a safe source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modified lung Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 On 7/3/2022 at 8:39 PM, Leo2o915 said: Like a safe source Ah, I wasn't sure if you meant different sources or different kinds of worms. Almost all the blackworms you can buy in the US come from the same farm in Fresno, CA. If you're collecting wild blackworms, that's always a gamble. Seems like healthy blackworms are super dark in color. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo2o915 Posted July 4, 2022 Author Share Posted July 4, 2022 On 7/3/2022 at 8:59 PM, modified lung said: Ah, I wasn't sure if you meant different sources or different kinds of worms. Almost all the blackworms you can buy in the US come from the same farm in Fresno, CA. If you're collecting wild blackworms, that's always a gamble. Seems like healthy blackworms are super dark in color. Gotcha so my local fish store is good then 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiapeach88 Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 No one in my area of north Ga seems to have them so where would be a great source to get them as googling leads to a gazzillion sites and options. Some say leach free. which was scary to someone who’s never gotten live foods before. Don’t want to introduce anything bad to my tanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modified lung Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 On 7/4/2022 at 5:00 AM, Georgiapeach88 said: No one in my area of north Ga seems to have them so where would be a great source to get them as googling leads to a gazzillion sites and options. Some say leach free. which was scary to someone who’s never gotten live foods before. Don’t want to introduce anything bad to my tanks I've never ordered them online so idk. Definitely go leech free though. There's a type of leech that will eat blackworms alive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiapeach88 Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 On 7/4/2022 at 2:06 PM, modified lung said: I've never ordered them online so idk. Definitely go leech free though. There's a type of leech that will eat blackworms alive. Ok good to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torrey Posted July 5, 2022 Share Posted July 5, 2022 I QT my blackworms in the fridge, in a container with a lid that has a vent for good oxygen exchange. I rinse my blackworms daily with dechlorinated water I keep in the fridge specifically for rinsing and water changes for them. After 2 weeks QT I have identified and removed anything other than blackworms (decades of getting blackworms I have found exactly 3 leeches and 2 dragonfly larvae... more likely to see planaria but even those have been rare in the cultures I bought). Just like buying worms for reptiles, the key is to gutload the black worms while they are in the fridge and getting cleaned every day, because we have no idea what they were in before they come to us. Blanched dark leafy greens, cucmber, squash, carrots, etc are great, nutrient dense worm foods. Change the food out daily, and slice paper thin to encourage eating. Once QT has been completed, allow them to *slowly* acclimate to tank temperature. Slowly is key, as blackworms are very sensitive to temperature changes. Strain the blackworms once they are acclimated and put them in the tanks. Conversely, you can keep the culture in the fridge indefinitely, as long as you rinse them and give them fresh water every other day, and fresh food. Just feed as many as your fish will eat. I like to seed new tanks with black worms a good month before I add fish, so the fish have a live in buffet to graze off of. If they bite a worm in half and at least part gets away, you generally end up with a replacement worm. So, win-win 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy's Fish Den Posted July 5, 2022 Share Posted July 5, 2022 As someone stated above, most if not all the blackworms sold in LFS or online come from one or two farms here in the US. The ads for leech free are misleading, as I have never gotten a batch of blackworms that didn't have a few leeches in with the worms. When I get worms in, I rinse under cold water. If you have city water, you will want to fill a gallon jug or tow and pre-treat it and either leave it someplace cool or put in fridge to cool. I am lucky in that I have well water and can just rinse under tap water. I use a large low flat rubbermaid or sterilte container to keep them in, you don't want the worms in a thick layer or they will suffocate, I keep an inch or so of water in the container, with the worms, and keep in fridge. Once the worms are in the container spread out, you will be able to see the leeches, and can pick them out with tweezers if you like. I only pick out the larger ones, and leave the small ones for my fish to eat along with the worms. I have sprinkled spirulina powder on the water before to gut load the worms, I'm not sure how much it helps or not. You have to rinse the worms daily, just dump them and the water into a fine mesh net and run some cold water over them, and put back into the container with fresh cold water. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiapeach88 Posted July 5, 2022 Share Posted July 5, 2022 On 7/5/2022 at 3:46 AM, Torrey said: I QT my blackworms in the fridge, in a container with a lid that has a vent for good oxygen exchange. I rinse my blackworms daily with dechlorinated water I keep in the fridge specifically for rinsing and water changes for them. After 2 weeks QT I have identified and removed anything other than blackworms (decades of getting blackworms I have found exactly 3 leeches and 2 dragonfly larvae... more likely to see planaria but even those have been rare in the cultures I bought). Just like buying worms for reptiles, the key is to gutload the black worms while they are in the fridge and getting cleaned every day, because we have no idea what they were in before they come to us. Blanched dark leafy greens, cucmber, squash, carrots, etc are great, nutrient dense worm foods. Change the food out daily, and slice paper thin to encourage eating. Once QT has been completed, allow them to *slowly* acclimate to tank temperature. Slowly is key, as blackworms are very sensitive to temperature changes. Strain the blackworms once they are acclimated and put them in the tanks. Conversely, you can keep the culture in the fridge indefinitely, as long as you rinse them and give them fresh water every other day, and fresh food. Just feed as many as your fish will eat. I like to seed new tanks with black worms a good month before I add fish, so the fish have a live in buffet to graze off of. If they bite a worm in half and at least part gets away, you generally end up with a replacement worm. So, win-win On 7/5/2022 at 6:27 AM, Andy's Fish Den said: As someone stated above, most if not all the blackworms sold in LFS or online come from one or two farms here in the US. The ads for leech free are misleading, as I have never gotten a batch of blackworms that didn't have a few leeches in with the worms. When I get worms in, I rinse under cold water. If you have city water, you will want to fill a gallon jug or tow and pre-treat it and either leave it someplace cool or put in fridge to cool. I am lucky in that I have well water and can just rinse under tap water. I use a large low flat rubbermaid or sterilte container to keep them in, you don't want the worms in a thick layer or they will suffocate, I keep an inch or so of water in the container, with the worms, and keep in fridge. Once the worms are in the container spread out, you will be able to see the leeches, and can pick them out with tweezers if you like. I only pick out the larger ones, and leave the small ones for my fish to eat along with the worms. I have sprinkled spirulina powder on the water before to gut load the worms, I'm not sure how much it helps or not. You have to rinse the worms daily, just dump them and the water into a fine mesh net and run some cold water over them, and put back into the container with fresh cold water. All great info much appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dylaneff1 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 On 7/5/2022 at 5:05 AM, Georgiapeach88 said: All great info much appreciated Did you end up ordering any online? If so, I'd love to hear about your experience! I'm considering ordering some myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiapeach88 Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 On 8/7/2022 at 10:05 PM, dylaneff1 said: Did you end up ordering any online? If so, I'd love to hear about your experience! I'm considering ordering some myself. I haven’t yet. Had a few extra bills come up and haven’t but the bullet yet so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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