# Caring for blackworms?



## Angels (Nov 30, 2011)

My order of blackworms should be at my house tomorrow. So I was wondering what is the best way to care for them and to get them to reproduce faster? I have looked around for ways to house them, ect. So many different ways! Can anyone tell me what way they had the best luck with?  Oh yes and how to make sure they are ready for my fish?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

reproduce? I've never been able to keep them alive long-term, let alone breed. But a blackworm keeper in the fridge holds about 1/2 lb. The tool isn't important, but you need to have something they can climb on. The need to be wet, but able to reach air. Clean dechlored water every day and a pinch of blackworm food every other day will keep them kicking for nearly a month.


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## Angels (Nov 30, 2011)

emc7 said:


> reproduce? I've never been able to keep them alive long-term, let alone breed. But a blackworm keeper in the fridge holds about 1/2 lb. The tool isn't important, but you need to have something they can climb on. The need to be wet, but able to reach air. Clean dechlored water every day and a pinch of blackworm food every other day will keep them kicking for nearly a month.


Ok...I have looked and seen that its more trial and error to keep them alive an kicking, even for that long. I am going to give them a air stone so that they have air. What do you feed them? I have seen that you can give them fish food, bread, and other stuff like that. But what do you think would be the best for them?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

This http://www.marcweissaquariumproducts.com/blackworm.htm worked for me with this "blackworm keeper" bin. http://www.aquaticfoods.com/accessories.html I am lucky enough to have an old fridge in the basement i can keep live worms in an open container in and not bother my family. Before I had the keeper, I put them in a large plastic open container with a shallow amount of water. The keeper makes water changes easy and the screen part floats so the water level stays right. Too shallow the worms dry up, too deep, they drown and turn to red, stinky goo.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

To feed, you pick up the screen tray of worms, rinse the worms in the sink. Walk around with tweezers dropping worms into tanks or "worm feeders". Then fill the bottom water container with clean, dechlorinated water, put the screen tray on top, drop in a pinch of food and put them back in the fridge.

It is more then a bit of work and I stopped after several months. But my fish got fat, bred and had good color on daily feedings. If I find a good local source (we had a club member ordering from CA and splitting them up and selling them at the meeting, but he switched to freeze-dried), I'll start it up again for a few months a year.


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## Angels (Nov 30, 2011)

emc7 said:


> This http://www.marcweissaquariumproducts.com/blackworm.htm worked for me with this "blackworm keeper" bin. http://www.aquaticfoods.com/accessories.html I am lucky enough to have an old fridge in the basement i can keep live worms in an open container in and not bother my family. Before I had the keeper, I put them in a large plastic open container with a shallow amount of water. The keeper makes water changes easy and the screen part floats so the water level stays right. Too shallow the worms dry up, too deep, they drown and turn to red, stinky goo.





emc7 said:


> To feed, you pick up the screen tray of worms, rinse the worms in the sink. Walk around with tweezers dropping worms into tanks or "worm feeders". Then fill the bottom water container with clean, dechlorinated water, put the screen tray on top, drop in a pinch of food and put them back in the fridge.
> 
> It is more then a bit of work and I stopped after several months. But my fish got fat, bred and had good color on daily feedings. If I find a good local source (we had a club member ordering from CA and splitting them up and selling them at the meeting, but he switched to freeze-dried), I'll start it up again for a few months a year.


Thanks for the info  I have found out that my bettas really like the blackworms, so do my danios, breeding pair of kribs, and tetras. But my angelfish will not touch them. I will look into the Blackworm box


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