Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

Black Worms, Tubifex, Whatever

Started by Guest_scottefontay_* , Nov 27 2007 09:49 PM

Next
»

Please log in to reply

60 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_scottefontay_*

Guests

Posted 27 November 2007 - 09:49 PM

Does anyone have a good culture recipe as far as what to feed these things? I finally found some live ones (scarce in Syracuse for some reason) and would like to keep these buggers going. I know about the potential hazards and such associated with keeping/culturing/feeding these worms to my fish, just haven't found a culture recipe that makes sense. One site said to feed them pieces of fish, they ignored it. Another said a mixture of flake food and lettuce to culture microbes that the worms, in turn, would eat. My guess is that the latter would probably sour the water pretty quickly. I can do one water wash of the culture per day, more than that and its getting a bit ridiuculous on top of everything else I have going on down in the fish dungeon (a brightly lit dungeon I might add

).

Thanks

Back to top

#2 Guest_canadiangirl_*

Guests

Posted 03 December 2007 - 10:58 AM

Don't know about tubifex, but blackworms are kept in the fridge, don't feed them anything. Rinse them with dechlorinated, chilled water once a day. Feed until gone. Worm keepers are super.

http://aquaticfoods....ccessories.html

Back to top

#3 Guest_scottefontay_*

Guests

Posted 03 December 2007 - 11:41 AM

Don't know about tubifex, but blackworms are kept in the fridge, don't feed them anything. Rinse them with dechlorinated, chilled water once a day. Feed until gone. Worm keepers are super.

http://aquaticfoods....ccessories.html

Blackworms are tubifex worms. I want to culture them, as I do not have an available supply of them locally. Thanks for the link though, those will be useful. These are what I have found...

http://www.wormman.com/pd_tubifex.cfm

http://www.geocities...turing02SLC.pdf

Back to top

#4 Guest_AndrewAcropora_*

Guests

Posted 03 December 2007 - 12:30 PM

> 10 gallon aquarium
> Bottom covered with brown paper towels.
> 1-2 gallon of RO/DI water to cover the towels an inch or so.
> Room Temperature

http://www.simplydis..._cultures.shtml

I'd rather raise brine shrimp

Back to top

#5 Guest_scottefontay_*

Guests

Posted 03 December 2007 - 12:50 PM

Thanks, that is what I was kind of leading towards. Leaves would probably be better than paper. I'll give both a try.

I've already got some brine going, looking to diversify through the winter. Thanks again.

Back to top

#6 Guest_wegl2001_*

Guests

Posted 03 December 2007 - 01:18 PM

I had the opportunity a couple of years ago to visit Gwynnbrook Farms Discus hatchery in Maryland. Peter Thode showed me around and took a lot of time discussing his husbandry methods and answering questions. Beautiful fish. He feeds his discus blackworms as a "treat" and spawning conditioner. I have always been told that blackworms have to be kept in the fridge and rinsed with clean water every day. Peter has his outside in a cinder block vat. His discus tanks all have cinder block sumps beneath them. The sumps are all piped to this blackworm vat. To do water changes to his blackworms he empties the sumps into the blackworm vat. The water in the discus tanks is kept at 84 degrees. The temp that day was in the mid 90's. He scooped up a net full and they were extremely active. No dead worms at all. He feeds them boiled spinach or, when he's in a hurry, spinach baby food. He assured me he fed more to his fish than he purchased. One of these days I'm going to try his method.

Back to top

#7 Guest_scottefontay_*

Guests

Posted 03 December 2007 - 02:50 PM

yeah, I think that at lower temperatures the by-products produced by the worms are less intense due to slower metabolism and it takes longer to foul the water. these things thrive in sewers and near sappric conditions as long as the water is not completely devoid of O2 and loaded with ammonia, etc.

I noticed my bluespots, pumkinseeds and rainbow fish all colored up tremendoulsy overnight once i started feeding them the worms.

Back to top

#8 Guest_nativeplanter_*

Guests

Posted 03 December 2007 - 05:35 PM

As far as I knew, blackworms and tubifex were two different organisms

blackworms = Lumbriculus variegatus
tubifex = Tubifex tubifex

tubifex are known to inhabit polluted areas since it is tolerant of low oxygen levels. I think blackworms need higher oxygen levels.

Blackworms are tubifex worms. I want to culture them, as I do not have an available supply of them locally. Thanks for the link though, those will be useful. These are what I have found...

http://www.wormman.com/pd_tubifex.cfm

http://www.geocities...turing02SLC.pdf

Back to top

#9 Guest_scottefontay_*

Guests

Posted 05 December 2007 - 08:31 AM

As far as I knew, blackworms and tubifex were two different organisms

You're right, my bad.. I read this "T. tubifex probably includes several species, but distinguishing between them is difficult because reproductive organs, commonly used in species identification, are resorbed after mating, and because external characteristics of the worm vary with changes in salinity." aand took it too far. Thanks for the correction.

Back to top

#10 Guest_Sal_*

Guests

Posted 13 December 2007 - 05:51 PM

You're right, my bad.. I read this "T. tubifex probably includes several species, but distinguishing between them is difficult because reproductive organs, commonly used in species identification, are resorbed after mating, and because external characteristics of the worm vary with changes in salinity." aand took it too far. Thanks for the correction.

For me tubifex were a big smelly venture which never bred only smelled than slowly died . I tried breeding them in mid 70s maybe to warm to cool who knows
Have you ever considered fruit flies fish love them. I found them very easy and would than freeze the extras and after thawing them feed to the fish. I had to freeze them or they can escape as they stay afloat when alive.
Tiny roach types work also squish them and feed them fish love them or feed as adults for bigger fish.

Back to top

#11 Guest_fundulus_*

Guests

Posted 13 December 2007 - 07:11 PM

It's possible to get wingless fruit flies, even better as fish food because they can't fly away (is a fly that can't fly still a fly?).

Back to top

#12 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

Guests

Posted 13 December 2007 - 10:10 PM

Why is a fly called a fly anyway? Mosquitoes fly. Fruit bats fly. But The Fly couldn't fly. So really, "Fly" is a misnomer. Which came first, the verb "fly" or the insect fly??

Fly is what this post is going to do once the mods get ahold of it.

Back to top

#13 Guest_scottefontay_*

Guests

Posted 14 December 2007 - 08:31 AM

For me tubifex were a big smelly venture which never bred only smelled than slowly died . I tried breeding them in mid 70s maybe to warm to cool who knows
Have you ever considered fruit flies fish love them. I found them very easy and would than freeze the extras and after thawing them feed to the fish. I had to freeze them or they can escape as they stay afloat when alive.
Tiny roach types work also squish them and feed them fish love them or feed as adults for bigger fish.

Actaully, I have been toying with setting up a boxfan and a bag or sorts next to one of our outdoor floodlights during the summer months to capture insects to freeze for the year-round use. Folks here have mentioned using zappers to collect them also. I like the concept of the worms for their high protein content. I can figure it out it would be great.

Back to top

#14 Guest_tglassburner_*

Guests

Posted 14 December 2007 - 12:09 PM

Folks here have mentioned using zappers to collect them also. I like the concept of the worms for their high protein content. I can figure it out it would be great.

New use for my bug zapper collection.

Back to top

#15 Guest_scottefontay_*

Guests

Posted 15 December 2007 - 01:37 PM

New use for my bug zapper collection.

It was discussed that putting the zappers over their outdoor ponds and bins etc. would allow the zapped bugs to fall into the water and feed the fish. if you rigged a funnel of sorts with a collecting bag underneath you could potentially get freshly toasted food for indoor use.

Back to top

#16 Guest_tglassburner_*

Guests

Posted 15 December 2007 - 03:59 PM

It was discussed that putting the zappers over their outdoor ponds and bins etc. would allow the zapped bugs to fall into the water and feed the fish. if you rigged a funnel of sorts with a collecting bag underneath you could potentially get freshly toasted food for indoor use.

Already got this planned to implement next spring

mmmm toasted bugs!

Back to top

#17 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

Guests

Posted 15 December 2007 - 07:05 PM

Will fishes eat beetles? Some of them are noxious.

Back to top

#18 Guest_scottefontay_*

Guests

Posted 16 December 2007 - 02:28 AM

Will fishes eat beetles? Some of them are noxious.

EDIT: Feed only earth tones :roll:

...take out the red, yellow and bright green ones (that aren't those flippn' green flies)... :wacko:

Back to top

#19 Guest_tglassburner_*

Guests

Posted 16 December 2007 - 09:33 AM

EDIT: Feed only earth tones ...take out the red, yellow and bright green ones (that aren't those flippn' green flies)...

what about moths?

Back to top

#20 Guest_Kanus_*

Guests

Posted 16 December 2007 - 04:26 PM

I have recently obtained a culture of Dero worms, which are a small type of tubifex worm. This culture is contained in a large juice bottle along with rotifers. Though I have never had luck culturing other tubifex or blackworms, these guys are VERY easy. I have had the culutre for two weeks and have gone from 10-12 worms to probably upwards of 150. The culture is easily fed by dropping in small amounts of trout chow or other sinking pellets. I also dropped a piece of corn in for slow sugar release and the worms seem to love it. The rotifers feed on bacteria from the food, and the worms seem to happily eat leftover food and mulm at the bottom. Dero worm cultures can be found all over the internet, and if anyone wants some, I might be able to spread the wealth in a month or so after I get some subcultures going.