Culturing Blackworms for Aquarium Fish Food

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[@erlangenemutya263]

It would be more help for us beginners if you teach us how to culture them without any starter😀

[@alansmith1820]

Dan , a couple of things I would like to suggest here : 1)not long ago you had a least one video on starting / seasoning new tanks using black worms , maybe you should have added links to that in your post ? 2) knowing that we would ask you to sell black worms and couldn't , maybe you should have included a link for where you had gotten them when you started all those new tanks ? Just a couple of thoughts, thanks for all the great videos !

[@sil240vv]

Probably the most valuable instructional video I’ve seen for actually making a culture. Thank you so much.

[@ESF19791111]

THAT VIDEO IN MY EXPERIENCE IS STEEL THE BEST EXPLANATION VIDEO :) THANK YOU FOR SHARING :) THANK YOU FROM ISRAEL :)

[@sherryjarecki1701]

I added black worms in my fired bellied toad breeder tank. I have silica sand at the bottom. They are thriving. Ive fed them allege wafers & crushed fish flake food.

[@TMAquatics]

Thanks for sharing Mr Fish Monger 👍

[@sherryjarecki1701]

When u buy them u have to be-careful sometimes they come with leaches .

[@CoffeeTimeBrian11]

You may also keep them in a shallow plastic tub with a sponge filter with gravel. They are very easy; no need in a 75 gal aquarium. Whenever I buy them from my local there are always several leeches climbing around with pond snails.

[@jianafish1078]

Thank you! So informational

[@MichelBruno]

Hi! Nice video! You can use rabbit food to feed blackworms. Here I feed them with only that

[@AnthonysFishyFriends]

Another great how to. Thanks Dan

[@varanidguy]

I agree with your shirt lol. Awesome video, thank you!

[@garysaquatics6565]

Very interesting I've never done black worms. Great content as always Dan thanks for sharing and remember to keep on tankin fish fam 🤜👍✌️😎

[@mariaz9538]

Thanks for sharing. You always teach us something 👍❤️

[@vivienleigh4640]

I managed to kill my culture of blackworms, mold started growing in the tank. I did have a sponge filter but I had heard that the water level should be low, so even though the tank was reasonable big and I did water changes, I never seem to get the balance right. I see that you keep them them in "normal" water level, so I'll do that too. Much easier to deal with. The filter was seasoned, I had seasoned tank water from the main tank, I fed them with algae wafers, they had small sponges to hang on to, but nope, all gone. So I have to start all over again :( It's not good for the self esteem to not be able to keep worms alive. I do have a snail culture (I keep puffers) that seems to thrive, after a few failed attempts (I'm hopeless) and I see that you keep snails with the blackworms , so I'll do that too. I had a bare bottom, but lava rocks seems like an excellent idea. I have some that I can crush. Thank you so much!

[@LakeMissoulaAquaticsandPlants]

I got the 1k like! Yay!

[@vikesfan63]

Thank You for this video!.

[@Vincent-kx9ze]

2nd watch. Going to try this. Excellent instructional video

[@drockingfish]

cool, thanks for sharing!

[@jparks6544]

Yup, none of the fish stores sell live food anymore. Not a single one.

[@dustintarpley4836]

Great video and thanks for the lesson Dan. I've been wanting to do this for awhile but wasn't sure what to do. Seems like something I can do for sure.

[@CEA046]

Thank you for sharing the video. Question. How come you just don't pour worms through a fine net?

[@pelhamsaquatics]

Fantastic Dan thanks! I’m gonna give it a shot in a 10 gallon with a sponge filter. Room temp? Or would a heater help with the culture? Thank you very much🙂👍🏻

[@DansFish]

Room temp works.

[@MegaMindyLou]

Is this your new camera? Nice picture, very clear. Great content!

[@samstersam]

Those are not blackworms. These are tubifex worms. Blackworms do not wiggle out of the substrate. They remain in the substrate. Tubifex wave out of the substrate. Blackworms are also thicker. These are definately tubifex.

[@MacJank7]

You really think Dan doesn’t know the difference?

[@vivienleigh4640]

One more thing, is it possible to keep scuds in the same tank? i keep mine in a large bucket with a sponge filter but I'm not happy with the arrangement.

[@DEXTER-TV-series]

8:35 why do you rinse them ?!

[@Jesse-ey5xd]

Would you consider mixing them with other feeders like daphnia and scuds?

[@Scouse.raver1]

Yes I've seen and heard people doing it with Daphnia before

[@kaquarium7888]

Thanks for the great video Dan! What temperature are you keeping your blackworms? I've always heard they like cool water and wouldn't do well in my heated fish room, but if that's a myth, I might have to try culturing some myself.

[@jeffsaquariumhobbyenjoymen9468]

I noticed some snails in there. Do you think you could keep shrimp with black worms too?

[@kristykeimig3498]

We don't get to see you feed them?? To the fish

[@sharronmiller451]

Good info, but where do you get them originally? Our fish stores do not sell them.

[@--Paws--]

I also feed my grindal worms with fish food my fish don't like but I need to know the content since I have to feed the worms to my fish. However some food, I noticed, are not also popular with the worms so I throw those out. I have yet to culture blackworms; I may not have to throw unwanted food anymore.

[@connorrothandler6788]

What temp do you need to keep the water at and I see you have snails in the tank I’m sure the snails eat some of the worms but because you have so many worms I’m sure it doesn’t make a difference for your colony.

[@connorrothandler6788]

I only have 3 fish tanks would it not be worth it to make a small colony? If worth it for a small colony what size container should I keep them in.

[@popparock6506]

@@connorrothandler6788 5 gallon minimum I'd think

[@genevielamb1903]

Just a question what is all the green stuff between the rocks and in areas without rocks that the worms are holding on to? Algae? Waste?

[@jermur8053]

What temps do these guys need to be in?

[@HCAqua]

I founds scud in my black worm culture. I think thats why my worms arent doing well

[@madfishdiva]

Darn Jesse The Scud war is real!

[@mikazukigaw-id5688]

How do you keep planaria off of them?

[@petroman-cg8tt]

What temperature and hardness do you keep your black worm culture at, thinking of using a 40 breeder with 2 inches dirt and capped with 2 inches sand. Great video you gave me some great ideas to work with. Joe H Navy Seabee

[@mmnelson82]

I got blackworms from Segrest Farms. It looks like there are other types of dead worms...maybe even tapeworms. Is there anything I should do to the culture to protect my fish from unwanted hitchhikers?

[@Rews-fish-shed]

Hey Dan I’ve a question for you. Would keeping a pound of B.worms in a ten gallon you think that’s to much about right or maxed out?

[@madfishdiva]

Thanks Dan, because it's getting harder and harder to get black worms from my LFS due to Covid, this will be helpful with my culture I've had since January. I keep mine in the fridge in a very large flat plastic container and do weekly to bi-weekly water changes. As i mentioned before the asst. manager at my LFS said to feed them cardboard, but lately I've been adding fish food and other organics. I use a plastic fork to stir them up weekly which breaks them apart for propagation. I've noticed lately that they're forming little balls. Do you know what causes that behavior?

[@MacJank7]

You mean the wu flu

[@andressaakie4031]

Hi Which ph, gh and kh do you keep for them?

[@dandybounddandybound1064]

Thumbs up guys For people unable to get to local shop, you have substrate in a well matured Aquarium you are likely to have Blackworms in your substrate,i would also let people know that blackworms can be hard on smaller fish as the worms have barbles that can jam in your fish (for smaller fish cutting worms up is best way to feed to avoid choking a blender can be a way if you cannot stomach cutting the worms to feed.) You only need 1 large worms to start a culture each day grab a few large worms cut in half or quarters return to culture within a week 1 worm should be around 200 to 1000 worms,having a few buckets/containers is a good way to rotote feeding so you don't use to many from each culture.I find feeding blanched Vegatables get better returns on growth rate of culture along with ample water changes like all Breeding clear and clean is only way to get healthly growth.

[@tompatterson5453]

Tried blackworm propagation multiple times for ADF's. I've tried in a container in the fridge no luck.. Tried in a established 10g layer of river rock etc...no luck. Couldn't find the reason they failed. Worse smell next to dead mystery snail, failed blackworm culture!

[@erick6102]

I’ve heard a lot of people fail trying. Wonder what the difficulty is? Do they really smell bad?

[@tompatterson5453]

@@erick6102 Yes q

[@erick6102]

@@tompatterson5453 wonder what the ideal temp is. ? Gotta be a way to crack the code. I could come up with a better filter than some of these examples and do more water changes. But then is it easier to just buy pellets! ? Ha

[@tompatterson5453]

@@erick6102 we tried room temp. I think PH has a lot to do with it. Our PH is 8+. I've seen a refrigerator propagating container made for black worms too. I don't remember the site though.

[@JasonLaveKnotts]

Herbivores.

[@brookebiddle6199]

I thought u were showing how to start the culture not how to rinse them off 🤦‍♀️

[@JeremyRoberts007]

You are doing 30-40% automatic water change nightly? Did I understand that correctly? Thanks!

[@Texasbiologyhelp]

I tie a string to a cork on one end and to the fork on another. :)

[@DansFish]

No wet elbows for you !

[@MelodieRose727]

What’s the ideal temperature for the blackworms?

[@DansFish]

I like them in at 45F or so...they last a long time that way. For culturing them, I had no problems in the upper 70s F

[@MelodieRose727]

@@DansFish thank you! I just managed to get my hands on some, I’ll be trying this! 👍

[@patriciakloeppel9863]

looking for a starter culture wheres the best place to go to order some

[@66bigbuds]

Most fish breeders don't do water changes any more than they have to. But instead, filter and reuse the old water.

[@MacJank7]

Do you know how Dan’s system is set up? Check it out on other videos.

[@joeschmoe5195]

Where can you purchase black worms to start with?

[@DeFreeseAquariums]

Came across this oldie but goody. I started to look into raising my own blackworms to save some money and not have to worry about shortages and the amount of leech's we have seen lastly. I know I can a place buy in bulk, but just don't need a pound. This was helpful. Thanks

[@amym.4823]

I just started a blackworm tank in March. They go bonkers for Repashy Soilent Green and my fish go bonkers for the worms! I have sponge filter in with them and water sprite floating on top. Found mine on eBay.

[@dt4676]

Still got the blackworms? I'd love to buy some from you

[@amym.4823]

​@@dt4676No, my culture crashed and I never started a new one.

[@MacJank7]

@@dt4676Eastern Aquatics has some now

[@boebender]

This is GREAT!!! Thank you!!!

[@chevyfish4028]

This was great to see & learn. I never used live blackworms because they are known to come with leeches and parasites. How do you get around that? I feed a variety of live foods to my fish and I would love to add blackworms if I could make sure they were free of the parasites & leeches.

[@callenclarke371]

Excellent content! Thanks for this!

[@rosedonnapur]

Haw do you stat getting the worms in set up

[@andreww9437]

Awesome video Dan! Thank you. I’m going to give it a shot

[@CraigHawks]

Awesome video!

[@西木野火龙果]

yooooooooo