Bloodworms

Svante · Post by **Svante** » 09 Oct 2003, 19:48

What is a bloodworm?

Coming from Sweden im not sure what it is, although i have probably fed it to my fishes sometime. However, i think it is red worms (mosquito larvae) that sink to the bottom when you feed them, and also many people are allergic to them (including myself ...) Am i right?

//Svante

Post by **Silurus** » 09 Oct 2003, 19:50

Right. They are actually chironomid (midge) larvae.

Svante · Post by **Svante** » 09 Oct 2003, 20:26

Yes, they are not really mosquito larvae, but i didn't know what to call them in english ... Because feathery mosquito isn't a good translation (that's the word for these bugs directly translated from swedish)
=)

Chocky316 · Post by **Chocky316** » 10 Oct 2003, 00:28

Mosquito larvae is called daphnia, i believe??

T · Post by T » 10 Oct 2003, 00:53

Chocky316 wrote:Mosquito larvae is called daphnia, i believe??

Nope that would be a water flea.

Chocky316 · Post by **Chocky316** » 10 Oct 2003, 01:29

t, are u sure?

i have a couple of cichlid books which say that daphnia is mosquito larvae?? and should be avoided in the wild due to parasites??

Post by **Silurus** » 10 Oct 2003, 01:38

This is Daphnia:

And here are mosquito larvae:

Don't really look the same now, do they?

Chocky316 · Post by **Chocky316** » 10 Oct 2003, 01:40

2nd picture didn't show, but i'll take your and t's word for it

Post by **Rusty** » 10 Oct 2003, 01:43

That's a blood worm.

Rusty

Post by **Silurus** » 10 Oct 2003, 01:47

2nd picture didn't show

Should be working now. My bad.

Chocky316 · Post by **Chocky316** » 10 Oct 2003, 01:54

works now; they definitely do not look like the same creature. i have a source for live bloodworms- which seem to be hard to get locally?

Post by **Barbie** » 10 Oct 2003, 02:19

OK, so then what are blackworms? And aren't they commonly sold as bloodworms? And are tubifex really sold as anything but tubifex? Sorry, not trying to confuse the whole issue, but I feed live blackworms, (when I can find them) and I've had people tell me they were all sorts of things. I just know that if I keep them very clean and cool my fish spawn like mad when I'm using them to feed.

Barbie

Post by **Silurus** » 10 Oct 2003, 02:29

Blackworms (Lumbriculus variegatus) are freshwater oligochaete annelids (other oligochaetes commonly known are earthworms and tubifex) native to North America (there are other species found in Europe).
More info here.

Post by **Rusty** » 10 Oct 2003, 02:30

Blackworms are aquatic Annelids, related to the plain old earthworm. The most common scientific name they are called seems to be Lumbriculus variegatus.

Rusty

Post by **Barbie** » 10 Oct 2003, 03:34

We're so lucky, look, you guys have all the answers in unison! Thank you

Does that mean black worms are less apt to be bad for our aquatic pets?

Barbie

Post by **Dinyar** » 10 Oct 2003, 05:20

Barbie wrote:Does that mean black worms are less apt to be bad for our aquatic pets?

Yes, much less bad. Good, even.

In fact they aren't hard to culture -- or at least keep alive long term, if you're willing to devote a small aquarium to it. Clean, cool water, an air stone, some unbleached paper towels as substrate, and occasional small feedings of spirulina is all it really takes.

Dinyar

S. Allen · Post by **S. Allen** » 10 Oct 2003, 08:16

goodness barbie... I'd have though you'd learned by now blackworms are god's gift for getting fish fat, happy and ready to get freaky. You must be paying too much attention to Jedd's(or did they ever finish that insanely childish fued?) I've used blackworms, when i can get healthy ones, for a year or more... discus, catfish, anything will enjoy them... good eats, although a real pain in the bum like most live food. As for Dinyar's statement... those of us not willing to give up a 10 gallon in the garage can get a half pound from california blackworms and just do water changes for them

Chocky316 · Post by **Chocky316** » 10 Oct 2003, 16:52

isn't tubifex commonly found in sewage areas and standing water and commonly carry multitudes of bacteria??

Svante · Post by **Svante** » 10 Oct 2003, 17:37

What does these blackworms look like? anyone have a picture?

Tubifex do come from sewers and the like, and they are very allergy provoking (hope you understand ..) ... So my advice is NOT TO USE TUBIFEX

Post by **Silurus** » 10 Oct 2003, 18:01

Here are some blackworms:

Post by **Barbie** » 10 Oct 2003, 19:56

I DO actually know they're god's gift Scott, I'm just literally blackworm challenged in this area at the moment. Well that, and I was forbidden to buy any and keep them in the main refrigerator upstairs, since the last roomie told Bob about the blackworms in the koolaid incident... I lose one or two little worms and suddenly I can't just keep them in the normal refrigerator!

I'm planning to get a small dorm fridge and keep it downstairs in the fish room soon. THEN I'll just order a couple pounds in and make the whole house a feeding frenzy, hehe. I just keep finding new fish that I REALLY need to own, instead of buying the fridge

Barbie

Post by **Dinyar** » 10 Oct 2003, 20:24

Not sure if you're being tongue in cheek here, Barbie, but if you aren't, it's really not practical to buy more than a pound at a time, even with a dorm fridge. In a fridge, they are best kept in a 9"x9" worm keeper, which typically holds about a half pound. Two worm keepers will fill up one shelf of your dorm fridge. You can cram more into each keeper, but then like an overstocked fish tank, you're either going to have to put a lot of work into maintenance or have a big ball of dead, rotting worms.

Otoh, keeping a 1/4 pound or so going long term in a fish tank for occasional treats or fussy fish is pretty hassle-free.

And yes, California Blackworms seems to be the best bet no mater where you are in the continental US.

Dinyar

Post by **Barbie** » 10 Oct 2003, 21:49

hehe, yes, I was actually teasing. When I had the rays and discus, I could easily use a pound in two weeks, and had no problem keeping them happy and healthy and clean split between two worm keepers in the fridge. I had a store in town that would order them in for me for 16 dollars a pound. That barely covered her shipping costs on them, so I was pleased with the bargain. Noone in a 30 mile radius carries them here, but I'm going to check one last place in Idaho, before I order them. I'm sure I can manage to use a pound of them, but I doubt I could do it easily. The major bulk of my larger fish now are tropheus, not stingrays, discus, and altolamps. Speaking of which, I stripped the first 9 eggs from my ilangi colony last night, so now both colonies are producing

I would be very interested in how to culture them, especially if it would allow for a self replenishing small colony at some point. Just enough for the petricolas and hypancistrus would probably keep me in good shape.

Barbie