Live Black Worms: Miracle Grow for Fish.

[Supalah17]

So I see a lot of questions and comments on here (some from myself) about growth rates amongst various fish. My opinion is now, and probably always will be: Live Black Worms. They aren't always easy to get ahold of, but if you can get enough, breed them in a 5 or 10g tank. There are many videos on YouTube discussing how to do this.

Any omnivorous/carnivorous fresh water fish I've ever kept is fed almost entirely black worms, and comparing my own growth rates and max sizes vs other posters, mine is always much faster and larger. I saw a post recently about Severum cichlids saying "2 years to reach max size of 8-10 inches". I breed severum, and I've never had one under 8" and I've never had one take longer than 8 months to reach this size.

Twice daily feedings of black worms (keep feeding until they stop eating them, bottom dwellers clean up the left overs). And a weekly 40% water change. That's it. That's all I do and I have many of my tanks very heavily stocked. Yet my growth rates are far higher than the majority.

So, is my water magic, or are black worms magic? I tend to believe the worms.

 

[Supalah17]

For bigger fish, I gut load feeder guppies with the black worms and it works just about the same, I just have to supplement (a tiny bit) with more standard foods (beef heart/earthworms/frozen seafood/etc)

 

[NathanKS]

are you gut loading the worms?

 

[Supalah17]

are you gut loading the worms?

Not presently, but I will be once I set up my own breeding tank, for the past couple years I've just been ordering them through my LFS (which has been expensive for sure) and feeding them as is!

 

[FreshyFresh]

.. and if so, what are you gut loading the gut load for the worms?

I'm kidding.

 

[Supalah17]

I pay far too much money for them presently and but nothing to them, just put them in a Tupperware container of water in the fridge (which my fiancé totally loves *sarcasm*) and they last a couple of weeks, once I'm breeding them though, they'll get some form of dietary supplement.

 

[FishEZ]

I will have to research using black worms more. What media is used to breed them?

 

[Supalah17]

I will have to research using black worms more. What media is used to breed them?

There are a lot of ways to do it, this video isn't too bad:

 

[bathawk]

I have seen starter cultures on ebay thinking of getting some to breed to feed my half banded spiny eels are the frozen ones any good ?

 

[Supalah17]

I have seen starter cultures on ebay thinking of getting some to breed to feed my half banded spiny eels are the frozen ones any good ?

They lose a decent amount of nutrition from freezing, my fish were never as interested in the frozen ones either, specially my peacock eels and black spot Eels.