does any one on here raise there own black worms? if so I would like to know how you do it. I would like to start raising my own to feed to my fish.
raising black worms
- Thread starter vanilla__gorilla__
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They are quite easy to raise, but ultimately not worth the time. It would take far to long to get enough to supply yourself.
well I only like to feed them as a treat to my fish and none of the pet stores around me carry them
I raise and breed my own and its quite simple if your summers dont get too hot. I use a 3 tiered plastic tray/tank system. Each tank is about 40L volume although I keep the water level quite shallow. Treat them just like fish with regards to water change, biological filtration and feeding. For food I use pollard which is a crumble a food for chickens. I use a standpipe which drains into the layer below and a trickle filter for biologial filtration. I can harvest about a cup (300ml) daily with about 3L breeding/adult population. I usually use old water from existing tanks to water change as they are very sensitive to chlorine.
Its a fun project and I also breed daphnia and vinegar eels too.
Its a fun project and I also breed daphnia and vinegar eels too.
No smell unless they die .... but if you have a sensitive nose - example if you think a normal fishtank smells or the live blackworm tank at the LFS smells then this is definitely not for you...
While the worms are great for conditioning some fish, I keep them for the fun of it too. I also have an earthworm farm and have breed meal worms too.
If you want REAL smell, a friend of mine suspends any mice and rats he kills over his fish ponds. Within a week they get fly blown and soon all the fish crowd and sit patiently underneath them waiting for all the maggots to fall off and there will be thousands of them.
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While the worms are great for conditioning some fish, I keep them for the fun of it too. I also have an earthworm farm and have breed meal worms too.
If you want REAL smell, a friend of mine suspends any mice and rats he kills over his fish ponds. Within a week they get fly blown and soon all the fish crowd and sit patiently underneath them waiting for all the maggots to fall off and there will be thousands of them.
<snip>insert mental image here<end snip/>
Raising the worms is half of the fun but if you are just looking for worms to feed you fish try californiablackworms.com. I order about 1 every 2 months. My fish go crazy for them and they are definitely healthier than what I get from the store.
fishdance can you post pictures of your setup for breeding these worms? 3 tiers of 40 liters (31.7 gallons total) does not seem like much if the 300ml of worms your getting is what I think it is. Also how much food do you feed to get that 300ml of worms a day?