# live blackworms



## sarahatl (Jun 22, 2011)

Does anyone have any experience with live blackworms? I have some live blackworms that I am feeding to some newts but am wondering what do I feed the blackworms?


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## Tony83 (Nov 11, 2012)

The blackworms will live for weeks if you keep them rinsed. I have a little basket that I keep them in and they stay nice and fresh. I have never fed them to my frogs, so I'm anxious to see some replies. 

Here's a link to the basket-http://www.aquaticfoods.com/accessories.html


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

i have only fed them to tads, not sure the dart frogs would be able to pick them up easily


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## r.avalos (Apr 10, 2013)

Can anyone post a picture of how they look. Are they readily available?


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

you can get them at any fish store, they are a great diet to get fish to breed.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

If dart frog adults go for worms you could probably feed these out of a worm feeder type container. Fill it with java moss and let them dry a bit. Or put them in a small dish on top of some java moss I would do this to feed newt metamorphs to make the worms dry enough to pick up easier.

Their is I think a small risk of disease transmission seeing these often come from trout settling ponds...a lot of them are aquacultured in CA but it is almost certainly an open system.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

Dendrobait said:


> If dart frog adults go for worms you could probably feed these out of a worm feeder type container. Fill it with java moss and let them dry a bit. Or put them in a small dish on top of some java moss I would do this to feed newt metamorphs to make the worms dry enough to pick up easier.
> 
> Their is I think a small risk of disease transmission seeing these often come from trout settling ponds...a lot of them are aquacultured in CA but it is almost certainly an open system.


yes the disease factor is def there, that is part of the reason why i stopped feeding live to tads and started to used forzen ones sold by hikary farms


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## Tony83 (Nov 11, 2012)

They are easy to culture, perhaps easier than FF. Simply order some from aquaticfoods.com, purge and QT them in a seperate, clean system and you'll erradicate any disease or hitchhikers. Then add the "clean" worms to a small tank ( I use a 5g) with 2-3" of clean water with an airstone. Add a couple pinches of flake food a couple times a week and they'll reproduce.


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## suztor (Aug 14, 2011)

When I had newts I could keep cultures going for several months (not weeks) by having them in a little more water than recommended in the fridge and would toss in some expired bottom feeder pellets (im sure any pellets will do.) Id change water once a week maybe... definitely not every day. 

From my experience less fuss the better they did.

But they are suprisingly good at escaping so I claimed the bottom drawer of the fridge as my critter and stuff drawer kept nightcrawlers in there too. Basically have them in a catch trey in case they escape.


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## sarahatl (Jun 22, 2011)

Tony83 said:


> They are easy to culture, perhaps easier than FF. Simply order some from aquaticfoods.com, purge and QT them in a seperate, clean system and you'll erradicate any disease or hitchhikers. Then add the "clean" worms to a small tank ( I use a 5g) with 2-3" of clean water with an airstone. Add a couple pinches of flake food a couple times a week and they'll reproduce.


Purge and QT? Purge - you mean drain and put in another container? I got some the other day that had leeches in the water!


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## Tony83 (Nov 11, 2012)

sarahatl said:


> Purge and QT? Purge - you mean drain and put in another container? I got some the other day that had leeches in the water!


To purge is to place them in a seperate, sterile container and do not feed them. Rinse and change the water every few days. This allows the worms to excrete everything they've eaten and hopefully eliminate parasites, eggs or other critters that could be in their gut.


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## sarahatl (Jun 22, 2011)

Thanks Tony! That is pretty much what I have been doing.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

I was thinking more chytrid from the water-which would not be eliminated by quarantine. Again, probably a small risk, but a possible one dealing with such live food.


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## suztor (Aug 14, 2011)

On the caudata forum, I think I remember suggestions to do a soak in listerene before starting a culture. You'll lose a lot of the stock but the theory is the survivors will be sterilized. 

No idea if this is true or not but might be worth reading in to.

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