Re: Blackworms

[Dave Millman <dave at tactics_com>]

At 03:31 AM 4/7/2003, Wright Huntley wrote:

>Home rearing has not been practical for most folks, because it needs a
>huge flow of fresh cold water to do it well. Tubifex can tolerate more
>pollution, so can be raised in 10G tanks with sand substrate, heavy
>aeration and frequent water changes.

Wright is correct. It boils down to bioload: in order to raise enough worms 
to matter, you need enough water and oxygen to support their bioload, which 
is surprisingly large.

I raised both blackworms and tubifex worms successfully for almost three 
months. In the small containers I was willing to dedicate to their 
husbandry, I was only able to yield a few worms per day, enough for a fish 
or two. In the same containers,  Grindle worms yield hundreds to thousands 
of worms per day, enough for every fish in the house. Of course, Grindle 
worms breathe air, which is the difference.