# Blackworm and Asellus buckets



## dw1305 (26 Jun 2017)

Hi all,
Probably not really the right place for this, but I took a couple of photos of the buckets where my Blackworm (_Lumbriculus variegatus_) cultures are mainly residing at the moment. I've also got some bits of nano-wood soaking and plenty of spare Hornwort.

This was a very quick scoop with a net amongs the _Ceratophyllum_, so there are plenty of blackworms in the bucket.

I have to thank @frothhelment for the original stock, which he brought back from the USA for me.









cheers Darrel


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## Ryan Thang To (26 Jun 2017)

Nice one. Do you fish love it?


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## dw1305 (26 Jun 2017)

Hi all,





Ryan Thang To said:


> Do you fish love it?


All the fish really like them, out of all the live food I have they, and mosquito larvae, are definitely the favourites.

cheers Darrel


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## Ryan Thang To (26 Jun 2017)

Cool. I never try live food before. Might give it ago. I bet its fun watching them eat. 

Do you cut up the worms or leave it how it is?

Cheers
Ryan


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## KipperSarnie (26 Jun 2017)

How do you keep, feed & cultivate the worms please.
Blackworms are one of those luxury foods that the fish love & I'd like to cultivate them as I can't afford the mortgage to buy Freeze Dried!


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## kadoxu (27 Jun 2017)

I have put about 50 in a tub filled with water, some moss, and dwarf water lettuce. Feed them veggie flakes once in a while and keep a couple of snails in there to provide some extra food for the worms (poop). I think they can also eat cardboard, but I found it very messy for my liking. Change the water at least once a week and that's mostly it.

I believe they don't usually reproduce sexually on a confined environment, but they do increase in numbers by splitting themselves up.

My puffer loves it... (not my video)


Darrel probably has a better way of doing this though... his blackworms look gigantic!


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## dw1305 (27 Jun 2017)

Hi all, 





KipperSarnie said:


> How do you keep, feed & cultivate the worms please


Just in a builders bucket with, filed with rain-water and some some dead leaves and Hornwort (_Ceratophyllum_ _demersum_) added. I don't feed them, but the Hornwort is pretty thick and there are snails, _Asellus_ etc. (and a frog).

PM me, now it is a bit cooler I can post some (just in damp moss).





kadoxu said:


> his blackworms look gigantic!


They get quite big, the original ones I got from @frothhelmet were smaller and much lighter in colour.

I've never tried to bulk mine up, but I assume that people who sell them fragment them quite frequently to get bigger populations (but smaller individuals).

A similar "plants" culture method is mentioned in <"How to culture..."> as "method 2". (it is the only one I've found among all the others using paper towels)

cheers Darrel


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## splatteredbrainz (13 Jul 2017)

All I did for mosquito larvae was leave a tub outside for a month or so and I got a good amount of free food

Sent from my SM-G730V using Tapatalk


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## castle (30 Aug 2017)

I keep 3 builders buckets outside too; mainly for green water/ infusoria for m'fry. Pond produces a lot of mosquito larvae, but there aren't too many about now my way. 

How do the blackworms do outside over winter @dw1305 ?


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## Deanne (11 Oct 2017)

If anyone would consider letting me have a starter culture I’d be happy to buy them. I have four hungry Dwarf Pufferfish to feed ...


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## dw1305 (13 Oct 2017)

Hi all,





castle said:


> How do the blackworms do outside over winter @dw1305 ?


I move a few inside for the winter and put them in with the spare plants, but last couple of years the buckets have never frozen solid and they were fine outside. It isn't warm here in the winter, but I live in the S. of England (E. of Bath). 





Deanne said:


> consider letting me have a starter culture I’d be happy to buy them.


I can sort some out, but I'm away from home for most of next week.

cheers Darrel


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## Deanne (14 Oct 2017)

Mom problem, I’m happy to wait. Many thanks.


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