Live Blackworm Shortage! Freeze dried ok?? Alternatives?

[gunflintcamper]

We were getting a couple ounces of live black worms at our LFS each month… but they have become increasingly difficult to get. Now the LFS said they won't have any for a few months. I know neither of the farms are selling to new customers if they have any at all.

Are the freeze dried blackworms a good substitute or should we just stick with the TDO pellets and Reef Frenzy and wait for live? Also are freeze dried bloodworms the same? Or actually different kind of worm?

Pretty sure our fat fish are going through live worm withdrawal.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

We were getting a couple ounces of live black worms at our LFS each month… but they have become increasingly difficult to get. Now the LFS said they won't have any for a few months. I know neither of the farms are selling to new customers if they have any at all.

Are the freeze dried blackworms a good substitute or should we just stick with the TDO pellets and Reef Frenzy and wait for live? Also are freeze dried bloodworms the same? Or actually different kind of worm?

Pretty sure our fat fish are going through live worm withdrawal.

Reach out to Eastern Aquatics in PA and have live black worms overnighted to you. Likely cost is substantially cheaper, even though shipping has become more expensive than worms

NOTE: you can also try live white worms, but they were smelly and not really a fan for that reason

 

[gunflintcamper]

Reach out to Eastern Aquatics in PA and have live black worms overnighted to you. Likely cost is substantially cheaper, even though shipping has become more expensive than worms

NOTE: you can also try live white worms, but they were smelly and not really a fan for that reason

They aren’t taking new orders unless you’re a current customer. I tried them before. It’s seeming like a worm farm is less a dumb idea than it was in Dumb & Dumber. LOL

 

[rmorris_14]

White Worm Culture Show Off

I currently have 3 cultures at the moment. :) I recently split 2 cultures Here’s my mother culture And a video of them squirming for the folks who enjoy that sort of thing. And a feeding video. (Ignore my breathing, I had allergies and my nose was a little stuffed lol)

www.reef2reef.com

 

[gunflintcamper]

White Worm Culture Show Off

I currently have 3 cultures at the moment. :) I recently split 2 cultures Here’s my mother culture And a video of them squirming for the folks who enjoy that sort of thing. And a feeding video. (Ignore my breathing, I had allergies and my nose was a little stuffed lol)

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks!

Ok I’m tempted to try it.

The baking the soil in my brand new oven seems a little sketchy though.

 

[rmorris_14]

Thanks!

Ok I’m tempted to try it.

The baking the soil in my brand new oven seems a little sketchy though.

hahaha I said the same thing... not about my oven being brand new but what my husband would say when I came home and he saw I was baking soil in the oven.

 

[vetteguy53081]

We were getting a couple ounces of live black worms at our LFS each month… but they have become increasingly difficult to get. Now the LFS said they won't have any for a few months. I know neither of the farms are selling to new customers if they have any at all.

Are the freeze dried blackworms a good substitute or should we just stick with the TDO pellets and Reef Frenzy and wait for live? Also are freeze dried bloodworms the same? Or actually different kind of worm?

Pretty sure our fat fish are going through live worm withdrawal.

yes you can as it is the choice used from weaning fish from Live. To have it shipped requires a shipping charge and makes it less cost effective to do so. I prefer frozen as live if uneaten can foul your tank

 

[SeaZen]

White Worm Culture Show Off

I currently have 3 cultures at the moment. :) I recently split 2 cultures Here’s my mother culture And a video of them squirming for the folks who enjoy that sort of thing. And a feeding video. (Ignore my breathing, I had allergies and my nose was a little stuffed lol)

www.reef2reef.com

I would love to purchase some from you!

 

[rmorris_14]

I would love to purchase some from you!

Check with @Miami Reef, the author of the thread. I haven’t gotten around to culturing my own just yet but he is the white worm whisperer.

 

[AtlantiCat]

Thanks!

Ok I’m tempted to try it.

The baking the soil in my brand new oven seems a little sketchy though.

You can just use cocnut coir, which is sterile and comes compressed in a brick--just add water.

I keep white worms myself, in small containers on the basement floor where it's cool enough for them to breed, and feed them cheap fish food. They're not too difficult, but it will take you a few months to build up a colony.

 

[Miami Reef]

I purchased my white worms from amazon: https://a.co/d/83sf9sI

It takes a while for them to build their population.

If you don‘t want to use your oven to sterilize the soil, you can pour boiling water over it.

I still have my worms.

 

[gunflintcamper]

yes you can as it is the choice used from weaning fish from Live. To have it shipped requires a shipping charge and makes it less cost effective to do so. I prefer frozen as live if uneaten can foul your tank

We found that an LSF an hour away sells the frozen Hikari bloodworms!! My husband grabbed a bunch yesterday. Our fish think they are alive as they fall wiggly through the water. So that saves us time to not have to wash them daily…and money…no shipping and they are less than 1/4 the cost that live are.

 

[vetteguy53081]

We found that an LSF an hour away sells the frozen Hikari bloodworms!! My husband grabbed a bunch yesterday. Our fish think they are alive as they fall wiggly through the water. So that saves us time to not have to wash them daily…and money…no shipping and they are less than 1/4 the cost that live are.

There you go- as I said, it will quickly wean them to frozen.

 

[rmorris_14]

You know you still want to bake some soil in your new oven though

 

[Alexa.Davis37]

Reach out to Eastern Aquatics in PA and have live black worms overnighted to you. Likely cost is substantially cheaper, even though shipping has become more expensive than worms

NOTE: you can also try live white worms, but they were smelly and not really a fan for that reason

That's what I do! The live blackworms from Eastern Aquatics.