Blackworm Care and Storage

[caudatadude28]

I want to get some blackworms for my parents to feed my newt larvae while I am gone. It is much simpler than whiteworms/chopped worms. Anyways I was wondering how you people stored them? I checked online and there are commercial keepers that are made of a screen and and plastic box and you just pull up the screen(with the blackworms in it) and dump out the water and add new. Is there a simple way to do it with around-the-house stuff? Can I make one of these commercial containers? Should I just buy some containers?

 

[Jennewt]

I've never had one of those fancy storage devices. I just use a plastic shoe box, which fits a half-pound of worms. Add cold water, let settle, dump out water. Repeat. You'll lose a few down the drain, but if you have a half pound of them, you won't miss them.

The place where most people go wrong with storing blackworms is using too much water. The worms should be a fairly shallow layer, and the water should just barely cover them. If you cover them with deeper water, they smother and die.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I too use the plastic shoe boxes for them. Jen is right, just enough water to keep them wet!
The other secret is to use aged water rather than treated tap water to rinse them. Make sure to keep them in the fridge too!

 

[caudatadude28]

Thankyou guys. When you dump out the water, only a few get out? The smallest portion I can get is one pound it seems. So one fridge wouldnt work. When you say aged, do you mean water from an aquarium or just 2-4 day old tap/spring water?

 

[caudatadude28]

Can a pound fit happily in a plastic shoe box?

 

[xMIDNIGHTx]

I would say yes, just make sure the water is cool and clean. Aged water really does work the best and when you keep them cold they can and will last weeks. You will have to remove the dead ones and keep flushing them for the first couple of days as explained above. I keep maybe 1/4 lb at any given time and I always use the a 7 liter plastic tub, aged water, and cool temps.

Mitch

 

[merk199]

1/2 lb per shoebox. Anymore if you get die off it will run through the colony real quick fouling and killing it. I have two fish tanks which I grow greenwater on purpose for rinsing and storing my blackworms in. My blackworms thrive in the greenwater. I always refridge the greenwater before I use it, I rinse every 2-3 days. If you smell a rancid smell there is die off and you better start rinsing more frequently. Colony should not smell like dead fish. I have had excellent results in keeping blackworms. My last batch lasted 8 months before I fed them all out. 1/2 lb will last a long time.