Black worms (tubifex) do not have the best reputation as live food; no doubt they are very nutritious for the fish, an excellent protein source, good for breeding. It is more the circumstances on how they are mass bred or live in nature that contributes to their bad rep.
Black worms can be found in polluted rivers mainly on the banks as they like muddy environments. They are in fact a positive sign and indicator that the water is polluted. Mass breeding takes place in aquaculture, trout farms and the likes. They are kept in run off ponds where they feed of fish waste. The black worm's reputation is therefore a bacteria and disease infested worm.
Nevertheless, it doesn't have to stay that way, as they are a high protein source, if not the best available.
Cultivating black worms will not yield a large harvest but will still provide the fish with a tasty snack.
When you get the first species from a pet store, place them in a jar of clear water. Replace the water 3 times a day until it stays clear. This procedure cleans out the fish and will get rid of whatever they might carry within.
In the meantime, prepare a small aquarium (1-5 Gallons filled up to 1/3 with water) with a layer of peat (about 1 inch). A small airstone will provide some oxygen and dilute some of the waste. Lighting is not needed. Water temperature should be room temperature; the upper tolerance is about 90 F and the lower about 40 F. The water has to be free of chlorine/ chloramine.
As food source, flour or cornmeal can be used, pre-mixed with a little milk or just applied directly. Don't worry about the water getting cloudy. It should not however smell rotten.
After 3-4 weeks harvesting time is here. The little 1-inch worms will stick their tails out of the "mud", ready to be fed to your fish.
On a side note, it is best to feed one worm at a time or to get a worm feeder. You do not want these little creatures to dive down the substrate at large; they will create too much waste if they start breeding in the main tank.
You can also combine the worms and water flees in one set-up and breed them simultaneously
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