California Black Worms Quality ?

julie180 · 06/16/2015, 06:30 PM

I have read from several reefers that they are the place to get black worms and had great success with my first order of 1/2#, they lived for a good month and were still strong when I finished, I order 1# a couple of weeks ago and the worms are dying at an alarming rate, the water is fowled within 12 hours of rinsing them and there is an oil film on the surface. I thought this might be something that I did wrong, but just went to my local store that got their first shipment of black worms less than a week ago and they are doing the same thing.

I contacted the company and they were less than helpful, saying I had them 10 days and they only guaranteed alive arrival. For what the worms cost, I would think they would have handled things a little better.

Has anyone else had problems with their quality lately and if so, is this an isolated incidence, or are they going down hill?

Thanks

ReefSmarts · 06/17/2015, 12:19 AM

I think getting into the summer months with ordering he black worms your gonna have a percentage of die off in the beginning and have to pick them out and change the water a bit more. You should try setting up a culture system. There is a reefer on here with a 40 year old tank. He has a cycled fresh water system and propagates his own black worms. I believe he supplements some but it's a pretty cool idea. I think it would be interesting if one of the acrylic manufacturers would build one.

Anyway I had a shipment not to long ago and it was just fine.

julie180 · 06/17/2015, 05:05 AM

Guess I should have mentioned that I sent them a picture of my worms and was told to throw them away, to much bacteria. That is not a little die off in my eyes.

hart24601 · 06/17/2015, 06:42 AM

I bought some frozen blackworms from them recently and all seems perfectly fine. I don't have any picky eaters so frozen is the way to go for me.

laga77 · 06/17/2015, 06:52 AM

I made a black worm keeper based on this one. It is kept at room temp. Sometimes the water fouls and needs to be changed, most of the time it stays pretty good.

reefgeezer · 06/17/2015, 07:47 AM

I've ordered from them several times. I haven't had a die off event I could blame on them. I did have a die off once but it was my fault. I wasn't using chilled water for water changes and the mini fridge I was using was not cold enough.

I always decant the dead off before putting a new shipment into the holder to help keep down decay. Some always die in shipment. A little more in the Kansas summer maybe. I limit my orders to 1/4 pound so I don't keep them too long. Also, I don't mix shipments. New shipments go into a new holder.

06/16/2015, 06:30 PM	#1
julie180 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raymore, MO Posts: 2,556	California Black Worms Quality ? I have read from several reefers that they are the place to get black worms and had great success with my first order of 1/2#, they lived for a good month and were still strong when I finished, I order 1# a couple of weeks ago and the worms are dying at an alarming rate, the water is fowled within 12 hours of rinsing them and there is an oil film on the surface. I thought this might be something that I did wrong, but just went to my local store that got their first shipment of black worms less than a week ago and they are doing the same thing. I contacted the company and they were less than helpful, saying I had them 10 days and they only guaranteed alive arrival. For what the worms cost, I would think they would have handled things a little better. Has anyone else had problems with their quality lately and if so, is this an isolated incidence, or are they going down hill? Thanks

06/17/2015, 06:52 AM	#5
laga77 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Alsip, IL Posts: 1,133	I made a black worm keeper based on this one. It is kept at room temp. Sometimes the water fouls and needs to be changed, most of the time it stays pretty good. __________________ Four legs good. Two legs better. Current Tank Info: 50G SPS/NPS Reef, 120G Mixed Reef, 120G FOWRL, 29G Seahorse tank, 20G Observation tank,

06/17/2015, 07:47 AM	#6
reefgeezer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 2,621	I've ordered from them several times. I haven't had a die off event I could blame on them. I did have a die off once but it was my fault. I wasn't using chilled water for water changes and the mini fridge I was using was not cold enough. I always decant the dead off before putting a new shipment into the holder to help keep down decay. Some always die in shipment. A little more in the Kansas summer maybe. I limit my orders to 1/4 pound so I don't keep them too long. Also, I don't mix shipments. New shipments go into a new holder. __________________ John, Current Tank Info: In-process, 90 Gallon SPS Reef

06/17/2015, 12:19 AM	#2
ReefSmarts Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 40	I think getting into the summer months with ordering he black worms your gonna have a percentage of die off in the beginning and have to pick them out and change the water a bit more. You should try setting up a culture system. There is a reefer on here with a 40 year old tank. He has a cycled fresh water system and propagates his own black worms. I believe he supplements some but it's a pretty cool idea. I think it would be interesting if one of the acrylic manufacturers would build one. Anyway I had a shipment not to long ago and it was just fine.

06/17/2015, 05:05 AM	#3
julie180 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Raymore, MO Posts: 2,556	Guess I should have mentioned that I sent them a picture of my worms and was told to throw them away, to much bacteria. That is not a little die off in my eyes.

06/17/2015, 06:42 AM	#4
hart24601 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 633	I bought some frozen blackworms from them recently and all seems perfectly fine. I don't have any picky eaters so frozen is the way to go for me.