Blackworms not Dirty?

[Marisa Persaud]

I recently got some blackworms for other fish(mostly crayfish) and, while researching their culture, found this:

“I asked Dr. Drewes about the reputation of blackworms as disease transmitters. I was specifically alarmed that blackworms might transmit the microscopic young of Camallanus, the insidious parasitic nematode. Dr. Drewes replied, “Thanks for your inquiry about blackworms. The answer to your question about Lumbriculus transmitting Camallanus infection is a definitive NO. I have checked with our resident parasitologist who has more than 30 years of research and teaching experience in parasitology and life cycles of parasites. Camallanus is transferred by copepods of several different species, not by oligochaetes. Perhaps, it is possible that your tanks already had a few copepods in them and they “bloomed” which these small invertebrates can do. Or, perhaps the water and residues that worms were in when you purchased them were somehow contaminated with copepods. I have been doing research on oligochaete worms (both terrestrial and aquatic) for about thirty years and do not know of any parasites that are transmitted by Lumbriculus (blackworms). ”

Also:
“Nevertheless, blackworms are very often confused with tubificids (Tubifex and its allied species) and scorned with equal disgust by many otherwise well-informed fishkeepers. You may be told that blackworms “transmit diseases” or, with a precision that sounds even more authoritative, that they “carry an intermediate stage in a tapeworm life-cycle,” a possibility with wild-caught tubificid worms… It seems the troubles with blackworms themselves come from mass die-off in anaerobic conditions and from feeding dead blackworms to fish.”
From http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/lumbriculus

[Bernd Bussler]

ALSO, I have not heard of the black Mückenlarfen transmitted diseases, the images can be transmitted to vertebrate diseases.
We mostly the genus Culex is to catch the fütere for 25 years and I’ve never had problems, especially culex only in waters without fish occurs therefore no parasites and diseases can be introduced.

[Marisa Persaud]

Thanks Bernd Bussler. To clarify, I should say that I am talking about Lumbriculus sp. Forgot that the common name might not be so helpful.

[Bernd Bussler]

Have googled, bristle worms seem to be to have to say the bristle worms to their name, the bristles as the name says, can bowel problems in susceptible fish cause for armored catfish are important but paros I think they are dangerous. I have never fed from the ground, and I also think that they are too large to be eaten by smaller Paros. Here in Germany they are called Tubifex and are on sale on Aqua trade. I personally advise against and off quindecim there is probably no Paro could easily eat :sick:

[Marisa Persaud]

http://www.eeob.iastate.edu/faculty/DrewesC/htdocs/Lvfacts.htm

Really? These are not bristle worms or tubifex. Tubifex are dirty; Bristle worms have bristles. These do not.
Here is a short page about them.

[Bernd Bussler]

We are not talking of the same worm, the worm that you mean it is called here gloss worm and is suitable for feeding. It probably belongs to the genus of earthworms, I myself have not yet caught him, at least not consciously, but now and then I have seen in my aquariums one. Earthworms are an excellent food, but since they are usually slightly larger may make you more likely to feed on large fish. The way of life of Glanzwürmen similar to the Tubifex, so nice if you have a food source.

[Author]

Posts