Live worms

[MeowWoof]

I fed live worms to my betta fish Mera for the first time today. She seemed confused and hasn’t immediately eaten them. Question, what happens if she doesn’t eat them? Can they reproduce?

 

[V1K]

None of the feeder worms I'm aware of reproduce in water. What worms are they? I've read that grindal worms can survive in water up to a day, giving your betta some time to reconsider. After that they die, but provided you didn't overfeed, they should decompose with no consequences.

 

[Flyfisha]

What species of worm MeowWoof ?
micro worms and grindle worms won’t be a problem.
A garden worms or similar sold as fishing bait with be an issue just because of their size if nothing else.

 

[mimo91088]

Black worms can live in the substrate for awhile without issues.

 

[MeowWoof]

What species of worm MeowWoof ?
micro worms and grindle worms won’t be a problem.
A garden worms or similar sold as fishing bait with be an issue just because of their size if nothing else.

Blood worms.

 

[Flyfisha]

Blood worms will not reproduce in your tank.
Like any food uneaten food is best removed.

 

[Skittlesttr75]

Previously, Lenny would devour the pre-soaked freeze-dried blood worms. Two weeks ago I gave them live black worms for the first time. It was like heaven for Lenny. I used tweezers, but 10-12 would be the least amount I could get in the tweezers. So, most of these guys are smart and swim right down to the gravel. The not-so-smart ones were quickly gobbled up by Lenny and his 3 Peppered Cory tank mates, but there were still many in the gravel. They would poke their heads above the gravel line and he would find them. Ya'll, this was 12 days ago but Lenny still goes down to the gravel looking for the worms, every day, all day. It's hilarious. Swim 2 inches, flair, eyeball the gravel...swim 2 inches, flair, eyeball the gravel...repeat. This is giving me hours of enjoyment. I really doubt there are any left, but he is a persistent one. Plus, hey, it gives him something to do, right?

However, now he won't eat either the freeze-dried brine shrimp or blood worms any longer. He spits out both types of pellets he was eating. He now literally jumps out of the tank (after I lift the lid) when I go to feed him the new flakes in the morning, as if he's starving. I would like to give him more live black worms, but the questions are:

1. Some say only 2x a week, but can I do more?
2. If 12 drop in and there are 4 fish eating them, is that enough?
3. Since I'm in-fish cycling (long story), I can't vacuum the gravel, so I honestly don't know if there are any still down there from before. Any other way to tell?
4. How long do the black worms last in a filtered tank?
5. Should they completely replace a daily meal or can they be a 2nd meal? My fish are very active, so I do 2 small meals a day typically.