Mal's freeze dried blackworms

[gypsy3]

Hi all...this is just a little plug for Mal's dried blackworms.I was dubious about my fish eating them, as i had tried another brand once before without any success, but i just tried his, and the fish absolutely love 'em! Took to them like fish to water, so to speak :D .Well worth giving them a try.

[Merrilyn]

Where did you get them from gypsy. Don't think I remember seeing them in Melbourne, but I'd be interested in giving them a try.

[gypsy3]

Mal Davidson, who has the blackworm farm - he recently posted on the discus forum.He's down your way somewhere Merrilyn.I think they're really worth a try - like i said, my fish don't take to a lot of stuff, but they loved these. By the way, he couldn't have been more helpful with the shipment of live blackworms sent up here - much appreciated Mal

[gypsy3]

Merrilyn - FYI, Malcolm is in Beechworth, www.blackworms.com.au.Posted recently as MalcolmC - maybe you could pm him if your'e interested:)

[MalcolmC]

Thanks for the plug Mick, I'm glad your fish like the dried worms. If anyone else would like to try them, if you pm me with a postal address I will be happy to send you a sample. Cheers, Mal

[Matt15]

Mal are there any retailers here in Brisbane who sell your products?

I'd certainly favour an Aussie product over the imported ones. I'm sure it would be a fresher alternative to the imported varieties.

[MalcolmC]

There are lots of retailers in Brisbane who sell my product, as Bay Fish is one of my largest wholesalers. One shop that comes to mind is Pet Country at Slacks Creek who deals directly with me, however, if you wish to buy from me I will certainly sell product directly to you.

[aussieorchid]

I would like to say thanks to Mal for the sample he sent me my discus took to it straight away. They did not even wait for it to soak up water and sink they took it right off the surface as soon as it hit the water. I will be changing to this instead of fresh black worms I think as it is so easy to store and have on hand all the time.

[samir]

what about frozen slabs enriched with multivitamins ? something similar to the bloodworms we get here.

I'd better give your site a good read first :D
http://www.blackworms.com.au/ working link..

[ILLUSN]

If anyone deserves a free plug it's Mal, those of you who know me know how much i dislike live worms after months and month of dramas with paracites in my fish!!!!!

I've been using his freeze dried worms for over a month now and the fish go crazy for them, the tetras and rainbows especially are jumping out of the tank at feeding time and the saratoga almost smashed through his lid when he saw me opening the container!

These have helped ALOT to put some weight back onto some skinny fish of mine, and they are taken redilly by tetras, rainbows, Severums, oscars Saratoga, loaches (when they actually reach the bottom), BN's and DISCUS!.

these are also an excellent way to use BIG L internally, re hydrate the worms in the big L solution and feed the fish, easy as, the remaing of the 1ml/7L goes into the tank with the worms.

just atip for your smaller fish (rummy noses cardinals etc) try breaking the worms up into smaller pices.

you're onto a winner Mal keep up the good work!

these are ALOT less hassel then trying to source good live worms in my area, they're also fresher then the imported stuff and the fish can really tell the diffrence!

[Mr Discus]

I would also like to thank Mal for the sample he sent me - all of my fish are absolutely loving the blackworms. Fantastic food product for any fish variety really.

[gypsy3]

wow Mal....looks like you're in business!! lol

[aussieorchid]

When feeding freeze dries worms does anyone soak them first. My discus seem to love these so much but I am worried they eat them to quick and will bloat themselves. Also how many times a week would you advise to feed these as part of a balanced diet.

[ILLUSN]

i feed mine every 2-3 days, just one of thier 4 feedings, i dont usually soak them unless i'm using them to dose BIG L.

[gypsy3]

i give mine some every morning, as well as live ones and some flake or pellets.At nite they get beefheart, f/d shrinp and some more dried worms.Is that too much worm to be feeding them?

[ILLUSN]

whatch out gypsy3, the worms are very high in protein and fat, discus need a balanced diet with vitamins, minerals and rouphage as well.

still this stuff is great for putting weight on skinny fish :)

[gypsy3]

ok...illusn, what's your feeding regime?

[ILLUSN]

morning (6:30am) beefheart mix (merrilyns mix + a little extra veggies and vitamins), before work 8:15 breeders blend flake, after work 6:30 beefheart mix + pinch of color bits.
11pm before bed freeze dried blackworms, 2 days a week they get live food as their last feed( live brine shrimp or mozzi wrigglers or baby guppies whatever i have ready at the time).

[Matt15]

Mal,
I received your sample in the mail three days ago and WOW... do the Discus love it.
As a few members have already said... there's barely enough time to let it soak they eat it so quickly.

Once the sample runs out i'll forward you an order.

Thx again... :D

[Barry N]

Got to agree. I received the sample pack from Mal recently and WOW, do the discus love it :D Only problem in the display tank, so do the rummy nose's and balck neons - never seen them move so quick. :lol:

Been feeding them to my juvies in another tank in conjunction with my beefheart mix - Jenny Craig here we come, never seen my juvies look so fat :lol: :lol:

[Matt15]

Jenny Craig here we come, never seen my juvies look so fat :lol: :lol:

Hahahahaha...... thats great..!!!

[Merrilyn]

Received my order of worms today. Thanks for the prompt shipping Mal.

If first impressions are anything to go by, you're on a winner here Mal. The fish were pushing each other out of the way to get to the worms. Everybody ate it, wild caught discus, altums, rams and peppermint cat fish.

It's obvious that the fish find it a highly palatable food, and for the owner, it's a hassle free and convenient way to feed one of their favourite foods.

[Merrilyn]

Just finished feeding my initial order of these freeze dried worms ......... wow...........

Remarkable weight gain on a bunch of skinny juvenile neons I had just purchased and the wild discus are looking fat and healthy.

I'm so impressed with this product that I'll be using it as a regular part of the diet for all my fish.

Another order on the way Mal :P

[boost.puppy]

I'm going to have to join the "I love mal club" too!
at first my fish were a bit hesitant to try the new food.. but now they can't get enough... my rams have put on weight (they can't get enough of the stuff) and their colours are incredible!

even my neons get stuck into it! Mal.. as soon as I'm finished my initial pack there will definately be a big order coming your way!!!!

[gypsy3]

Mal...what is the best way to store the freeze dried? The last order i got from you will last me for ages

[MalcolmC]

Hi all thanks for the very kind remarks about the freeze dried worms I have sent out. It is very satisfying when you put a lot of work into developing a new product for the aquarium industry and you actually succeed. I have bred and sold live worms for 20 years now, but I still fight the concept that they are grown in dirty conditions or are harvested from sewer farms or like places. I guess we still believe all we read about worms written by Americans who have never seen the Australian worm.
Mick, thanks for starting off this thread, and you can keep freeze dried worms for ages as long as you keep them DRY. Keep them in an air tight container and you will have no problems with them. Also, if anyone else would like a sample sent to them, and I will send a sample to anyone anywhere in the world free, please drop me a line with your postal address and I'll send it off to you.

[gypsy3]

you're welcome Mal.....it's great stuff!

[Matt15]

My fish still can't get enough of Mal's product, so i've ordered more. :P

[taksan]

Its good $hit thats for sure ..... just ordered more myself

[eykw]

Hi Mal ,thanks for the prompt delivery!!!
Everyone is loving it! Even my very picky red rose is coming to the top for a slice of the worms! I have never seen him like this!!!
It surely keeps my misses happy too. she absolutely hates live/frozen worms!!!
Thanks again! :)

[tanzy]

Thanks so much for the fast post Mal. I was so excited this morning when it arrived. I can't wait to try them out tonight. It will be great to be able to give my fish even more of a varied diet.


Cheers

Kell

[bugly]

Mal very kindly sent me a sample (generous size) and the fish took to it straight away - even the more finicky eaters. Seems great about to place an order - the prices seem very generous.

Bugly

[dandaman352]

I appreciated the gesture as I too recieved some blackworms all the way to New York. However my finicky new yorker fishes won't touch it sadly =(

[TW]

thanks Mal for my sample. My discus eat what ever sinks, so I know they like the taste. The worms tend to float though & are light coloured, so I don't think the discus are noticing worms floating on water surface. I've tried pre-soaking them in tank water for 30mins, but they still float.

How do you make them sink?

[Merrilyn]

Well, this is what I do. I take a pinch of dried worms, and squeeze them in the tank, a bit like squeezing a sponge, till they begin to absorb water and start to feel slippery (a bit like live worms) then give them a good shake in the water to help disperse them.

[TW]

Thanks :D

[Tam]

hi could someone tell me where you can get this in Sydney? prefer to get it at a shop straight away. Tam

[Matt15]

hi could someone tell me where you can get this in Sydney? prefer to get it at a shop straight away. Tam

Mal has been kind enough to post members free samples via post at no charge. I would highly recommend e-mailing him for one....;)

[Dearra]

I have just ordered a sample pack off Mal as well after reading all the comments.

How often should they be fed. Would twice a day be too much.

Thanks
Dearra

[Matt15]

I feed my discus 3 times aday. It's mainly for my younger discus, however the adults enjoy the food as well. You'll find everybody has different feeding habits for there discus.
Mine is.............
Morning: beef heart mix
Midday: Mal's freeze dried blackworms
Afternoon: Frozen blackworms and brineshrimp

You just need to be careful not to over feed them and i'm sure they'll love Mal's product.

[Dearra]

I received my sample pack yesterday and fed it to my Discus straight away. The way they carried on, you would think I had not fed them for a week. They were all pushing and shoving each other out of the way to get to them.

I will definately be ordering more.

Dearra

[TW]

Received my free sample a while back (very generous serve). Now have received my 1st order. My discus eat this out of my hand & they didn't even do this for beef heart before. They do eat beef heart from my hand now, but it took these worms to tempt them in the first place.

They love it & I'm a happy customer.

[dandaman352]

Is there anyway to get them to sink my guys don't really like coming all the way up but I know they'd eat them if they sank.

[Matt15]

Soaking them in some tank water would help.
I usually just hold them in my fingers and the discus eat from between my fingers. I also soak them in Seachem Garlic Guard once aweek which the discus go crazy over.

[TW]

I usually just hold them in my fingers and the discus eat from between my fingers That's what I do as well. If you don't want to hold them all the time, if you compress them in your finger for a little bit, while you hold them under water, you can let go & they'll then sink.

But it's lots of fun holding them & letting the discus eat from your hands.

[Matt15]

But it's lots of fun holding them & letting the discus eat from your hands.

+1 it's great fun...!!!

[Munchen]

Thought I'd give Mal a plug, have just placed order after going through sample generously offered. Good fun hand feeding the discus the worms - they go down very well

cheers

[MFG]

my discus are not recongising it, any ways of helping them getting these dried worms?

regards
Scott MFG

[Merrilyn]

Scott, try mixing it with some food they really like.

Once they get the taste for it, there's no looking back.

[cityguy]

There are lots of retailers in Brisbane who sell my product, as Bay Fish is one of my largest wholesalers. One shop that comes to mind is Pet Country at Slacks Creek who deals directly with me, however, if you wish to buy from me I will certainly sell product directly to you.

Hello Malcolm, do you have any website where I can take a peek ? I was interested in your discus food products !

[MalcolmC]

Hi all, I don't know if this is the correct place to post this, but if its not I guess someone will move it to its correct place. First of all I would sincerely like to thank you all for the support that I have received for my new product. I have appreciated using this forum to gauge the acceptability of the product, and because of that I am very happy to be able to give something back. The prize I have put up for first place in the photo comp can be a combination of cubes, loose worms or finely chopped up for fry. If you live in an area that I can get live black worms to than you can have them as part of your prize, if you wish. I'm sure you all realise that you don't have to take a photo of your fish eating worms to enter, just eating anything you feed them.
My offer of a free sample to anyone who would like to try them is still available, and that also includes any overseas members [even Poms :D ]
By the way. I know you all think of them as Mal's worms but actually they are marketed as Australian Black Worms. I have applied to become a sponsor of this forum and it will be as Australian Black Worms
Thanks, and all the best, Mal

[Matt15]

Mal I believe the official thread can be found here:
http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16725

It's fantastic that you've put forth the prizes on offer, thanks mate.
Now i've just gotta get snapping..!!!!!! :wink:

[paddyedgar]

Got your sample yesterday Mal. Fish loveit. What
sort of quantities are you guys feeding.

[MFG]

Got the cube 2 days back. a couple of discus love it too. somehow the angels are not taking them. i think they need some time to love them.

i feel like trying one myself!

thanks
MFG

[carnival]

I received my free sample of dried worms yesterday (Thanks Mal) and my Discus took to them right away, they take it from my fingers while I try to soak them and push and shove each other to get to them. Even my fussy Turk gets stuck into the worms and he has always refused to eat anything other than live worms or live brine shrimp. Finally a food that everyone in the tank will eat.

[vanessa messig]

Hi Mal, I have been trying to get in touch with you to buy some more freeze dried worms but I have not been successful. I have also tried to purchase on line but have not received a receipt so I don't think my payment went through. Could you please get back to me. Thanks.

[Matt15]

Vanessa this thread is almost a year old. I highly recommend you contact Mal directly via his website http://blackworms.com.au/TA/index.php?main_page=contact_us

Or alternatively:
Australian Black Worms
121 Stanley Road
Beechworth, VIC 3747
Phone: (03) 57281127
Fax: (03) 57282735
mal@blackworms.com.au

[vanessa messig]

Thanks Matt, I just sent another message via his website..... fingers crossed.

[bartek]

I have been feeding my discus the worms for a little while and they love it, as do all the over fish in the tank. Even the Checkerboard Cichlids eat them.

Have to also thank Mal for including a little bag of cubes with my order ot loose worms.

[TW]

Yes, I got those cubes too with my most recent order. Thanks Mal !

[Mattzilla]

Free sample recieved and devoured in just a few days. my angel fry absolutely smash it

great stuff
thanks for the sample

[billko]

Hi,
Got my Australian Blackworms here in the UK a few days ago, and it,s the first food i,ve tried that all my Discus have taken too straight away,
They love em :) and i put some in a small plastic container and add some boiling water and leave for a bit, then when i put them in the tank, they sink and the Discus go crazy for them.
Alot of Discus keepers here are reporting great results with the Blackworms :)
Billy,

[Pixeltoy]

Received my free sample 2 weeks ago. Followed your 'use boiling water' approach and ALL my fish adored it!
Order 50g bag last week and the bag arrived today. I like the sticker advising 'only feed as much as your fish will consume in 5min'!
If I did that then I would be feeding the whole bag today! I can't believe how much they love this stuff!
Great product Mal!

[Barrie]

I also ordered some FD Blackworms. I couldn't believe how quickly I recieved them.... thanks for the great service Mal.
I decided to feed mine by combining them in with a beef heart mix. Fish love it and really "pig out" on it.
Thanks again
Barrie