Are uneaten blackworms safe for my aquarium?

[milked]

so, i had a bit of an accident with the tanks - my hand slipped while feeding and 5 tanks' worth of blackworms ended up in the first one, which is a pretty small tank (27L). this one's got shrimps, about 15 harlequin rasboras, 2 otosinclus, and some plants. it all happened about half an hour ago, and now the blackworms have all burrowed into the substrate. should i be worried - are they gonna cause any issues in the tank?

[sSjey]

Were they live blackworms, by any chance. I'm curious to know if they'd be able to thrive in the substrate and start a colony - I've had no experience with live blackworms myself.

What's the substrate like in that tank, if I may ask. If it's just gravel, you might be able to siphon out a good number of them, but with sand or a plant substrate, that's not really an option.

[sSjey]

I don't think there'll be an issue with them competing with your livestock for resources like oxygen, but if they do end up thriving and multiplying, it could get out of hand.

[TankWarrior]

so, i had a bit of an accident with the tanks - my hand slipped while feeding and 5 tanks' worth of blackworms ended up in the first one, which is a pretty small tank (27L). this one's got shrimps, about 15 harlequin rasboras, 2 otosinclus, and some plants. it all happened about half an hour ago, and now the blackworms have all burrowed into the substrate. should i be worried - are they gonna cause any issues in the tank?

milked's tank is tiny, to be honest. Increase water changes, it's the easiest way to get rid of dissolved waste from those worms.

[BadgersSong]

Yeah, I still think that's a tiny tank for those fish. But the worms should be fine, they'll settle in and likely multiply. Eventually, the fish will probably just eat them all and that'll be the end of it.

[milked]

It's pretty funny how some folks are dead set on the idea that a 27L tank is always overstocked. I've run that particular tank without water changes for months, and the nitrate levels actually dropped from around 50ppm to 30ppm over four months. The only reason I restarted water changes was because the plants weren't using as much phosphate, and it started testing high. Let's not look for drama where there isn't any.

[coltin]

Live blackworms in aquariums are actually beneficial. They reside within the substrate, breaking down organic matter that's decomposing.

[BadgersSong]

so, i had a bit of an accident with the tanks - my hand slipped while feeding and 5 tanks' worth of blackworms ended up in the first one, which is a pretty small tank (27L). this one's got shrimps, about 15 harlequin rasboras, 2 otosinclus, and some plants. it all happened about half an hour ago, and now the blackworms have all burrowed into the substrate. should i be worried - are they gonna cause any issues in the tank?

No need to get defensive, we're just trying to help out with some advice. We're used to giving guidance to people who might not know the ins and outs of aquarium-keeping, so it's not meant to be taken personally. If you're happy with your setup and don't think our suggestions apply, that's entirely up to you.