If you feed Tubifex worms, read this

[Lady Hobbs]

Worms
Black Worms
Blackworms are segmented worms typically raised on fish farms (hence significantly cleaner than Tubifex worms).
Tubifex Worms
Tubifex inhabit muddy, polluted streams and cannot be recommended as fish food because they harbor parasites and toxins, and have a low beneficial nutrient content. Always soak the worms in water for several days before feeding. Feed sparingly as uneaten Tubifex worms will burrow in the gravel and may die. Tubifex worms are only good to feed temporarily, if fish refuse all other foods.
White Worms (Enchytraea)
White worms are found in decomposing materials including compost piles and seaweed piles. White worms are fatty and should only be fed on an occasionally basis. White worms are commonly used to feed older fry. These worms can be cultured at home.
Earthworms
Earthworms can be found in most gardens. Before feeding them, clean off all dirt and slime. Earthworms are a good food for large, carnivorous fish.

Article further states your fish can get parasites from Tubifex worms!!!!!!!! Now, is this the fresh tubifex worms or are they referring to those dried ones that come in a cube?

[kimmers318]

I believe due to the processing of freeze dried and frozen (plus, the added nutrients most claim to have) that dried or frozen tubifex are safe as a food. Personally, my fish won't touch the freeze dried, the verdict is out yet on the frozen.

[Lady Hobbs]

Someone actually posted once that even the cube ones can cause worms to come alive and invade the tank. Now, I'm not the smartest tac in the pack but I hardly believe dead worms can again come to life.

[jeffs99dime]

Someone actually posted once that even the cube ones can cause worms to come alive and invade the tank. Now, I'm not the smartest tac in the pack but I hardly believe dead worms can again come to life.
yeah, that doesn't really seem possible.

[Fishguy2727]

All live foods have at least some risk of introducing parasites and other diseases. In my opinion and experience they should not be used at all if the fish will accept prepared food. Most live foods are also far from nutritious. If the fish will accept the much more nutritious and safe preapred foods, that is all they should get. LIve food can also increase aggression. I don't like to use freeze-dried because they are not as nutritous as frozen, and many animals will get some freeze-dried and then refuse other foods. The only time I think live food is acceptable to use for most hobbyists (those not breeding) is when the animal refuses everything else.

[Lady Hobbs]

I know my angelfish should be getting better than I've given them. I am unable to get the live in my location so have had to give them dried blood worms and shrimp. I do need to up their diets with better foods and those with more vitamins and protein.

I've had some tell me to give them mashed up beef heart but this sounds like a mess in the aquarium. I did read you can take a hard boiled egg yolk, shake it in a jar of water until the water turns clear and then feed them that, as well. I had not thought of putting it in a jar before but stopped using yolks as it made a mess of my tank water.

[Fishguy2727]

The best food that I have found is New Life Spectrum closely followed by Hikari. If they aren't available in your area you should consider getting them online. If you doubt how amazing the NLS is, go to their website and check out the tesimonials section. nlpublish.com

[Lady Hobbs]

This time I have written it down and will order it if need be. Thanks a bunch.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

I bought some tubifex yesterday, and a couple of half-eaten ones escaped into the substrate. So, will they pollute the substrate or clean it?

[RobbieG]

From what Lady Hobbs' article says - they will dig in and die. Dead things are generally bad in tanks but if there are only a couple of small worms it may not be any great big deal.

Still - I'd vacuum the area where you saw them and start giving your fish less at a time to keep them from escaping.

I don't feed any of my fish live foods - I've had some very picky eaters and they all eventually learned to take what they could get. I do use the freeze dried foods for variety but no frozen or live. I'm not sure how anything could survive being freeze dried - but lots of simple organisms (bacteria etc.) have no problem at all with being frozen.

[Sasquatch]

Someone actually posted once that even the cube ones can cause worms to come alive and invade the tank. Now, I'm not the smartest tac in the pack but I hardly believe dead worms can again come to life.

I don't know how tubifex worms reproduce, but it could be possible. May "lower" organisms like worms leave cysts that are about the toughest thing you can imagine. You can freeze them, cook them and to all kinds of nasty things and they'll survive. I also know that you can freeze leechs and they're still alive when you thaw them out, great for walleye!

I'd be more inclined to thing that this kind of thing could happen with frozen foods. With freeze-dried, it's less likely, but not impossible.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

Thanks all - the LFS where I bought Courtier had bags of tubifex for sale...I thought I'd give it a go, as a special treat...I've probably only used 1% of the ball that they wrap themselves in, don't think I'll ever end up using them!!!

Not sure if I should kill them and compost them or keep them alive and feed them. I'm changing their water everyday and replacing with rainwatr.

I know where they went in, so I can gravel vac.

[Drumachine09]

closely followed by Hikari.


To elaborate on this, its Hikari cichlid gold, not hikari cichlid staple.



I feed the cubed tubifex worms. I cut them into quarters and let my fish go at it, so i am sure not to over feed them.

[Fishguy2727]

Actually I meant Hikari overall, but there are differences in their varieties. Their best cichlid food is Bio-Gold+, not the gold. For bottom feeders Sinking Carnivore Pellets are good, as well as its larger cousin, Massivore Delite. And they have good goldfish foods too, but not as good as NLS.

[*Sarah*]

I've fed the freezedried cubed ones for at least a year, and haven't had an issue at all. My fish love them, they gobble them up.