Feeding Tubiflex worms

[Laversiner]

Hey bros,

I am wondering whether did anyone out there frequently feed their fishes in planted aquarium with tubiflex worm? Is it good for the fishes? I had a terrible experience in the past where I fed tubiflex worms to my fishes and disease breakout within the next few days.

Thus, may I know how you guys "wash" or prepare your tubiflex before feeding?

Thanks!

[Urban Aquaria]

I fed my fishes live tubifex worms last time without issues, but when i switched to getting the live tubifex supply from another LFS, my fishes got hit with disease.

No matter how well you wash them, if the worms carry disease or parasites, your fishes will be affected.

I guess it'll be a good idea to test feed live tubifex worms to a small batch of your fishes in a separate tank for a few weeks first to monitor their condition. If they fare well, then you can be sure of the quality of the supply source and confidently feed them to the rest of your fishes.

Nowadays i only stick to feeding commercial pellet, wafer or freeze dried foods... less potential issues.

[coolgear101]

I have long ago stopped using tubiflex for the same reason(disease outbreak). I changed to FDW instead.

[stormhawk]

Tubifex is great as a rich protein food for your growing fry in a bare bottom tank. If you feed it in a planted tank with a thick substrate layer, you might come into some problems. Tubifex will burrow deep into the substrate once they touch it. Potential diseases aside, once they tunnel into the substrate and end up dying there for some reason or another, you'll have gas pockets in the substrate that might affect your fauna.

I get my Tubifex from a single source and if the worms look unhealthy, I don't feed my fish with it.

[Laversiner]

It seems to me that many bros out there are against the idea of using tubiflex worm to feed your fauna in planted tanks. Do you guys consider other live foods such as daphnia or BBS?? The reason for asking is that I have heard people saying that live food is good for your fishes!

[Mystikboy]

Frozen is generally the best. They are exactly like live foods, with all the nutrition and appearances. Just without the movement

[stormhawk]

Live Daphnia/Moina and BBS is fine for planted tanks. You can also use live bloodworms or adult brine shrimps, along with grindal worms and such. However, every type of food comes with risks, whether live, frozen, freeze-dried or dry.

[Shi Xuan]

It seems to me that many bros out there are against the idea of using tubiflex worm to feed your fauna in planted tanks. Do you guys consider other live foods such as daphnia or BBS?? The reason for asking is that I have heard people saying that live food is good for your fishes!

Tubifex worms are the best live food you can offer. I can't think of any other better food than these. Like what Stormhawk said, every type of food comes with risks, even frozen food.

[Urban Aquaria]

On the subject of frozen foods, i've tried feeding Hikari Frozen Tubifex before and they are quite good, i guess the commercial sterilization production process gives it an extra margin of safety.

The only thing with frozen food is you need to transport it home quickly in a cooler box with ice packs to keep it frozen, or else it will thaw out on the way and might spoil (even though the Hikari ones are packaged in sealed cubes).

Very few places carry frozen tubifex though... anyone seen them at any LFS lately?

[Lulu]

C328 sells Hikari frozen tubifex. Have to ask the uncle for it if I'm not wrong.

[Urban Aquaria]

C328 sells Hikari frozen tubifex. Have to ask the uncle for it if I'm not wrong.

Thanks! Will check with the uncle at C328.

[Regis]

Is it possible to freeze those live ones?

[Whitefit]

Can I check, how do you guys store the live tubifex worm...

A) store in a box and place in fridge?
B) store in a box with lid and store room temp?


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[stormhawk]

@Regis,

You can freeze the live worms if you wish. The resulting thawed mess may not be so nice to look at, and freezing does nothing if any harmful bacteria are around, since they just go into suspended animation. There might also be a funky smell you have to deal with.

@Whitefit,

You can store the worms in the fridge (not freezer section) in a ventilated container filled with some aquarium water. However, this only causes the metabolism of the worms to be lowered. It does not keep them from dying.

I keep mine in a small plastic container with a big surface area, with the worms covered by a thin layer of aquarium water or aged water, which allows them for maximum access to atmospheric oxygen. I change this water once every 2-3 hours as they will constantly produce waste products and foul up the small amount of water. You must never rinse them in fresh tap water. They do not like it very much when exposed to our tap water.
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However, the quality of the worms is crucial. If they are already dead or dying, freezing them is out of the question. Same goes for storing them. Any Tubifex purchased must be actively wriggling around or you might have a smelly mess later on.

[Whitefit]

Bro, ventilate means that you don't cover? Lastly, is it better to have water slightly above or more water covering... I'm a newbie so kindly advices...


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[stormhawk]

You only need a small amount of water, just enough to cover the worms. Basically, the worms should be soaked in water but it should not be higher than they are. You can add a little more just to be safe. The worms need access to atmospheric oxygen in such containers. The lid of the container should have some holes poked in it or you can use a loose fitting lid. If it is not in the fridge, you can keep the container open. Just check on them once every few hours. If the water turns cloudy, drain it away and use fresh aquarium water for the worms again. Any greyish brown matter, get rid of it as that is the waste matter of the worms.