New tank and plants. Will tubifex worms 'deform' my killies?

[gary35111]

My friends told me that I was too cruel and perhaps even "over-authoritarian". She was like if the killies love the worms, then give it the worms why force it to take things which it simply hate (that's why they gup then spit out the dried foods).

When I give "excuses" on these worms burrowing into my gravel and "harming" my plants, another friend suggest that I use minimal gravel (0.5 - 0.7 cm or lesser in depth), this way, even if the worms were to burrow, part of them will be wiggling up and out of the gravel, allowing my killies to snap or just snack at them. I was like, "If I were to use such little gravel, how am I going to plant"? REPLY: Then forget the 'plants' and save yourself on CO2 too. I think it make financial sense...

Anyway, I really feel sorry for my killies and guilty that I have not been a good owner. So, I fish out my last remaining pair of healthy killies, 9 cherry shrimps, 3 ottos and changed the whole inside of my tank - only with minimal gravel, a driftwood, moss, ball algae and a plant which I am not very sure what it is.

I am not using anymore CO2 for my tank as there is just only just one decent plant (it is for the killie to hide), the rest are mosses and algae. Anyway, I need help. I need someone to tell me if the plant I bought require CO2 to live or not. I will get the pictures of my new tank and plant up. I was thinking that I might have bought some christmas moss but not sure either.

I have decided to feed my killies live tubifex if that is what they want and will eat. However, I also have concern after reading so much bad stuffs on tubifex on the net. One web-site actually says that long-term feeding of tubifex will deform one's fish. Is this true? I do not want my killies to become deformed due to their diet.

Gary

[timebomb]

Gary,

I keep all my Killies in planted tanks and I feed them Tubifex worms everyday. Inevitably, some worms escaped and burrow themselves into the substrate. But it's not a big deal. Frankly, I don't see why you're so paranoid over this. Tubifex worms in the substrate would be equivalent to having earthworms in your garden. I don't think they will do any harm.

But if it bothers you, you can try keeping Corydoras in your tank. Corys have the ability of digging into the substrate and eating the worms. If your substrate is very thick though, the Corys probably won't be able to reach the worms. But then again, if yours is a thick substrate, who cares whether there are worms there

Tubifex is known to bring diseases to the tank. But then again, that would also be true for almost everything you put inside your tank. Diseases, parasites etc come with aquatic plants too.

I have always believe it's better to feed the fish with Tubifex and let them build up a resistance against disease. Rather than to try to be clinically clean and the fish get wiped out the moment there's a slight infection. It's like the way we raise our children these days. Singapore has become so hygienic and clean in recent years our kids can't stomach roadside hawker food when they are in other countries. When I was a kid, I run around the drains and I always have sores around my legs. My nose was always running too. We ate all sorts of unhygienic good but we rarely fell ill. These days, I have to bring my daughter to the doctor if she so much as get a mosquito bite

Loh K L

[stormhawk]

If you feed them with just one type of food they would naturally be hit by some sort of nutritional deficiency. Tubifex is good for fattening up fish but not healthy for the fish to be fed exclusively.

That website is pretty mis-informed or should I say, misleading. Deformity can occur with age, or the genes, or even caused by environmental factors, of which nutritional imbalance can be used as an explanation.

My killies and other fish get fed a variety of foods, of which I interchange the use of tubifex and live daphnia, along with some other food items like the occasional BBS treat.

They can be "trained" to accept flake and even pellet food. I've done this before and it takes some time and ALOT OF PATIENCE.

[RonWill]

Gary,
I don't think you'd like to hear this but personally, I feel you're going about this like a Tsunami. Why the haste in tearing down an established eco? (or was it a new setup?)

Maintaining a planted mini-eco, like killie-keeping and life's other journeys, has it's pitfalls and portholes, but we learn from our mistakes and eventually, make wiser decisions later on.

I'm not a die-hard green-thumber (aka aquatic gardener) but always believed in fish tanks with lots of plants (not a planted tank with under-nourished fishes ).

There is no fertilized substrate, just a slope of Lonestar gravel, 5cm at the deepest point, where I have rooted plants like vals and probably 3mm at the thinest, usually at the front, and I keep this area open and free of plants. This is my feeding area and any tubifex that the killies miss, the corydoras will 'sniff' them out. Ramhorn snails and cherry shrimps will help cleanup other uneaten bits.

In places where rooted plants can't get a grip [1], I use floaters, moss and hornwort... lots of it!

None of my tanks are CO² fertilized and uses either air-driven sponge or Henri deBruyn filters, OR wet/dry sump filtration (in my main rack).

I don't use PL lights or those fancy T-number tubes and you'll probably laugh your socks off if you see how my setups are maintained... but it works for me.

What you do need to know is how to balance your bioload and use plants to act as supplimentary filters. By all means, do have lights. Afterall, plants need light to work but go for those that will thrive with low-light, like moss, java ferns, anubias, vals and even some species of dwarf swords (Echinodorus). It helps immensely if you know your plants (go visit www.tropica.com).

Also, you changed the feeding regime too drastically and didn't give the fishes ample time to adjust to new diets. You need a large dose of patience!

[1] With time, even a 8-inch Swordplant can stay planted in 1cm of substrate. You don't have to believe me... just ask the regulars who visit me.

[hobgoblin]

Gary,

I wouldn't be so concerned with tubifex burrowing into the gravel. In my opinion, if the fishes aren't overfed, naturally there wouldn't be any tubifex left in the tank. If you do see any worms in the gravel, or especially near the roots of plants, then it is probably a ribbon worm (correct me if I am wrong).

I agree with Jianyang that you should maintain a varied diet for your killies. Tubifex can be used as a staple, but it lacks other minerals that the fish requires. The trick to getting them to accept frozen food or flake food, is to starve them for a few days (again it depends on the fish, whether they are finicky eaters). Another method is to mix the frozen food with some live tubifex. For flake food, you will need a little wee bit of patience, and it will certainly make it easier if they're 'meaty'. For me, brine shrimp flake works well, but it's a tad pricey.

Apart from that, I have seen Ron's 8 inch sword plant, and it is growing well. Believe me, you shouldn't be too clinical about keeping fishes. Tubifex, daphnia, rotifiers and the like are grown in dirty water (sometimes even containing manure).

Hope it helps.

Regards,
Andrew