Frozen Bloodworms

[Akasha72]

Hi all,

Yesterday I got my frozen bloodworm blister pack from a different lfs and I noticed when I defrosted it that is was a different colour to what I'm used to.

Normally I would get my packs from P@H as it's 10 minutes from home and I can get the packs back into a freezer before they de-frost.
They didn't have any this week and my fish had been without for a week so I went looking elsewhere rather than deprive them for another week (P@H get their delivery on a Friday)

I found some at my trusted lfs near Knaresborough (a good 20-30 minutes away from home). I'd taken my freezer bag with me and a couple of freezer blocks so they wouldn't melt so quickly.
Whilst I was there they had some live bloodworm on the counter and I was surprised at how red they were.

When it came to feeding my fish last night I also noticed how much redder in colour these frozen blocks were too. The normal block from P@H would be almost brown in colour.

It's got me thinking that the bloodworm I've been getting hasn't been very fresh and also got me thinking that that could be the cause of my fish constantly flicking on everything.

As some of you know I've been feeding lots of bloodworm lately in an effort to get my cories spawning with very little effect. Last night they went crazy - I've never seen them so active. Although there's still no sign of eggs


I wondered what everyone else's experience is of frozen bloodworm. What colour is it for you? Has anyone else had issues with their fish flicking against decorations after eating bloodworm that may potentially be 'off'


Interested to read any further comments

Akasha

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

They should be a nice bright red colour. I would say that the brown ones have possibly been thawed and then re-frozen(not a surprise from P@H). I would stick to buying the ones from you lfs from now on.

 

[Noahs ark6]

I also get my bloodworm from pets at home and it's a burgundy colour. My fish just eat it like flake food, so it can't be that good

 

[tomtomtom1230]

The ones I get are nearly always bright red. I would agree with DevotedToDiscus and say that the browner coloured worms are defrosted and then refrozen.

 

[Akasha72]

thanks. I won't be getting anymore from P@H. I'll stick with my lfs from now on.

It will also be interesting to see if the flashing from the fish stops. I've checked them all and I can see nothing obvious wrong with them - no white spot or flukes to be seen. No signs of any parasites of any kind - they just seem irritated by something and I'm beginning to wonder if it was manky bloodworms now.

 

[noor]

Akasha, you have seen the colour of live bloodworms now. They are bright red and your frozen ones should have an almost similar colour. Any frozen ones that arent the same colour like the live ones should be avoided. However, different produced may have different colour too. So try to remember this. If you purchased the whole box, there must be expiry date too.

 

[Akasha72]

they've just had some more tonight (c'mon cories I'm sick of waiting!) and they were also nice and red.

I've no idea on expiry dates from P@H but I know my lfs and I know there's no way he'd sell food that was out of date

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Akasha72,

Here's a picture to show you just what color a batch of frozen bloodworms is when it is defrosted. I use Hikari brand bloodworms and buy them in the one pound slab package.



There's a good chance that the brown ones you've had have been defrosted and refrozen. This might have happened anywhere down the distribution system and is not necessarily your lfs' fault. If it doesn't look good or if it smells bad, it would be best if you didn't use it.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

I use the bloodworm from P@H and it's a dark red and my fish love it, go figure!

 

[MisssMarie]

The ones I get are nearly always bright red. I would agree with DevotedToDiscus and say that the browner coloured worms are defrosted and then refrozen.

+1

 

[Akasha72]

I use the bloodworm from P@H and it's a dark red and my fish love it, go figure!

I'm not trying to slam all P@H branches - I've never suggested that as I know that kind of talk is discouraged on this forum.

I simply want to find out if the bloodworms I have used in the past have been out of date/not good for my fish etc.

I was also hoping this topic would help any newbies to recognise when frozen food is good or bad

@Inchworm: That's what the new pack I have looks like! Nice and red