Colin called it right !

[Back in the fold]

Over time , @Colin_T has warned about bloodworms and the mishaps that can occur when feeding them too often . I had an incident sometime between yesterday and this morning that I think proves him right . I feed bloodworms fairly regularly and just bought a new pound pack Monday . The old ones from the previous package were small and these new ones are considerably larger . Yesterday I fed my Endler’s from the new pack and , of course , the fish love them . Even smaller fish grab them with gusto and swim madly about trying to evade thieves looking like they have a big red cigar in their mouths . Welp . . . this morning I found three floaters when I turned on the light . I never have fatalities so this concerned me . All the dead ones had fat full bellies . A word of warning to the wise . Heed Colin’s advice and feed frozen bloodworms sparingly or chop them up for smaller fish . Better yet feed Grindal Worms to small fish and save the bloodworms for the bigger fish .

 

[AJ356]

I stopped using frozen bloodworms on the grounds of how much they generally stink and seem to make the aquarium water smell bad as well. It made me feel like I was in a butchers or even a slaughterhouse.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

I believe San Francisco Bay Brine Co sell frozen mini bloodworms. I'm nost sure how much smaller they are than normal bloodworms.

 

[anewbie]

It wasn't the size that killed them; blood worms that you don't raise yourself are frequently infected with all sort of yucky that will kill fishes. You can of coruse raise your own blood worms and there are instructions on the web - one guy has a neat little setup with pumps using aquarium water to flow through his culture but me being a dummy I think i'll stick to fluval bug bite for my meat eaters.

 

[gwand]

Over time , @Colin_T has warned about bloodworms and the mishaps that can occur when feeding them too often . I had an incident sometime between yesterday and this morning that I think proves him right . I feed bloodworms fairly regularly and just bought a new pound pack Monday . The old ones from the previous package were small and these new ones are considerably larger . Yesterday I fed my Endler’s from the new pack and , of course , the fish love them . Even smaller fish grab them with gusto and swim madly about trying to evade thieves looking like they have a big red cigar in their mouths . Welp . . . this morning I found three floaters when I turned on the light . I never have fatalities so this concerned me . All the dead ones had fat full bellies . A word of warning to the wise . Heed Colin’s advice and feed frozen bloodworms sparingly or chop them up for smaller fish . Better yet feed Grindal Worms to small fish and save the bloodworms for the bigger fish .

Back in January I over fed a pair of a. cacatuoides too many black worms. The pair swelled up something awful. An epsom salt bath helped resolve the swelling. Both survived.

 

[Back in the fold]

I always rinse bloodworms because they are dirty and do stink . I also handle them very carefully and wash my hands afterwards . @GaryE can tell you why you should use extra caution with frozen bloodworms . I’ve never had a problem before but now I’m considering quitting using them . I have plenty of other things to feed and they wouldn’t be missed .

 

[anewbie]

I always rinse bloodworms because they are dirty and do stink . I also handle them very carefully and wash my hands afterwards . @GaryE can tell you why you should use extra caution with frozen bloodworms . I’ve never had a problem before but now I’m considering quitting using them . I have plenty of other things to feed and they wouldn’t be missed .

I don't think you understand it isn't the 'dirt' on the exterior it is the bacteria and similar they carry internally due to how they are mass produced.

 

[GaryE]

They're a great food I would use if I weren't allergic to it. My hands swell up like I'm Mickey Mouse.

But I wouldn't use it for any small fish, and never gave it to livebearers.

I get 'wild' bloodworms all summer in my daphnia bins, but they are slightly different in shape to the purchased frozen ones. I am guessing there are a number of midge/fly species around the world that produce similar larvae, and when we talk about bloodworms as an international group here, we may be thinking of different creatures. It may be why different brands can appear different.

I never noticed a strong smell from them (though they do have a specific, mild odour) unless they had been thawed and frozen. Then, they were downright dangerous, like a lot of frozen/thawed/frozen products.

 

[Back in the fold]

I don't think you understand it isn't the 'dirt' on the exterior it is the bacteria and similar they carry internally due to how they are mass produced.

No , I didn’t understand what you meant but they are dirty in the sense of filth too . I thaw them in a glass of water and then rinse them in a brine shrimp net with clean water . The water in the glass I thaw them in is really dirty and cloudy . I imagine they do have a lot of bacteria and stuff . Being mass produced I don’t figure them to be very clean . I rinse my frozen brine shrimp too . Take a whiff of that to see why .

 

[Lcc86]

I've heard that bloodworms you get in the US aren't actually bloodworms and that's why they cause issues. I've only read this on the african dwarf frog subreddit on reddit so take it with a pinch of salt but it comes up very regularly and people say to avoid for frogs completely if US based. Wonder if the same could be true for frogs?

 

[Colin_T]

Bloodworms (Chironomid midge larvae) have a very hard head that can't be broken down by a fish's digestive tract. The head can lodge in the digestive tract and cause a blockage. This is more common in small fish and less likely to occur in big fish due to the size of the digestive tract (bigger diameter intestine). If you cut the bloodworms up, they are less likely to cause problems but still can.

Prepackaged bloodworms sold in pet shops come from tropical Asia. The bloodworms occur in various waterways and many carry bacteria due to their environment (sewerage outlets are commonly used to collect bloodworms, daphnia and tubifex or blackworms). To overcome this some companies irradiate the bloodworms and this kills the bacteria on them. Other companies don't irradiate bloodworms and these can cause internal infections in fish.

If you buy frozen bloodworms, check the packaging to see if they have been irradiated. If they have, they are probably safe. However, if you are feeding bloodworms to small fish, cut them up into little pieces using a pr of scissors. This will reduce the chance of blockages occurring.

Always feed fish a varied diet and try to match the food to what they eat in their natural habitat. Try not to feed the same foods every day unless it's part of a varied diet. Try not to feed frozen bloodworms every day. Use micro, grindal or white worms instead.