Live Foods

[ravekiss]

I just bought my first set of live foods...brine shrimp & tubliflex worms for by fish esp. my bettas. Are there any tips I need to know about keeping these live foods healthy for my guys? Do I need to feed them? Keep them in cold water? In fridge?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi ravekiss

It's not hard to keep the tubifex (and/or blackworms) clean and safe for feeding to your fish.

To clean them, I use a 2 cup measuring cup because the spout makes it a little easier to pour the water out of without losing some worms in the process, but any container will do. Just rinse them in cold tap water while stirring them to separate the clumps they sometimes form. Pour the water off and repeat the process until the water runs clear. It will usually take several rinses to get them to this point because they don't always get the attention they should at the lfs. Store them in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Then, once a day, before you feed them to your fish, give them another rinse. This will remove any dead ones and their accumulated waste products.

Your fish will love them, and any that escape into the gravel will provide a midnight snack for your ever hungry corys. Oh, and do be sure that the corys get some, since meaty foods like tubifex or blackworms should make up a good part of their diet, and live ones are the best!

 

[ravekiss]

Thanks Inchworm...what about Brine Shrimp? Any special care for them? Do I need to feed the tubiflex worms and brine shrimp?

 

[Paul_MTS]

if you bought the brineshrimp in bag, it usual works for about a week if placed in a fridge, drain it through a net when you want to use it then give a quite blast under the tap.

 

[ravekiss]

I bought it in a little styrofoam cup...I noticed they's much less active now than when i first bought them.

 

[OohFeeshy]

I put my brine shrimp in a sea monkey tank I ad laying around. They did fine, I chucked a few eggs in after a while to make up the population that my bettas had eaten.

 

[ravekiss]

HOw many brine shrimp do you feed a betta?

 

[OohFeeshy]

Depends how nice i'm feeling Probably way too much, maybe about 5 or six. But its worth t when you see things like Vespasians bubble nest which looks like a pile of foamed up shower foam in the corner