Bloodworm allergy

[Nofrnds2pla]

I recently found out the hard way that I am allergic to frozen blood worms! My question is does anybody else have that allergy? I would like to try frozen black worms for my Pea puffers, is this something that they would eat? Also wondering if anybody has ever had an allergy to black worms. Not only is it not fun it is very expensive after you purchase a pack of cubes and cannot use them! Thank you for your time

 

[Uberhoust]

What about just putting some gloves on when handling the frozen blood worms. You may be able to rinse them after each use so you don't need new gloves each time.

I don't have the allergy, but I am also pretty immune to bug bites (no pun intended).

 

[Colin_T]

Use gloves until you have used up the bloodworm or get someone else to pop a block of frozen bloodworm in the tank. Make sure they wash their hands with soapy water after they handle the bloodworms so you don't get cross contaminated from them touching you or something you touch.

Blackworms are generally fine and I don't know of anyone who is allergic to them. However, I do know of a number of people that are allergic to frozen bloodworms. Some brands of frozen bloodworm are worse than others. The people I knew that were allergic did not have a reaction when using frozen bloodworms that had been irradiated. they did have issues with cheaper brands of bloodworms that had not been irradiated. It should state on the packet if it has been irradiated. The irradiating process kills a lot of bacteria and microscopic organisms on the bloodworms.

Tubifex worms can be an issue to some people but that is due to where the Tubifex are found (normally in sewerage ponds). However, you don't normally see frozen Tubifex worms for sale, they are normally live. Blackworms are cleaner.

Pea puffers will eat most things that are meat based and that includes insect larvae like bloodworms and small nematodes (worms) like blackworms, although blackworms can reach a couple of inches in length and are probably too long for pea puffers. They might eat them but you will need to try and see if they can. Frozen blackworms will probably work better because the puffers can bite pieces out of the cube rather than trying to swallow entire live blackworms.

You can also try them on live or frozen daphnia & brineshrimp, Mysis shrimp, prawn/ shrimp, bits of fish, octopus/ squid, and most other marine based foods or insects/ insect larvae. None of these foods should cause an allergy except maybe shellfish if you have a shellfish allergy.

 

[GaryE]

I have that allergy. It's to a specific protein in bloodworms. I used them a lot for years with no problem, but the allergy developed out of the blue. It started with swelling/tightness in the fingers, but it progressed very quickly. I have a friend who feeds bloodworms a lot, and if I put my hands in the water in his tanks, I get Mickey Mouse hands.
Most of the many people I've spoken to about this issue are ones who used it for years. It seems an allergy that comes from prolonged contact. If you have reacted the first time you've used it, I would throw it away and take the loss. It would suggest you're really sensitive. I used to buy it by the pound and used a lot of it over 10 years or so before I reacted to it.
I always fed with a knife and rarely touched the larvae even before I was allergic.
I get bloodworms in my live food cultures and they don't bother me - they haven't been broken by freezing, and they are very few. No other live food has caused any problems. I've only gotten live blackworms a few times, but had no problem with them. With other live food, the only problem has been mosquitoes biting me while I caught their larvae.

 

[Ceez]

@TwoTankAmin

 

[Nofrnds2pla]

Thank you so much for your very informative answers! This is why I love this forum. I did give the blood worms back to my LFS as he feeds them to his fish all the time & it’s a very small store,only a one guy operation however he’s been in business for over 30 years & I do trust him (but always do my own research). I live pretty much out in the boonies so there’s not much option unless you want to drive over 45 minutes. I fed the bloodworms with tongs so really didn’t touch them much so I am sure I am very sensitive to them, I don’t want to take the chance as the hospital is quite a ways away also! I am lyme positive (good old northeastern Pennsylvania ticks) and I think that seems to make me more sensitive so I’m afraid of insect related things. I have been trying frozen brine shrimp with them.(are they supposed to look like little feathers when you put them in the water?) They eat them, but not like they did the blood worms it takes more coaxing. I also have tried Hakari freeze dried Daphnia, I put them on the end of the tweezers. They do seem to peck at them a little however, they do float to the top and they are sort of curious and follow them,I’m just hoping that they will eat them when they float. I will look into the octopus & squid. Can I try regular frozen fish like haddock(of course with no additives)? Once again, thank you for all your help.

 

[Colin_T]

Yes, you can buy fish or any seafood that you eat and keep it in the freezer and use that as food. Fishing stores also sell bait (frozen prawn and fish) and you can use that too.

Frozen brineshrimp does look a bit like feathers floating through the water.

Freeze dried foods are dry and float. If you want to soak them for a few minutes they sink but most fish take them from the surface.

You can culture a number of live foods at home inlcuding mozzie larvae, daphnia, micro, grindal or white worms, and various insects and their larvae.

The following link has info on culturing a few live foods.

Back to Basics when Breeding Fish

STARTING OUT Make sure you have a pair, (1 male + 1 female). There is nothing worse than spending your hard-earned dollars buying a couple of fish to try and breed and ending up with a pair of fish of the same sex. Let's face it, to reproduce fish you need a male and a female. Two males won't do...

www.fishforums.net

 

[GaryE]

I've used white fleshed fish, and shrimp, but it does call for very fine chopping, or an efficient food processor.

Bloodworms were so easy to use and convenient, but allergies are allergies.

 

[Colin_T]

I've used white fleshed fish, and shrimp, but it does call for very fine chopping, or an efficient food processor.

I used a pair of scissors to cut frozen meat foods into bite size pieces for the fish. It was actually enjoyable and relaxing sitting on a chair cutting up bits of fish or prawn and dropping a few pieces into the tank, let them eat it and then add some more. I did this until the fish were full. It took a few hours for me (lots of tanks) but I found it was really relaxing and fun.

I also used to take sinking fish food down to the creek or river and drop a few bits into the water and see what fish turned up.

 

[GaryE]

I have small fish,so the food size is an issue. Bloodworms seem easy for fish to break once they're frozen, and they can eat them easily. I could take the time to use a good knife and chop fish finely, but I prefer to use a stick blender and do a kilo or so. I add a little veggie matter (baby food peas and carrots), a sprinkle of avian water soluble vitamins. and whatever else seems sensible, and freeze it in slabs. Usually, I add some non nutritional gelatin to bind it. Fish, shrimp, veggies - it's a good addition to to a varied diet.
In recent years I've stopped making it and have built up my live food resources, but I plan to make a few bags of it in the Fall.

 

[Nofrnds2pla]

I used a pair of scissors to cut frozen meat foods into bite size pieces for the fish. It was actually enjoyable and relaxing sitting on a chair cutting up bits of fish or prawn and dropping a few pieces into the tank, let them eat it and then add some more. I did this until the fish were full. It took a few hours for me (lots of tanks) but I found it was really relaxing and fun.

I also used to take sinking fish food down to the creek or river and drop a few bits into the water and see what fish turned up.

That’s great! Don’t you love it when you can take time to do some thing you love? Sounds like you’re from Louisiana (prawns) I remember when I visited my father down there I was about 12 and they were eating crayfish or crawdads I guess they called them. I told him I don’t eat bait! We used crayfish for bass fishing in Canada, I was horrified

 

[Nofrnds2pla]

I’m going to try some Haddock with my Pea Puffers, should it be blanched or raw? Thanks for your input.