Everyone loves tubifex

[plebian]

I supplement granulated food with freeze dried tubifex worms 2 or 3 times a week. All the fish get excited, especially the Discus and the Corydoras. There is always some minor aggression among some of the Discus during feeding time, but when tubifex are in the water the intensity ramps up.

The smallest Discus is an especially aggressive eater. He will grab a chunk from my fingers bigger than he can swallow, shaking it like a terrier shaking a rat to break it into bits he can swallow. Watching him, I’m half worried he’s going to choke on it.

If any of the larger Discus approach, he turns his back on them to guard his prize. He will also try to grab some from the mouths of any of the other Discus if they’re nearby, one of which is four times his size. It’s very entertaining.

The Diamond and Cardinal Tetras also appreciate the addition to the menu, but not as much as the Corydoras. The excitement level of the Corydoras ramps up when tubifex is in the water, scurrying madly about the gravel substrate to pick up what’s been missed by the other fish.

 

[Sgooosh]

I supplement granulated food with freeze dried tubifex worms 2 or 3 times a week. All the fish get excited, especially the Discus and the Corydoras. There is always some minor aggression among some of the Discus during feeding time, but when tubifex are in the water the intensity ramps up.

The smallest Discus is an especially aggressive eater. He will grab a chunk from my fingers bigger than he can swallow, shaking it like a terrier shaking a rat to break it into bits he can swallow. Watching him, I’m half worried he’s going to choke on it.

If any of the larger Discus approach, he turns his back on them to guard his prize. He will also try to grab some from the mouths of any of the other Discus if they’re nearby, one of which is four times his size. It’s very entertaining.

The Diamond and Cardinal Tetras also appreciate the addition to the menu, but not as much as the Corydoras. The excitement level of the Corydoras ramps up when tubifex is in the water, scurrying madly about the gravel substrate to pick up what’s been missed by the other fish.

nice, what food is it?
my freeze dried bugs will not sink to the bottom of the tank even when soaked lol

do you have any videos?

 

[plebian]

nice, what food is it?
my freeze dried bugs will not sink to the bottom of the tank even when soaked lol

do you have any videos?

Tubifex should sink if you pre-soak it. The brand I'm using won't be available in your neck of the woods. I do have an old video showing some Discus eating tubifex, but nothing recent.

Is it possible to upload video to this forum? Most forums won't allow it due to file size.

 

[Essjay]

Videos have to be uploaded to a video hosting site such as YouTube and the link posted on here.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Nothing like natural foods to bring out the inner predator. If you think they go nuts for freezedried tubifex, try giving them some live blackworms.

 

[GaryE]

Tubifex used to be such a go to, but then rumours of parasites (in freeze dried food) took off, and they are far less available. I never heard or saw one substantiated problem with freeze dried ones. I've been told that the same kind of rumours knocked freeze dried mosquito larvae out of the market, but that was before I paid attention to such things so I can't really be much more than a rumour guy there. The people who stuck with freeze dried tubifex were wise. It's good stuff.
Live blackworms are incredible. When I could get them locally, everything that generally spawned in tanks did so after just a few feedings.

I still think that when spawning or egg production ramps up with a food, that is the best indicator the food is good.

I wish there were more options for freeze dried and live foods available to us. I have whiteworms, fruit flies, artemia, decapsulated artemia cysts, cricket powder and dried powdered krill here. I should get some freeze dried tubifex again - it was effective food. Breaking out of the flake and pellet processed food cycle was one of the best things I've done in my hobby, though it is a little work. I still use soldier fly larvae based bug bites flakes (I dislike pellets in general), but a varied diet of 'gross things' works really well.

 

[Sgooosh]

Tubifex should sink if you pre-soak it. The brand I'm using won't be available in your neck of the woods. I do have an old video showing some Discus eating tubifex, but nothing recent.

Is it possible to upload video to this forum? Most forums won't allow it due to file size.

you can use youtube to upload...
perhaps I did not soak my food as long as i should...

 

[BrianK]

I feed freeze dried tubiflex also. The fish love it. Seems to be their favorite food judging by how they attack it.

Mine doesn't sink either. I pre-soak but it is more of a neutral buoyancy. Floats wherever the current takes it but the fish gobble it up pretty fast.

 

[Alice B]

I used to feed freeze dried tubifex, but then I was told it was mostly fat and not much nutrition, and then some kind of bug hatched in the jar and that was the end of that, about 15 years ago. Should I be feeding it?

 

[GaryE]

I used to feed freeze dried tubifex, but then I was told it was mostly fat and not much nutrition, and then some kind of bug hatched in the jar and that was the end of that, about 15 years ago. Should I be feeding it?

I don't think there's a "should" here. There's a "could".They are around 50% protein, 10% fat, 5% fibre, so if you are aiming for something that needs that, it could be good. I wouldn't make it a staple, but I may use it again for conditioning breeders, and see what happens.

 

[Alice B]

I will have to try some again, thank you

 

[jaylach]

I use freeze dried Tubifex worms for my Panda Garras and cichlids but don't soak first. Mine come from Hikari and are in cubes that are too large for a single feeding in my tank. I pinch off a chunk and press on the glass where it will stick. The Pandas attack it on the glass and the cichlids chow down on what is broken off and in the water. Hey it works.

This is the product that I use:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00025K1GG/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[emeraldking]

Everyone loves tubifex​

Not me... I love burgers...
Tubifex tastes funny... But maybe, it's just me...

 

[Slaphppy7]

I've actually never tried tubifex worms before (for my fish, not for me)

Just ordered some, the Omega One brand...

 

[WhistlingBadger]

They taste kinda like chicken.