Frozen Bloodworms. Do you use them?

kevinf · Jul 4, 2012

I feed pellets & frozen mysis to my fish. I just picked up an Pink Bar/Aurora goby that does not like pellets. I was in PetCo & picked up a package of "fish gum drops" frozen bloodworms by San Francisco Bay. I first thought I picked up blackworms, but I miss read the packaging. I thought I would try it out & my fish loved it, so did my corals.
Anyway, I did some reading & read some threads that the bloodworms might contain parasites? Are they okay to feed fish? Who has experience/knowledge about them?

Mike&Terry · Jul 4, 2012

We feed our fish frozen Hikari bloodworms and they love 'em... never had any issues.

Cooper32803 · Jul 4, 2012

I feed them to my cichlids all the time and they go crazy for them... My salty fish are too small still for them though...

mnat · Jul 4, 2012

In studies they are shown to have one of the highest levels of phosphates of any frozen food. I would avoid them and shoot for live or frozen black worms. Blackworms have better nutrition than bloodworms which are not even worms. Kevin I have a ton of frozen blackworms if you want to give them a shot.

wysiwyg · Jul 5, 2012

i use them as treats every once in a while and my fish love them

SeahorseKeeper · Jul 5, 2012

My fish hate them. They also hate squid and plankton.

BarbH · Jul 5, 2012

I give them to my fish every once in awhile as a treat. I have also heard they are good for trying to get a finicky eater to start feeding.

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Steelerfan747 · Jul 5, 2012

I have yet to try them but may give em a shot

kevinf · Jul 5, 2012

mnat said:
In studies they are shown to have one of the highest levels of phosphates of any frozen food. I would avoid them and shoot for live or frozen black worms. Blackworms have better nutrition than bloodworms which are not even worms. Kevin I have a ton of frozen blackworms if you want to give them a shot.

Thanks Matt! If I can't find any local I will take you up on that offer!

I appreciate all the other replies!

Ninjapotamus · Jul 5, 2012

Great food... everything loves them. Also REALLY useful for reviving half dead/sick lps that has a hard time grabbing other food. Bloodworms are SUPER easy for them to grab and hold onto compared to mysis etc.

NanaReefer · Jul 5, 2012

My Target Mandarin loves them-I only feed the Hikari though. My LPS love em too

NanaReefer · Jul 5, 2012

mnat said:
In studies they are shown to have one of the highest levels of phosphates of any frozen food. I would avoid them and shoot for live or frozen black worms. Blackworms have better nutrition than bloodworms which are not even worms. Kevin I have a ton of frozen blackworms if you want to give them a shot.

Nice to know about the po4-explains a lot

chris13115 · Jul 5, 2012

I have a betta and he eats pellets and bloodworms, frozen ones espiccialy

chort55 · Jul 5, 2012

My fish (all like 22 of them) LOVE them! Never had any issues with them and also only have used the hikari brand!

steamer51 · Jul 5, 2012

Bloodworms are the larvae of a terrestrial fly and have very little nutritional value for our salty friends. I believe they are useful as an occasional treat or to start a feeding response but do not contain HUFAS and fish oils required by saltwater fish. Much better to feed something that comes from their natural environment. Blackworms (terrestrial also) are one of the best foods and I don't know why there is a difference but the only place I know that they are raised for sale is in California.

blkhawk10 · Jul 5, 2012

I give em to my clown fish every once in a while cause he's the only one that eats them. I also feed them to my dendro.

feh · Jul 5, 2012

I feed frozen omega 1 super brine shrimp, mysis, krill, emerald entree and formula 2... and dried nori.

caudill187 · Jul 6, 2012

I do use them OCCASIONALLY. I agree that I'd rather feed my marine organisms foods (proteins) or marine origin. Many animals have trouble digesting large amounts of proteins that are not present in their environments. That being said, I don't think a little will hurt much and my fish love them.

I don't know if I buy the parasite theory, under the same logic above. Marine organisms are generally more suitable as hosts to marine parasites (with marine secondary hosts, not larvae of terrestrial insects).

lps1212 · Jul 6, 2012

I haven't used them in awhile I might just target feed my Lps chalices and favias and see what happens I do remember my fish going crazy over them

GratefulReef · Feb 21, 2013

I only ever used them for my cichlids, who seemed to like them but didnt go nuts. I now make my own food for corals and fish, and everyone loves it. I use a very simple recipie of nori paper, organic garlic, and organic seafoods(usually whatever is on sale when I'm shopping) I have used everything from mixes with clam, squid,shrimp,etc to just shrimp, or just squid. Its much cheaper than prefab and you know exactly what youre getting. Basically you just throw everything in a blender or food processor and add some of your tank water slowly to develop a paste, I usually blend until I cant see large pieces of the protien, just small bits. Then I freeze it in an icecube tray and use about one per week, thaw it in a cup with tank water and use a syringe without the needle to target feed corals and usually the excess that floats off the fish go for.