Bloodworms in reef???
 

AM I the only nut job out there that feeds bloodworms to his reef tank? I've been told that they are not good for reef fish, but mine all love them... they go nuts (picky Mandarin included). The way I figure it: McDonald's ain't so great for us, but most of us are still alive from eating it... right????

I feed the frozen kind.

Frozen here also.

i think bloodworms are good for almost any fish.

all my picky ones have always scarffed them down when they refuse everything else; brine shrimp, frozen thingies, krill, expensive pellets.lol

I include blood worms in my frozen buffet

You bet! My mandarin (male) eats them like they're goin out of style! I mix them into my reef food concoction every day of several different frozen foods!

Actually, most of us are dying from a MacDonald's diet, although I don't eat there, nor do my fish. :lol:

OK, so for those of you that are not feeding bloodworms, is there a reason... ie health concerns that the rest of us should be aware of? Oh, and BTW, McDonalds is GOOD!!!

Mmmmmmm.... McBlood worms... doesn't sound quite right does it:mrgreen:

I don't feed bloodworms to my SW fish. FW only. My reason is that...bloodworms being mosquito larvae....it just doesn't seem right, in that I highly doubt it is a natural SW food. I suppose there is no harm in it. Just doesn't seem right...to me.

Cheers:smile:,

Bloodworms are midge larvae a subgroup of gnats.

Cyclopeeze is genetically engineered and raised in an artic lake. That's definitely not "conventional" food for our fish and corals but I think few would contest the value of Cyclopeeze to the hobby.

Bloodworms are quite high in fat, and help color up fish. I don't feed it to them all the time, but do feed my fresh and salty fish the worms and I notice it does help color.

I have also fed my freshwater baby angelfish mosquito larvae and they love it.

I stand corrected.....technically.:wink:

http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexp.../bloodwrm.html

http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/biodive...rt/midges.html

Cheers:smile:,

I feed them about once a week, maybe twice(depends how many other food I've got going for them! :razz: )

I find it does seem to help color, and the fish do seem to enjoy it. I dont feed very much though as i've always heard the myth they arent very good for SW.

Chris

i'm brutally allergic to them....so no

Ditto!

Actually you will find countless message boards with these complaints of serious allergies to bloodworms.

A few years back, I was babysitting a friends fish in my tanks & he gave me bloodworms to feed. A few days later I got a rash, sneezing, itchy eyes. Didn't thing to much of it but kept getting it. Then after a few weeks, I couldn't figure out why me & my guests were both getting rashes, itchy eyes, sneezing, ect. Every time I left my apartment for a day, I would feel better.

So I still wasn't able to figure out UNTIL I went into a local pet store, was shopping around and started to break out in a rash again. Talked with some employee's there and one guy said bet you have allergies to bloodworms as they feed with bloodworms. Told me lots of people have allergies to them. DING DING DING... yup, then I remembered the recent freezer dried bloodworms I was given to feed the fish, which they all loved it. Researched more and all the times I put my hands in the tank water, or even over time it collecting in the filters became air born. Took me a lot of water changes in all my tanks, cleaning all filters clear and no more feeding of bloodworms.

Do I normally have allergies..nope. Otherwise I have no allergies to anything. After I cleared my house of bloodworms, I never got a rash or cold like symptoms again.

So if you can't explain a little rash, itchy eyes, sneezing, cold like symptoms you or your family member keeps getting... stop feeding bloodworms, clean out all your filters, run lots of carbon and see if suddenly you feel a whole lot better and never see a rash again.



Here is a link for anyone interested. http://www.cincikillies.org/bloodworms2.htm


Hope this helps.

I used to be quite allergic... but now I could probably eat them and be fine?

Allergies work like that. I was fine around bloodworms for about 10 years and then eventually I started sneezing and getting a rash when I used them. I'm now at the point where if somebody threw some at me it would probably kill me.

Wow. Yes, I understand... I have had allergies that come and go quite often.

Wow...I didn't even know people could get allergic to bloodworms. Good to know. I break out in a rash sometimes when i work in my tank. Thot it was the salt water or the stinging cells from the corals...will keep a lookout.

I feed bloodworms to my tank because of my mandarin too. He may pass on a mysis sometimes, but he will never swim by a bloodworm and not eat it. I prob feed once or twice a week though. Good thing too... it sinks to the bottom easily so it's good for the mandarin. On the other hand, I don't feed bloodworms to my corals as they don't seem to like em much. My galaxea will devour mysis but not bloodworms.

The allergy connection is very intersting. However, like others, not sure what my mandarin would then eat? Not to mention its the only meaty food my lawnmower eats, besides the clams I fed to the copperband.