Feeding Frozen Bloodworms...HELP!

[hsherman1986]

Ok, so I decided to upgrade to actual frozen bloodworms instead of freeze dried. So I bought a package of Hikari Frozen bloodworms, but instead of them being in cubes like I was expecting, they are frozen in 2"x4" sheets.

How do I go about preparing this for the fish? I know I need to thaw it out, but do I thaw out the entire sheet, feed as much as needed, then refreeze what I do not use? Or do I try to cut off only what I need and only thaw that?

Also, will this stuff sink to the bottom, or will it float?

Help please!!

 

[Guest]

it sinks. i break off a small chunk and swish in the water until it starts to break up. my fish will usually come to my hand by then

 

[hc8719]

what peanut said,

dont let it thaw otherwise it will freeze solid, and thicker

 

[hsherman1986]

well, i messed with it, and it went over well. The barbs were actually eating out of my hand once they figured out what was going on. I don't think I will ever go back to freeze dried. The frozen goes over much better. Everyone ate some of it. even the goldies, once they figured out what it was.

I just wasnt sure how easily the stuff would come apart, or how quickly it would thaw once it was in the tank, but it was really easy to break off what i needed, then immediatly put the leftovers back in the freezer before it thawed.

Thanks for the quick responses, i was just a little nervouse about it at first.

 

[hc8719]

The frozen goes over much better. Everyone ate some of it. even the goldies, once they figured out what it was.

frozen is also cheaper per ounce in most cases too, and all fish respond to it alot more. i mean what sounds better, juicy steak, or freeze dried steak.

thanks for making the switch

 

[QTOFFER]

I prefer the cubes for the convenience, but sometimes I can only get the sheets.
Here's what I do with the sheets: I score the sheet deeply with a sharp knife at about 1 inch intervals. This makes it very easy to break the sheet into 1 inch wide strips. Then I chop the strips into 1 inch squares by pressing down firmly with the knife - no scoring necessary. I store the squares in a ziplock bag in the freezer Sometimes they stick together, but it's usually easy to pull them apart.

I thaw the cubes or squares in a small cup of tank water that I slowly pour into the tank - making sure that everybody gets some. I discovered the hard way that one large angelfish is capable of glunking down an entire cube of bloodworms as soon as it hits the water! 8O (He was a bit swollen for a few days, nut that soon passed.) It's really comical to watch the tetras zip by and steal half a bloodworm out of an angelfish' mouth!

 

[toddnbecka]

I buy the flat packs regularly. I just lay one on a folded towel on the kitchen counter and hit it with a heavy spatula handle to break it up into chunks. It is better to thaw the chunk in a small bowl of tank water before feeding.

 

[BrianNY]

It's always a good idea to rinse frozen foods before feeding. I simply put a chunck in a fine mesh net and run it under the faucet until it thaws.

 

[hc8719]

It's always a good idea to rinse frozen foods before feeding. I simply put a chunck in a fine mesh net and run it under the faucet until it thaws.

i do that sometimes, but especailly with brine shrimp... who are 50% brown water...

 

[JRagg]

frozen is also cheaper per ounce in most cases too, and all fish respond to it alot more. i mean what sounds better, juicy steak, or freeze dried steak.

Frozen is cheaper per ounce because you're paying for water that is frozen into it.

I actually just went the other way and switched from frozen to freeze dried foods. I have seen no difference in how the fish respond at all. They go nuts over both types, and it is a heck of a lot easier to feed. I think that container of freeze dried bloodworms will probably last until the apocolypse.

Freeze dried steak? You mean beef jerky right
It's like choosing between a 4 or 5 star resturaunt. They're both good.

 

[Big C]

My guys prefer the frozen by far! I just put a cube or two in the water and let it float. It thaws pretty quickly with the help from the avid fish pulling the worms out of the cube.

They all get their share. I only feed frozen bloodworms once a week right before a water change. Then I feed FD worms every so often as part of their "varied daily gourmet diet".

Spoiled fish!

 

[hsherman1986]

yea they defintly seem to like the frozen better. I go through one container of freeze dried in about 3-4 weeks. we'll see how long the frozen lasts.

The biggest advantage for me is that they sink, as the freeze dried floats, which means that all of my bottom feeders get some bloodworms too, and I do not have to feed them the same treat all the time (right now, all they get is shrimp pellets for a treat)

 

[hc8719]

Freeze dried steak? You mean beef jerky right

i wouldnt go so far as calling freeze dried steak, jerky, (unless maybe they're slim jims, those are just gross, and even then, they still have some moisture to them) but i do notice they like they're frozen ones.

i'd also have to disagree jragg, there isnt an abundant amount of water in frozen bloodworms, while there is some, i have an omega one freeze dried blood worm bottle right here, and its bigger than most bottles, and it only has .46 oz while a sheet of sallys frozen has 4 oz, and cost less, and i know theres more than .46 oz in there of bloodworms alone. im not going to condem you for buying freeze dried, i even use them sometimes.

frozen brine shrimp however, thats all water...

hssherman, you do feed your fish other things beside bloodworms though? right, like flakes?

 

[hsherman1986]

of course. I feed them flakes and sinking tablets in the morning, then alternate nights between bloodworms, bbs, and boiled veggies for the mid/top swimmers, and frozen bloodworms and shrimp pellets for the bottom feeders.

 

[JRagg]

I just looked at my 3.5 oz package of sally's frozen bloodworms and they are 95% moisture. So the 0.42 oz can of freeze dried is equivalent to 8.4 oz of frozen.

It works out to be about even price wise.

 

[Sicklid]

Now I have read somewhere NOT to rinse frozen bloodworms, because it loses nutritional value or something like that.

 

[hsherman1986]

i dunno. I just swish it around til it starts to thaw, then I just seperate it throughout the tank so that everyone gets some. I didn't rinse it off, its Hikari, I trust it.

 

[hc8719]

Now I have read somewhere NOT to rinse frozen bloodworms, because it loses nutritional value or something like that.

i do it just the same, i mean if a bloodworm is on the bottom of the tank, isnt that considered rinsed?

plus who needs all that redish water in the tank...