People opposing bloodworms. Why?

[kashif314]

I don't understand why the dislike for feeding blood worms to fish. I ve been told its like u r having meal at McDonald's daily or a steak in every meal. Bloodworms are tasty for fish but unhealthy.

If your fish are Carnivorous so why the harm in feeding them bloodworms? People say to feed fish shrimps or krill but when they hear bloodworms they immediately say no.

I read nutrition info on bloodworms, krill, shrimps etc and all have almost same level of protein and other nutrition valus are almost same so why shrimps are better than bloodworms? Why shrimps are not unhealthy if bloodworms are which have same nutrition values?

 

[coralbandit]

I am interested to hear some factual info on this as well..
I feed frozen blood worms to my rams and well, so far so good?
What do I know though , my last purchase was 12 pounds of frozen bloodworms..!
That is 12 of the largest flats sold ...

 

[kashif314]

I am interested to hear some factual info on this as well..
I feed frozen blood worms to my rams and well, so far so good?
What do I know though , my last purchase was 12 pounds of frozen bloodworms..!
That is 12 of the largest flats sold ...

I hope someone reply. I did agree they are unhealthy for herbivores or omnivorous fish if feed all the time but for Carnivorous why not?

 

[Brookster123]

There's nothing wrong with them, you just shouldn't feed them as a staple. It's all part of a well balanced diet. If you eat MacDonald every day... once in a while probably won't hurt. You should limit to 2-3 times a week.

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[kashif314]

There's nothing wrong with them, you just shouldn't feed them as a staple. It's all part of a well balanced diet. If you eat MacDonald every day... once in a while probably won't hurt. You should limit to 2-3 times a week.

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I understand but what I don't understand is why only bloodworms are compared to McDonald's and why not lets say shrimps or krill? Like people advise to feed them but not bloodworms. If all have same nutrition values than I believe they are McDonald's too.

 

[gilpi]

I understand but what I don't understand is why only bloodworms are compared to McDonald's and why not lets say shrimps or krill? Like people advise to feed them but not bloodworms. If all have same nutrition values than I believe they are McDonald's too.

Have a McDonald's burger with a glass or two of wine. You'll see things in a different way.

 

[Brookster123]

I understand but what I don't understand is why only bloodworms are compared to McDonald's and why not lets say shrimps or krill? Like people advise to feed them but not bloodworms. If all have same nutrition values than I believe they are McDonald's too.

Forget the MacDonalds comparison, it's about balance, it's not healthy to only eat protein and nothing else. Need fiber, ruffage.. the whole digestion thing you know..

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[kashif314]

Forget the MacDonalds comparison, it's about balance, it's not healthy to only eat protein and nothing else. Need fiber, ruffage.. the whole digestion thing you know..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Yes thats exactly I am saying. If people panic about bloodworms then they must not say others to feed shrimps or krill as a substitute to bloodworms. Like u said for Carnivorous a balanced diet is required too and lots of fiber intake.

I completely agree with ur reply. But people just read and forward that info to whoever asks about bloodworms without asking about the fish.

 

[gilpi]

Discus breeders have been feeding their fish blood worms as their main food source with success.
Some fish are herbivores, some are carnivores and some are omnivores so with that said, feed accordingly. I have yet to hear or read on the harm of bloodworms but would love to.

 

[nirbhao]

I really think it depends on the fish. My guppies get blood worms once a week, whereas the puffers get them almost every other day. They don't eat anything if it's not moving. I have black worms coming, so then they will get blood worms left often.

 

[Nicki Gaga]

My fish don't really like eating bloodworms. Every time I feed them bloodworms, there are many left over and they don't seem excited to be eating them.

 

[Tbox]

I am interested to hear some factual info on this as well..
I feed frozen blood worms to my rams and well, so far so good?
What do I know though , my last purchase was 12 pounds of frozen bloodworms..!
That is 12 of the largest flats sold ...

12lbs?[emoji15] I'd like to get a look at your freezer.
Did somebody say steak? Even a ribeye would lose its luster if eaten daily, maybe, still untested.
But some people believe that variation is the spice of life[emoji218]

 

[coralbandit]

12lbs?[emoji15] I'd like to get a look at your freezer.
Did somebody say steak? Even a ribeye would lose its luster if eaten daily, maybe, still untested.
But some people believe that variation is the spice of life[emoji218]

5lbs. of other frozen foods , live BBS and 25 lbs. of dry [flake/pellet/golden pearls] assortment of prepared food also..
A variety and meeting the fishes specific needs are important..
I can burn 1 lb. of blood worms in 2 weeks easy if I feed them to my juvi fish...

 

[Skywalker28]

My fish don't really like eating bloodworms. Every time I feed them bloodworms, there are many left over and they don't seem excited to be eating them.

My Electric Blue Dwarf Cichlids and X-Ray Tetras are the same. They eat the frozen shrimp and krill but not as much of the blood worms. I have a mix pack of frozen food I give them throughout the week in the morning so they get bloodworms once a week. I feed them a pinch of flakes every night with a few crustacean pellets (they are the same as the cichlid pellets but much smaller for the dwarf cichlids and easier for them to eat).

 

[OsciTheOscar]

High protein diets are not a part of Mbuna life specifically... as far as other fish i dunno...

 

[kashif314]

High protein diets are not a part of Mbuna life specifically... as far as other fish i dunno...

Because Mbunas need staple veggie diet and thats why blood worms or other meaty foods are not good for them. They also cause the famous Malawi bloat but Carnivorous fish need high protein diet and bloodworms are one of them so I believe they are fine.

 

[Brookster123]

Because Mbunas need staple veggie diet and thats why blood worms or other meaty foods are not good for them. They also cause the famous Malawi bloat but Carnivorous fish need high protein diet and bloodworms are one of them so I believe they are fine.

The utter wonder of keeping a tank.... YOUR tank, your choice

 

[coralbandit]

Thought I would throw this up as it covers most of the bases..
https://theaquariumwiki.com/Bloodworm

 

[Bubba643]

I think people are just saying most fish eat a bunch of different food sources in nature. I've never thought bloodworms were any different than shrimp or other "meats" really. The same rule applies, just feeding shrimp or beef heart only is normally going to get you the protein source they need. However if your trying to max out their nutritional health you need added sources of vitamins and minerals that aren't found in "meats". Just like McDonald's your not going to die but you also might not live as long or healthy as you would eating a salad every other day instead and adding a daily vitamin mixed in with those few trips to micky D's a week.

 

[Larry Little]

If I could weigh in from a zoological standpoint, the digestive anatomies of strict carnivores and omnivores/herbivores are quite different. Carnivores have much shorter intestines since meat is easier to break down than plant material. Meat fed to omnivores or herbivores can actually result in too much nutrient absorption. That being said, predators, especially fish, tend to eat their prey whole, so they get the plant material that the prey animal has in its stomach as well.

It's sometimes hard to know what to feed, especially for a community tank, but with the plethora of live foods, frozen foods, and prepared diets that have emerged since in the years that I was away from fishkeeping, it seems like there is a correct food for almost any fish I can imagine keeping.