Quick newbie question on frozen feeding...

[Xirxes]

Why defrost bloodworms?

I ask this because every time i see feeding info on bloodworms, it says "defrost", or "thoroughly defrost" or even "ALWAYS DEFROST" before feeding, but never a why.

I have been feeding frozen bloodworms every other day to the 2 gouramis, 3 leopord danios, 1 clown and 1 red tailed shark for about 2 months now. Every time, its all gone before it hits the bottom.

I know that the food is defrosting in the water (at 80-82C shouldnt take long) because i see the worms separating and falling in water, but again, gobbled up before they every get a chance to hit the substrate.

What is the benefit of defrosting? Seems like a bit of a waste to me, when i can plop them right into the tank from the sealed tray in cube form, never having to touch the things myself.

[Graeme Robson]

So it sinks for the loaches and other bottom-dwelling fish.

[Xirxes]

allright thanks.

the clown and the shark both race to the cube and eat hartily (fat guts after) so no need for the sinkage here. thanks for quick reply.

[poeticpyro]

one clown???
i hope you don't mean clown loach, since they're so incredibly social and need at least two more buddies....

[Xirxes]

you probably arent familiar with my recent posts, but ill give you a nutshell account...

i battled ich for about 2 months, lost 6 clowns in the process... ive purchased a 6 stage RO and deionizing filter, as well as a 10G quarantine which is still cycling.

Once the cycling is complete (im hoping for 1-2 weeks tops) i will get another clown, but until then, he is without a close-knit buddy. (however his constant clicking and palling around with the red tail shark would seem to say otherwise)

my tank will not support 3 clowns for now (30G i know i know too small, but is what i have for now) and will upgrade when the two get larger.

[JonGuerriero]

Dropping a frozen cube of bloodworms (or anything else) is far from natural. Thawing the food out in tank water will allow a much more natural presentation.

[Mark in Vancouver]

Loaches of this kind eat all their food with the aid of their barbels. Cold is not somthing that these snoots are made for, let alone temperatures just above freezing. I suspect that contact with very cold temperatures could be bad for the barbels and the loach.

If you think of loach keeping in terms of providing them with a habitat in which they will flourish, one that simulates their wild habitat to a larger extent, they'll be healthier and happier over their long lives.



Xirxes - you won't escape Ich if you're adding one loach at a time without a quarantine tank. Even a small (10gallon), relatively bare tank will do. But Ich is in the water, and not neccessarily visible on any store bought fish. I'm sure you know this, but it's bears repeating.

[Xirxes]

If you read a little more closely mark... i did mention that i now have a Q tank... a 10 gallon... finishing its cycle, awating no ammonia reading, then i will Qtank the newcomer, to introduce later to the Main 30G tank.

[Mark in Vancouver]

Oh, you're quite right. Excuse me - my bad.