Gabe Posada and bloodworms

[peewee1]

I use to have an aunt named Midge. Her name was Margaret but everyone called her, Midge. Now I know why. Thanks, Francis.

[coralbandit]

I'll be giving your info a good read tonight after work Francis
Does anyone know of a source for freeze dried blood worm CUBES ??
All I can ever find is loose for freeze dried ? There would be a market for these I am sure so don't understand ?
Like Cliff I buy frozen in bulk from my LFS so they get them [16 @ 1 lb. flats] and they are fresh when received and then in my charge .
This will be my fourth forum where very few people have faith or like blood worms and honestly say I have been feeding them for the last 7 years and never [ever] needed to treat my fish for a issue I believe came from them . I don't feed them everyday ,but I often feed them more then 2 times a week. They are my go to for conditioning fish for breeding and my fish reward me for them ..
I use hikari frozen that again I get fresh and keep well frozen in my fish room freezer..I am sitting on about 12lbs now ..What else am I supposed to do with store credit for my rams ?

[Sturiosoma]

I'll be giving your info a good read tonight after work Francis
Does anyone know of a source for freeze dried blood worm CUBES ??
All I can ever find is loose for freeze dried ? There would be a market for these I am sure so don't understand ?
Like Cliff I buy frozen in bulk from my LFS so they get them [16 @ 1 lb. flats] and they are fresh when received and then in my charge .
This will be my fourth forum where very few people have faith or like blood worms and honestly say I have been feeding them for the last 7 years and never [ever] needed to treat my fish for a issue I believe came from them . I don't feed them everyday ,but I often feed them more then 2 times a week. They are my go to for conditioning fish for breeding and my fish reward me for them ..
I use hikari frozen that again I get fresh and keep well frozen in my fish room freezer..I am sitting on about 12lbs now ..What else am I supposed to do with store credit for my rams ?

In all my years I have never found freeze dried bloodworm cubes I get the freeze dried loose and rehydrate them in hot water which softens them up nice and also let's them sink

Jeanne

[Oxboy]

By the way, Gabe responded to my email inquiry. He said freeze dried are ok, but frozen are bad.

[captainandy]

please post the email from Gabe

[bluelagoon]

I've used freeze dried for years. I find them great to get fish in breeding condition/mood. Plus the frozen are mostly liquid and not a good bang for the buck.

[Oxboy]

please post the email from Gabe

Posada.jpg

[Tkuilderd]

I found this article on bloodworms, although they do not mention parasites I am almost sure that is this was an issue it would have been mentioned here as this was a study of use of blood worms as food for amphibians. The results were much as I would think of for discus. It is good as a snack but not as a primary source of nutrition.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...1002/zoo.21122

[jeep]

As with all frozen or live foods, proper care is required to avoid food related illnesses. And the source is the most important factor.

The following is credited to Dr. Katrina Otstavnaya. She is a doctor of aquatic sciences... A fish doctor!!

This was originally written in Russian. Sorry, but my Russian is rusty so I will translate as best as I can...

If you conduct competent quarantine with discus, achieve 100% of the result (yes, it is a long, hard work, but it is possible) then when feeding with a bloodworm, discus do not re-become infected. No need to panic around bloodworms.

Yes, problems with feeding bloodworms can be:

1. If the discus are infected with flagellates, worms, etc., then food, including the chitin shell of bloodworms, cannot be digested normally. Blockage, bloating, and death may occur.

2. When infected with cryptobia (this is also a type of flagellate), they penetrate into the intercellular space of the intestinal wall, form adhesions, tumors (I even have a separate article, but there’s an example of Flowerhorn), this impedes the normal functioning of the intestine, bloodworms do not digested, the fish may die.

3. A large bloodworm for a small disk (up to 7 cm) can be dangerous, but if you give a small and medium bloodworm, then there are practically no problems.

In general, I have long had the impression that bloodworms are a "scapegoat" for many aquarists. If there are digestive problems, bloodworms are to blame ... no, normal digestion is out of the question here ... but not bloodworms are to blame for this

[Oxboy]

I think we all may be over thinking this. Perhaps bloodworms aren't more or less dirtier or pathogen prone than other insect/invert foods; it's simply that they are easier/cheaper to raise, sell and purchase. This makes producers and vendors cut more corners, which is where the "dirtiness" gets introduced. As a controlled experiment, I find it very hard to believe that if Gabe's customers fed their discus bloodworms only from Hikari, that these fish were more likely to get parasites vs non-bloodworm eating discus.

[coralbandit]

As with all frozen or live foods, proper care is required to avoid food related illnesses. And the source is the most important factor.

The following is credited to Dr. Katrina Otstavnaya. She is a doctor of aquatic sciences... A fish doctor!!

This was originally written in Russian. Sorry, but my Russian is rusty so I will translate as best as I can...

I like this …
You all don't think a fish seller will ever admit the problem could be with his fish do you ??
I mean all my fish are perfect but …..
I think any fish can carry an issue that is not always recognized and may not present till the proper stressor takes effect ..
Even my fish I suppose could have issue under others care or in a different environment ….
I have fed blood worms [frozen Hikari] for the last 7+ years .Not everyday but whenever I want with no fear ..
I am not sure with the lacking nutrition comes from ? No one food alone is complete but as part of the weekly diet bloodworms are not lacking IME at all.
When I want stubborn fish to breed bloodworms make it happen 9 out 10 times if all the conditions are right and have been right ..
Just me ??
Lets not all loose sight of the post /email by Gabe was about …
SELLING METRO A NEW PRODUCT FOR HIS COMPANY ...

[jeep]

I like this …
You all don't think a fish seller will ever admit the problem could be with his fish do you ??
I mean all my fish are perfect but …..

Always

[LizStreithorst]

Exactly.

[Willie]

...This was originally written in Russian. Sorry, but my Russian is rusty so I will translate as best as I can...

I'm impressed!

Willie

[captainandy]

coralbandit I couldn't agree with you more.
For some reason people love to be part of a conspiracy theory and jump on thing like "frozen blood worms are bad for the fish". What do you think they eat in the wild? You think that the Amazon is sterile and free from pathogens. You think holding tanks from exporters have sterile food? And the last person I'd trust is a Russian fish keeper. That's why I hate social media, you can find and follow whatever or whoever you want and think you've become an expert