# Other Aquarium Forums > Fish Care, Nutrition and Water Management >  Maintaining tubifex worms

## mobile2007

Wanted to share how i keep those tubifex worms alive for longer period. Wanted to give my young apiso fries a good treat ( their CNY feast ). Tubifex is the cheapest and live food, but hard to keep as they will die within a day and the smell is intolerable ( this is more important as i really hate that).

Read some posts in arofanatics about ketapang leaves help to keep the worms alive and fresh. Not really sure it's true, but decided to try it myself as not much work is involved.

1. Soak one leave inside 1 litre of water, added some ocean free anti chlorine
2. After 3 days, use the brownish water to keep the worms in a taw huey plastic container ( 20 cts worth)

Results:
( Into second day now)

- Notice that the water don't smell after over night, usually many worms would die and fouled the water strongly.

- Not much worms die, most of them look alive and waving in water.

- no air pump

Overall, quite please with the outcome as it no longer smelly.

----------


## exotic_idiot

Hi bro, i think it's better not to feed your fishes with tubifex worms even if you can keep them fresh.



> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *Quixotic*  
> _Live tubifex can never be disease or parasite free. They are often cultured in sewage-contaminated mud, so these are conducive to bacterias and parasites.
> 
> Washing solely with water will not remove them. Although there are suggestions that washing with diluted medication (e.g. off the shelf medication, mouth wash) may help, it is never a 100%, short of killing the worms first.
> 
> However, some breeders swear by them to condition their fish to breed. Live tubifex is also used for some fishes that absolutely refuses commercialised food. I use a lot of live tubifex for the reasons above. IMHO, for fishes that can eat commercial food, live tubifex should never make up the main diet, just occasional treats.
> 
> 
> ...


What's the point of keeping them fresh when they are not free of disease or parasite free?

----------


## exotic_idiot

Hi bro if you are thinking of fresh worms for your little fries, i think microworms is the best choice or you can offer baby brine shrimps also very yummy treats for yr fries.

Here's the link for microworms which i saw at marketplace.

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=33951

----------


## mobile2007

Well aware of the risk of internal parasites. Don't feed tubifex regularly but once awhile. But i think it's good to have a way to contain the smell and worms alive while i brought those worms.  :Smile:

----------


## exotic_idiot

Normally how much you bought your worms? 30c or 50c? I always get 50c. So quite alot. Think i'll try your method of keep fresh worms but not to feed my apisto but my guppys. Where do you get your ketapang leaves? Any dry leaves will works? Those brown brown type is it?

----------


## Merviso

Hi mobile2007, thanks for sharing this information! It will be great to keep them alive, since the dead worm will stink like hell. 

I'm buying 50c every 2 to 3 days to keep my newts and clown killies happy... they will thanks you for the tips!  :Grin:

----------


## bossteck

I read a discussion some time back of someone here in AQ keeping tubifex worms in a bag/container and putting the container in his toilet cistern. (Not toilet bowl!) 

So each time someone flushes the toilet, the worms will get freshwater. Worth a try? 

Cheers

----------


## Merviso

Hahaha...what will happen when someone flush out a whole bag of tubiflex worm...  :Grin: 

Anyway, I was always wondering whether the chlorine and chloramine is killing the worms everytime I change their water. Guess I will have to keep a 2 litre container with the kepatang and anti-chlorine and use it for the worms.  :Smile:

----------


## Ah_ZhaN

Our tap water still contains Chlorine. Rinsing tubifex worms with chlorinated tap water will experience necrosis(i.e. death of a circumscribed portion of animal/ plant tissue), leading to death and decay and hence, the accumulation of foul smell. Another factor could be pH as well. I tried rinsing with my tank water of high pH, the worms still experience necrosis. Some folks claimed that rinsing them with treated tap water (using anti-chlorine) works fine too, I have't tried so. 

There are a couple of ways to store and maintain tubifex worms longer. You can store them using rainwater, ketapang leaves extract or even in the fridge under lower temperature. I personally rinse the tubifex every alternate day with my planted tank water(low pH) and store them with water from my wild bettas' tank(low pH + blackwater). So far it keeps my tubifex worms alive for more than a week. 

I believe tubifex needs lot of oxygen as well. I would suggest to keep them in wide containers, and water of up to 2mm if you don't plan to implement the use of any air pump.

cheers,
zhan

----------


## mobile2007

Late reply over here. exotic.

Yes, I got about 20cts worth of worms from wet market LFS. Like i mentioned in first post, i put the worm in the ketapang leaves water ( dry leave soaked for at least 1 day, with some anti chlorine ). No air pump used. Other methods not sure.

So far, I'm very pleased with the result. ABSOLUTELY no smell at all after 5 days. Unlike previously, alot of worms would die, now only very small portion turned black.

I think this is the easiest way to keep the tubifex, with smell totally removed. Can even put in fridge now.

Please be aware that tubifex may cause internal parasites or dieseases.

----------


## exotic_idiot

> Please be aware that tubifex may cause internal parasites or dieseases


Sure. I now using live brine shrimps and may try to find space inside fridge for hakira frozen blood worms or frozen brine shrimps. Play safe then sorry. 
It's not worth getting your fishes sick :Knockout: 
Thanks for the advice of keeping tubifex worms fresh.

----------


## Twigster

I agree that tubifex may carry parasites and diseases but my Chinese Fire Belly Newts simply refuse to eat anything else.. 
So thank you very much for the info everyone!

----------

