# Killies Import > Non-Killie Segment >  Feeding tubifex

## RonWill

Folks,
I feed mostly live foods to my fishes, including tubifex, and believe that most hobbyists either handfeed sparingly or use a worm feeder.

IME, commercially available worm-feeders are too bulky (in my partitioned tanks) and these things float around too much, so I diy'ed what I call a 'Tubie Platform'.

It's simple in construction; a bent epoxy coated wire that goes through a small pad of porous spong filter.

Eager mouths await as each worm crawl through the pad.

Another feasible idea is to rig up a 'Tubie Basket', recycled from those little black plastic pots that comes with aquatic plants. One can wire it up, to hang onto a partition or tank wall, and stuff the pot with sponge or floss material like so;

The whole idea is to slow down the tubifex 'drop-rate', so they get eaten before there's a chance to hit the substrate (of course you can also feed more sparingly  :Wink:  ).

I'd like to hear how others do it, preferably with recycled stuffs.

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## stormhawk

Having an algae coated plastic cone feeder also works.  :Laughing:  

I think a shallow plastic tray/container with really small holes at the bottom might work as well. Tried it once but I threw it away since I didn't like the look.

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## hobgoblin

Ron, 

I like your method, and it sure as hell works better than commercial cone feeders. The ideal of having these tubifex crawling through the sponge/wool filter has its benefits also. Depending on the coarsness of the sponge, it helps to remove residual gunk on the tubifex before fishes feast on it. Hence, the 'feeder unit' has to be washed ocassionally.

I doubt it's possible to solve this problem- removal of ribbon worms. I think from almost every source available, the tubifex that we get has got ribbon worms in them. Some fishes eat them, well for those that don't, the worms get to tunnel into the substrate, attaching themselves to roots. I am not sure if they are detrimental to plants.

Rgds,
Andrew

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## wcknight

I recently got some clear glass pots (no holes) about 4 inch high , I squirt the worms (grindal) into the pots and the fish eat them at their leisure.

It keeps them out of the gravel and the fish can see the worms in the pots. Sometimes it seems the fish are too dumb to get in or out of the pots but they do eventually. I had curved bowls at first and those were even tougher for the fish to find their was out. Now I have pots in the shape of regular flower pots.

I may tilt the pots some what so it will be even easier for the fish to get in and out of.

wes

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