# help me the live tubifex i bought to feed fish are hiding in the soil gravel!!



## RoseTyler (Oct 27, 2014)

hassansin said:


> guys i bought tubifex worms today to feed to my fishes and i was getting late so i put them and went away.. now when i am back i dont see them so i thought fishes ate them .. bt then i see in the gravel they are wiggling .. my gravel is very deep .. like 3-4 inches .. and i have a layered gravel .. river sand -fertilizer-river sand then again fertilizers .. my tank is a 35 gal highly planted tank .. plz help me


Feed a very small amount in a worm feeder at a time. I hate tubifex worms because of this. If you see them in the gravel you've over fed. I've never been successful with getting them out of my gravel other than sucking them out with a siphon and even then ...


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## wheatiesl337 (Mar 30, 2011)

Add a loach or cory that likes worms?


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## hassansin (Apr 21, 2014)

RoseTyler said:


> Feed a very small amount in a worm feeder at a time. I hate tubifex worms because of this. If you see them in the gravel you've over fed. I've never been successful with getting them out of my gravel other than sucking them out with a siphon and even then ...


Are they harmful to the tank or is it OK if they are there


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## RoseTyler (Oct 27, 2014)

hassansin said:


> Are they harmful to the tank or is it OK if they are there


I never had any problems because of them.


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

I was really happy to see tubifex worms colonizing my gravel but once the corydoras found them they were history.

Tubifex have a bad reputation because they can be grown in really dirty conditions and the bacteria can make fish sick but they are harmless detritivores that will just clean up your tank.


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## hassansin (Apr 21, 2014)

Kathyy said:


> I was really happy to see tubifex worms colonizing my gravel but once the corydoras found them they were history.
> 
> Tubifex have a bad reputation because they can be grown in really dirty conditions and the bacteria can make fish sick but they are harmless detritivores that will just clean up your tank.


I dont have corys and the ones we get here are way too expensive and i have spent more than my budget for the fish tank for the last two months.. Should i let them just be there and hope that my fishes will eat them.. I have 2 chinese algae eaters, will they eat them?also my gravel is so deep and the tubifex are settling totally at the bottom so. I dont think corys will help.. Am i just worried too much? Should i just let them be there? They wont harm my fishes or plants in any manner will they? Maybe my fishes will enjoy a free snack and it will give them a feeling of a natural habitat?


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

I think the algae eaters will get them and they will have a great time doing so! I would think any grubbing type fish would be after worms.


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## sushant (Mar 3, 2007)

any fish would love to eat them. if the population is not so large to be an eye-sore let them be there so that your fish can find them as an occassional snacks. else starve you fish so that they can go for them as there inly food source.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

The fish will keep picking off the worms that climb out of the substrate high enough to become a target. This way the population of worms will be kept under control. 

Do not over feed the fish. 
a) excess food will feed the worms.
b) hungry fish will hunt the worms.


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## hassansin (Apr 21, 2014)

Diana said:


> The fish will keep picking off the worms that climb out of the substrate high enough to become a target. This way the population of worms will be kept under control.
> 
> Do not over feed the fish.
> a) excess food will feed the worms.
> b) hungry fish will hunt the worms.


thank you very much .. i will keep that in mind


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## wontonhands (Nov 15, 2014)

nice! DIY auto feeder, accidental genius!


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## hassansin (Apr 21, 2014)

wontonhands said:


> nice! DIY auto feeder, accidental genius!


ahhaha i dont even know if they are still there ... i prefer not looking for them


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## bmeate (Feb 9, 2014)

can i just dump in a bunch of these at once to clean out between the rocks?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Not sure that is such a good idea. However, if you want live Tubifex worms, Concord Aquarium (now in north Concord) sells them. 
If you want to try Black Worms, Albany Aquarium sells them. I just got an order from California Blackworms. A bit cheaper for the large amount I ordered.


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## RoseTyler (Oct 27, 2014)

bmeate said:


> can i just dump in a bunch of these at once to clean out between the rocks?


I definitely wouldn't do that. A bunch of them are going to look disgusting and I don't even know if they'll clean anything between the rocks. If it's small gravel you're talking about, get a fish that roots around and will move your substrate.


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## bmeate (Feb 9, 2014)

but i like seeing the living things squiggle around there

I got a bunch of little snails but im not sure if they burrow too far into my substrate. i do infrequent gravel vacs and itd be nice to have my gravel agitated and stirred up between my plant roots.


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