Matthias Tilly, Tubifex01, CC BY 3.0
What is Tubifex?
Tubifex, also called mud tube worms, are similar to earthworms. They live on the bottom of bodies of water and usually only have their rear end sticking out of the ground. They serve as well-known fish food, but their feeding is very controversial. They are actually very practical for the aquarium. They perform a variety of positive tasks, such as digging up soil, eating algae, and consuming leftover fish food. You can get Tubifex into the tank with fresh plants. They can be bought alive or dried as food.
Are Tubifex harmful?
Feeding Tubifex is very controversial as they come from polluted waters. Breeding under normal conditions is not easy. In order to reproduce well, Tubifex need a temperature of only 3 °C, which is not feasible in the aquarium. However, it works quite well in the fridge. If you water the purchased Tubifex long and well before you put them in the tank, they should not cause any damage in the aquarium. For most fish they are a great delicacy. Dwarf armored catfish in particular like to pounce on the live food. Combined with a water change, this even serves as a breeding turbo.
Good alternatives to Tubifex:
Can you grow Tubifex yourself?
The main thing you need to try to breed Tubifex is patience. Breeding is not easy, but it can work. You need an aquarium or a large glass container. A filter is not allowed in. Coarse gravel is best suited as a substrate, as the Tubifex like to hide in there. The colder the water, the higher the probability of breeding. The container is best kept in the refrigerator. Mulm or leaves serve as food.
How often should you feed Tubifex?
Tubifex contains a lot of fat and should therefore only be fed in moderation. If you feed too much Tubifex, the worms can undesirably multiply in the aquarium. If you keep fish and catfish, this is not a problem at first, as they serve as a source of food. However, the fish are overfed, which is unhealthy. Tubifex tend to be annoying in a shrimp tank. Because the shrimp don’t eat the worms, they just nibble on them. The population could increase significantly and permanently disturb the appearance of the tank.