Urgent Care :: SHELLS TURNING BROWN, PLEASE HELP!

[CountryGirl68]

Can you please explain what is specifically problematic about tubifex worms? I was actually feeding them to fish in the tank on occasion, but upon reading this post I am wondering what issues they might have. I am thinking that they may have been a source for a worm infestation, and now I wonder if they are also a bad food item?

Any type of live worms brings the risk of introducing bacteria to your tank. Tubifex worms can carry several types of bacteria which I would imagine can be harmful to your turtle. Freeze dried worms don't have these risks because the bacteria is killed in the freezing process. Most fish enthusiasts prefer not to feed live tubifex worms because of the bacterias they carry. This depends on how the worm was bred. Since you can't really be sure of how the worms are bred (taking the store's word for it is NOT a guarantee), I'd feed freeze dried worms, just to be on the safe side.

[marisa]

Tubifex worms do have a reputation for carrying bacteria and are considered to be "dirty" by some. I once fed freeze dried (in cubes) tubifex worms to a RES and tiny worms were still able to hatch and move around the tank, so depending of the brand, freeze drying doesn't seem to kill everything. I have seen some, however, that claim on the container that they were 100% clean and free of parasites/bacteria. I don't remember the brand, but you might look for some kind of statement like this on whatever brand you're looking at.

[CountryGirl68]

The freeze drying process won't necessarily kill the worms. Those are some hardy creatures! I mean, you can cut worms up into teeny tiny bits and they still survive! But the freezing should kill any bacteria that may be in the worms. Bacteria usually doesn't survive in freezing temperatures.

[marisa]

Some brands do say, however, that the worms have been "cleaned" and are free of contaminants. Those are the ones I'd be looking for.

[CountryGirl68]

I'm curious - do you know how the worms are "cleaned"? I've heard of cleaning earthworms for turtles but I'm not sure how it's done.

[marisa]

Can't say that I do. If I get the chance, I'll start looking for different brands of tubifex worms and see if there's anything about the process on the container. I'm wondering, though, it if has something to do with what they're fed or the water they're kept in for a while.