As a steadily increasing number of people get involved in fish keeping with each year that goes by, we have noticed more and more people reaching out to specifically ask about branching out into various treat food options for their fish be it live food, frozen food, or freeze-dried.
Out of all of the available options on the market, the most common comparison request that we see from the community has to be a tubifex worms vs bloodworms comparison.
Bloodworms are probably the most commonly used insect-based food for fish on the market with the vast majority of fish absolutely loving them.
Tubifex worms have always been a popular option but they have started to become even more popular in recent years and most fish will also happily eat tubifex worms too.
As the majority of people tend to just stick with what they already know and with bloodworms also being more readily available we can’t seem them being knocked off the top spot any time soon.
That said though, tubifex worms can make an excellent alternative to bloodworms if you do want to mix it up and treat your pet fish to something else every now and again.
Are Tubifex Worms Or Bloodworms Better For Fish?
Tubifex worms and bloodworms are considered about equal to each other when it comes to their nutritional profile and what they actually offer to the diet of your pet fish.
Bloodworms do tend to be a little cheaper and some live tubifex worms can have issues with parasites so this usually makes bloodworms the obvious choice for most fish keepers.
Bloodworms are available in live, frozen, and freeze-dried options while tubifex worms are also available in live, frozen, and freeze-dried options but it can be harder to find frozen tubifex worms in some locations.
As we touched on above though, we usually recommend that you avoid feeding your fish live tubifex worms due to a number of reports of them causing parasites in your fish if they have not been treat prior to feeding them.
With frozen tubifex worms being hard to find, live tubifex worms having potential issues with parasites, and freeze-dried tubifex worms usually being more expensive than their bloodworm counterpart it starts to become easy to see why bloodworms as the more popular option.
This is why we doubt that bloodworms will be knocked off the top spot when it comes to a treat food for your fish and are confident in saying that the majority of our readers will be better off if they just go with bloodworms.
Are Tubifex Worms The Same As Bloodworms?
Tubifex worms are not the same as bloodworms with the two being a totally different species of worm.
They do have a slightly different nutritional profile but it is so similar that it makes little to no difference to the nutritional profile of your fish with both being great options to top up the essential vitamins and minerals in the diet of your fish.
Due to tubifex worms being less popular and thus having less demand, there are less breeders for them resulting in higher prices too.
Considering that tubifex worms and bloodworms are so similar to each other when it comes to their nutritional profile and how much fish actually like them, the deciding factor will usually be their price so this pushes bloodworms ahead.
Although the majority of people will choose to either live feed the worms to their fish or use the freeze-dried options, a number of people do prefer to use the frozen cubes of the worms.
Due to the frozen tubifex worms being difficult to find in North America and Europe compared to frozen bloodworms cubes this can also push bloodworms ahead of tubifex worms.
The frozen tubifex worms are also generally considered to be the safest option of tubifex worms too as the freezing process will destroy and parasites in them but the freeze-drying process is almost as effective.
Should You Feed Live Or Freeze Dried Worms?
Live feeding your fish has the advantage of them being able to “hunt” the worms and get some mental stimulation while in their tank where as freeze fried or frozen worms tend to actually have a higher nutritional profile.
Both are great options though and the differences are minimal so you can go with either option.
The majority of people presume that live worms will have the highest nutrient level for their fish so often choose live worms when looking to feed their fish with a goal of getting as many vitamins and minerals into them as possible.
This is not actually correct as the worms will often sit for days in the store prior to sale with minimal food and thus, their nutrient profile drops.
The freeze drying and freezing process happens when the worms are full of nutrients and locks the nutrients into the worm as best as possible.
This means that frozen worms are usually the most nutrient-dense option followed by freeze-dried worms with live worms actually being the least nutrient-dense.
Just keep that in mind when you are considering how you want your worms for your fish as many people presume that the live worms are the most nutrient-dense and this is not correct.
Can You Switch Between Tubifex Worms And Bloodworms For Your Fish?
You are able to switch between bloodworms and tubifex worms for your fish if you wish to add a little variety to their diet and to keep things interesting.
You are also usually able to integrate daphnia into their diet too if you are looking to switch up your treat food options for your fish as daphnia is another excellent option.
You can simply switch between tubifex worms and bloodworms each time you order your pets treat food if you wish to switch between varieties.
If you do choose to use freeze-dried worms then you are able to pick up both bloodworms and tubifex worms at the same time if you get them from your local pet store as the freeze-dried options will last the longest by far.
This allows you to switch between bloodworms and tubifex worms for your fish each day to keep their diet interesting.
If you go with the live option then you will have to use all of your worms quickly and the frozen option can last a long time but still tends to go bad before freeze-fried worms.
Conclusion
That brings our tubifex worms vs bloodworm comparison to an end. We hope that we have been able to help you make your decision but for the most part, the vast majority of our readers will be better off going with freeze-dried bloodworms over any time of tubiflex worms.
Both live and frozen bloodworms are also usually considered to be a better option than all types of tubifex worms too making them the obvious option for a treat food for your fish.
