Freeze Dried Mealworms?

[Moucho+Moncho 402]

Can I feed freeze dried mealworms to my goldfish?

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

I would not feed anything freeze dried to your fish. It floats unless soaked for a long time, and when soaked any of the few nutrients in it disappear into the water.

[Moucho+Moncho 402]

I would not feed anything freeze dried to your fish. It floats unless soaked for a long time, and when soaked any of the few nutrients in it disappear into the water.

I can hold it in the water

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

The other reason you soak it is to rehydrate just the same as to why you'd soak a sinking pellet: to make sure there's no trapped air and to soften the food so it will pass through easier, reducing the risk of the fish developing SBD.

Please, refrain from feeding freeze dried foods.

Edited March 12, 2013 by ChelseaM

[Moucho+Moncho 402]

Ok...

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

Sorry. It's just too risky.

[tithra 4,917]

Frozen foods are much better for our fishy friends than freeze dried. As Chelsea noted, freeze dried have been known to cause digestive issues and should really be avoided if you can help it

[Evening 102]

How about frozen then? I wonder if I could get better bulk per dollar for frozen mealworms...

[dnalex 13,633]

How about frozen then? I wonder if I could get better bulk per dollar for frozen mealworms...

Frozen should be fine, although I have to read up on these worms. I know that tubifex can be suspect, because they can carry parasites, so frozen tubies may not be good.

[number20121 2,663]

How about frozen then? I wonder if I could get better bulk per dollar for frozen mealworms...

If they are fresh frozen, then this should be fine. Frozen foods such as frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp etc are a great source of protein for the fish. I don't think mealworms will be any different, except for the fact that you may have to chop them up if they are too big for your fish.

I dislike freeze dried. I've fed it only once, and tossed the can the same day when 25% of my fish started having severe floating issues after eating.

[Evening 102]

I think mealworms might be a bit fatty; I'll wait for smarter members to give their opinion on the nutrition side.

I do use freeze dried bloodworms, but only with Soilent Green as a binder to boost the protein up a bit for tropical fish.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Evening

[tastyworms 396]

Hi Moucho,

We're actually one of the largest sellers of these worms in the US, so I can answer your questions. Most likely the worms are not freeze dried. There are a lot of problems with mealworms being incorrectly marked for sale. The ones we carry in our store and in all of our marketplaces are microwave dried. Regardless of the drying process, the point is to remove 97% of the moisture. This moisture is replaced by air by natural processes, so it will contain air. There are many people who use our worms as a treat for Koi and Oscars and other larger fish. Some people feed them to bass they keep in ponds. They do not report any issues. However, Fancy Goldfish in particular are VERY sensitive to air in foods and I would not feed them mealworms.

There are much better nutritious choices such as Repashy Soilent Green or Super Green as well as frozen foods such as blood worms for treats... It's probably worth saving the mealworms for the birds .

One last thing, mealworms are not aquatic so you don't have to worry about aquatic parasites. The oven drying process is done at a temperature that precludes any sort of contamination as well. If you want to learn more, just for your information - mealworms are Tenebrio molitor specifically and are the larva of a small black beetle. They are normally fed vegetables such as potatoes and carrots and subsist on a diet of wheat byproducts like bran.

[dnalex 13,633]

Thanks, Chris, for that extremely informative post!