These long, thin, red worms, also known as sludge worms, are not very pretty, but can be bought at the local pet store, where their chance of carrying disease is low. Like all live food, they are an excellent food source and will be gratefully appreciated by your fish.

Before feeding them to your fish, you must rinse them thoroughly in gently running water for at least one hour; if you can, do it for two more hours. Tubifex require a lot of work and are considered so risky that I advise you to feed them to your goldfish only once or twice a month. While it is possible to breed these in a culture at your home, it’s very difficult and is probably not worth the risk.

Related posts:

1. The Basics of Pet Goldfish: Feeding Fry

2. Feeding Your Fish Tubifex Worms

3. The Basics of Pet Goldfish: Diseases of the Goldfish

4. The Basics of Pet Goldfish: White Worms

5. The Basics of Pet Goldfish: Earthworms

6. The Basics of Pet Goldfish: Swim Bladder Problems (not contagious)

7. The Basics of Pet Goldfish: Spawning Is a Year-Round Process

8. The Basics of Pet Goldfish: Leeches (highly contagious)

9. The Basics of Pet Goldfish: Spawning and Breeding

10. The Basics of Pet Goldfish: Fish Lice (highly contagious)