• Three ingredients, all named - bloodworms, spirulina and garlic, with no binders, colours or preservatives in the declaration.
• 0.5% crude fibre - plain bloodworm publishes no fibre figure at all; the spirulina is what puts one on the label.
• Garlic as an attractant - the practical reason to reach for this over plain bloodworm when a fish is picking at food rather than eating it.
• Spirulina carotenoids - blue-green algae is used across the trade as a plant-source pigment for reds, oranges and yellows.
• Same 4.9% protein as plain bloodworm - the additions change the profile, not the protein.
• Pre-formed cubes - push out one at a time, so the blister spends seconds out of the freezer rather than minutes.
• Freshwater and marine - takes in a community tank as readily as in a reef.

Choose this version when the fish need persuading to eat, or when you would rather not feed a completely single-ingredient food. Choose plain bloodworm in the 454 g flatpack when the fish already eat well and volume is what matters.

Full ingredient declaration

Reproduced exactly as Ocean Nutrition publishes it: Bloodworms, spirulina, garlic.

That is the entire declaration. No vitamins, minerals, colours, binders or preservatives are added, and no ethoxyquin, BHA or BHT appears in it. Bloodworms are the larvae of non-biting midges (Chironomidae) rather than true worms. Spirulina is a blue-green algae; garlic is Allium sativum.

Guaranteed analysis

These figures are as fed, not dry weight. At 91% moisture this is mostly water, which is why 4.9% protein is not comparable with the 40%-plus on a dry pellet tub.

About the garlic

Garlic is included as a feeding attractant. It is widely talked about in the hobby as a treatment for parasites; no such claim is made here, and a food is not a medication. If a fish has a parasite problem, it needs a diagnosis and a treatment, not a different frozen food.

Push out the cubes you need into a small container and let them defrost without water, at room temperature, for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

Feed two to five times a day, offering only what the fish clear within five minutes. Return the blister to the freezer straight away and never refreeze a thawed cube.

Straining the thawed cube through a fine net and discarding the pack liquid keeps dissolved nutrients out of the water column. Ocean Nutrition does not call for it, but it is worth doing in a reef or a low-nitrate planted tank.

If you are using this specifically to restart a fish that has gone off food, feed it into the current so the scent carries through the tank rather than dropping it in one spot.

Suitable for

• Freshwater community fish - tetras, barbs, rasboras, danios, gouramis and rainbowfish
• Bettas, discus and angelfish
• Marine community fish - clownfish, wrasses, gobies, dottybacks and cardinalfish
• Newly imported or recently moved fish that are eating hesitantly
• Omnivores that benefit from some plant matter in an otherwise animal-protein feed

Not suitable for

• Use as a staple diet - the spirulina helps, but this is still a largely single-protein food with no added vitamins or minerals. Rotate it with a fortified staple
• Strict herbivores such as mbuna, Tropheus and tangs - the spirulina content does not offset a bloodworm base for these fish
• Fry and very small fish, which cannot take a whole bloodworm
• Treating disease of any kind - the garlic is an attractant, not a medication
• Auto-feeders, since this is a wet frozen food

Repeated handling of bloodworm can produce an allergic sensitivity in some people; chironomid haemoglobin is a recognised occupational allergen among aquarists and fish-food workers. Use tweezers or a spoon rather than fingers if you feed it often, and wash your hands afterwards.

• Frozen BloodWorm Flat 454g - the plain version in bulk, once the fish are eating reliably.
• Frozen Artemia Brine Shrimp with Spirulina and Garlic 454g - the same additions on a brine shrimp base, for rotating without losing the attractant.
• Ocean Nutrition Formula One Flakes 36g - a fortified dry staple to carry the vitamins and minerals this food does not.
• Frozen Tropical Mix 100g - a blended frozen food for variety through the week.
• Frozen Marine Quintet 100g - five foods in one blister if the tank is marine.

Aquarium foods carry no manufacturer warranty period. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply in full and sit in addition to anything a manufacturer offers, including the right to a remedy where a product is not of acceptable quality on arrival.

This is a frozen product and must stay frozen until it is fed, so it is handled as a cold-chain item rather than a standard ambient parcel. Frozen stock cannot travel by ordinary parcel post; check the delivery options available for frozen goods at checkout before ordering.

What is the difference between this and plain frozen bloodworm?

The declaration adds spirulina and garlic to the bloodworm base. Protein, fat, ash and moisture are identical at 4.9%, 0.5%, 2.0% and 91.0%; the measurable difference is that this blend declares 0.5% crude fibre where plain bloodworm publishes no fibre figure at all.

Does the garlic treat parasites or whitespot?

No. Garlic is included as a feeding attractant and no therapeutic claim is made for it. A fish with a parasite problem needs a proper diagnosis and an appropriate treatment; changing frozen food will not resolve it.

Can this be fed every day as the only food?

It should not be. Even with spirulina in the mix, the food carries no added vitamins or minerals and is built on a single animal protein. Feed it two or three times a week alongside a fortified flake or pellet rather than as a sole diet.

Will spirulina make my fish more colourful?

Spirulina is a carotenoid-bearing algae used throughout the aquarium trade for exactly that reason, and it is a genuine plant-source pigment. How visible the effect is depends on the species, the fish's starting condition and the rest of the diet, so treat it as one contributor rather than the deciding factor.

Is it safe for a reef tank?

There is no copper, medication or additive in the three-ingredient declaration, so there is no chemical risk to corals or invertebrates. Strain the pack liquid off before feeding if phosphate is already a concern in the system.

How long does a 100g blister last?

Longer than most people expect. Feeding only what the fish clear in five minutes usually means a fraction of a cube per feed for a small community tank, so a blister commonly runs for several weeks. Ocean Nutrition does not publish a frozen shelf life, but a pack that has been allowed to partially thaw and refreeze will show it as fused, discoloured cubes.