Hi malANDmatt,
Once upon a time (known as the 1960's) in our galaxy there was a company called Miracle Plastics (owned by TFH / the behemoth of the aquarium hobby at the time) that introduced a new fish food - freeze-dried tubifex worms. The freeze-drying process became better known with the beginning of the space program and freeze-dried ford for the astronauts. The advent of freeze-dried fish foods followed. The first freeze-dried foods I recall were tubifex worms and adult brine shrimp; thin sheets of the product were freeze-dried and then cut into small cubes. The foods were very popular because they were high in protein and were not messy like the live counterparts.
However because the freeze-drying process made the cubes very light (no water) the cubes floated and were not easily accessible to the fish. To make the foods available to fish that fed in the mid-range or bottom areas of the aquarium all hobbyists could do was smooch the cubes onto the inside glass; unfortunately the fish attacked the cubes so aggressively that the cubes would become loose from the glass and float to the surface. So Miracle Plastics invented the Miracle Feeding Bell.
Miracle Feeding Bell - note fish pulling worms through the mesh (TFH 1968)
I found using freeze-dried tubifex worms, and the feeding bells, very helpful when conditioning fish for breeding; especially Corydoras species. Unfortunately my last Miracle Feeding Bell 'died' about 5 years ago so I was forced to improvise. I make the feeding bell using the clear plastic mesh canvas sheets used for craft projects. I cut it so I can make a cone; then I use a heat gun to seal the 'seam' of the cone and also to attach a stainless steel washer at the bottom. Lastly I attach fly fishing line to allow me to raise or lower the feeding location in the tank as well as retrieve the feeding bell after feeding.
If the feeding bell is sitting on the bottom the fish pull the worms loose from the freeze-dried cubes through the mesh. If I suspend the feeding bell the fish not only grab the worms through the mesh but smart ones sneak their noses into the bell through the washer and they really feast.
