Bloodworm

Description

Bloodworm is a fish food that is a well loved by almost any type of aquarium fish. It is a freshwater live food. Often used to feed freshwater tropical fish and coldwater fish. Although, it also has nutritional benefits and is loved by saltwater fish too.

What are bloodworms?

Bloodworm are not actually a worm but the larvae stage of a midge that is similar in size and shape to a mosquito. This midge does not bite or carry disease.

Growing to around 25mm in length, bloodworm normally takes around two weeks from hatching to pupating. However, this is temperature dependent and can be extended significantly when kept refrigerated.

Bloodworms live in the top few centimetres of mud in freshwater ponds. They breathe by leaving their tail out of the mud and waving it in the water. They feed on microscopic particles found in the water. These worms are a natural and nutritious food for freshwater fish. Even the pickiest of feeders will relish them. This treat food has a dry matter content of around 60% protein and 15% lipids but also contains iron in the haemoglobin type substance. That is what gives them their red colour and name.

How to store live bloodworm

Bloodworm can be stored in the water that they are supplied in. Or it can be drained through a net and stored in newspaper folded over to make a small envelope (they take up much less space in the fridge like this). Either way, it’s crucial blood worm is kept refrigerated as it is very susceptible to hot temperatures and will die quickly if it gets too warm.

Here at Cornwall Aquatics, we store live bloodworms in a fridge at around 4 degrees centigrade. We get a fresh supply of live bloodworms in once a week and any left over from the last batch are then fed to our own pet fish. This is to ensure that we are always selling fresh food! After purchase, please aim to use all bloodworms within one week so that your fish are getting fresh food. Bloodworms will last longer than this when kept in the correct conditions but we believe fish prefer the freshest possible live food!

Live bloodworm feeding instructions:

To feed, drain through a net and give them a quick rinse under tank or tap water. Add as many worms as your fish will eat in 5 – 10 minutes.