If you are looking to raise live bloodworms for your fish, this article will help you understand how to keep blood worms alive for as long as possible.
Live bloodworms are a fantastic source of protein for different types of fish.
Due to the fact that these worms are actively consumed by fish, they can be used as fishing bait to lure them out of hiding.
However, purchasing live bloodworms for bait and for fish food can be a little expensive, especially when you have a tight budget.
Moreover, catching them from their marine water habitats is difficult.
To avoid this, many people try to breed bloodworms. But breeding and keeping the bloodworms alive can be a little tricky.
If you are looking for effective ways to keep bloodworms alive, then you landed on the right spot. This article will discuss effective tips and tricks to keep these worms alive.
Why Breed Bloodworms?
Although frozen bloodworms are easily available in the market, live fish bloodworms are comparatively rich in terms of nutrients.
Here are a few more reasons why you should breed these worms.
- Breeding live bloodworms are much more convenient and cheaper than buying them, as they are low-maintenance and require fewer resources to survive.
- These worms work as an excellent laxative for fish. Consuming bloodworms also strengthens the immune system, which is perfect for fighting off diseases.
- If your aquarium pets are suffering from constipation, feeding them a few bloodworms is a great way to cure the disease.
- Bloodworms are clean creatures; they can keep the tank/aquarium clean by consuming all the dead and decaying matter.
- Bloodworms are an excellent source of iron; it helps to treat diseases like anemia in your aquatic pets.
Breeding may sound like a convenient option, but it can be a little hard to keep these worms alive. Let us learn how to breed bloodworms in the next section effectively.
How To Breed Bloodworms?
Simply buying live or any other type of bloodworm is not enough to have a good population in your tank; you must create suitable conditions for these worms to be able to survive.
You also have to be extra careful while handling them as they tend to deliver painful bites that can cause allergies.
As these bloodworms grow to become adult midge flies, there is a chance that they will fly away from the area.
You need to have an enclosed space that restricts these bugs from flying away. This will force them to lay eggs in the area that you created.
To keep these worms alive, you must have a tank with sterile water. You also must have an active pump.
Since they also feed on decaying matter, you simply need to keep adding manure from farm animals to the aquarium, as it serves as food for the worms.
How To Cultivate Bloodworms?
Breeding bloodworms can be difficult. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of creating a habitat for these worms, you can use the following step-by-step method to keep them alive for fish food and bait:
Instead of hunting live bait bloodworms, simply purchase them from an aquarium store. However, if you are living in a coastal area, you can easily find these worms in marine waters.
You must remember to wear gloves while catching them as there is a high chance of them biting you.
Once you catch some bloodworm, make a tiny incision near the collar muscle using a knife. You can find the collar muscle below the worm’s head.
Now hold the bloodworm by the tail, and squeeze its guts out from the small incision near its head.
While taking out the guts, you will notice two nerves popping out with the guts. Do not damage these nerves in any manner. Dispose of the guts apart from the two nerves that popped out.
After clearing the guts, carefully place the bloodworm on a clean piece of paper and put it inside the fridge.
Make sure that the paper is moistened and doesn’t dry up. Also, if the temperature is too cold, the worms will die; try to keep it moderate.
By following this method, you can keep bloodworms alive for almost a week. Just make sure that you keep changing the paper and the moisture in it regularly.
The worms will consistently eject sand while being stored in the fridge to ruin the paper. Wet the new sets of paper with salt water, not fresh water.
Also, it is advisable to keep checking the worms regularly to make sure that they are alive.
If one of them is dead, get it out immediately to prevent it from destroying and ruining the other worms.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can you keep live blood worms?
Bloodworms can be kept alive for almost a week by taking the guts out from the tail end by creating a small cut in the collar muscle.
While taking out the guts, do not pop the two nerves coming out. Once that is done, store the bloodworm in the fridge on moist paper to keep them alive for almost a week.
How can you keep bloodworms alive?
You can keep bloodworms alive by creating a suitable environment for them to lay eggs and survive.
The place must contain enough food sources. You can also preserve these worms by cultivating them and storing them in the fridge on wet paper for almost a week.
How long will blood worms last in the fridge?
If you properly maintain the temperature of the fridge, the bloodworm can last for almost a week inside the fridge.
You must keep changing the paper that holds the worms and make sure it is moist. Also, if a bloodworm dies in the fridge, immediately remove it to save the others from being spoiled.
Should blood worms be refrigerated?
Yes, if you want to preserve live worms, you need to put them in the refrigerator on paper that is moist with salt water.
Doing so will keep the bloodworm alive for almost a week. The temperature shouldn’t be too low as it will kill the bloodworm quite early.
Wrap Up
Finding live bloodworms is tricky; therefore, you need to be smart and preserve these worms to save time and effort.
Use the tips and tricks mentioned in the article to keep bloodworms alive. We thank you for reading the entire article.
