Blood Worm
- Blood worm (Chironomidae [Ky-ro-nomi-day] tetans) is the
larvae of the midge fly. It is a small (3 cm [1.2"]), long, thin,
bright red larvae which grows in stagnant pools. The
blood worm has red iron-porphyrin protein in its blood and
tissue which gives it its characteristic colour. This larva is
very important in the wild aquatic food chain. Therefore, it
is one of the primary live foods fed to virtually all
aquarium kept freshwater aquatic animals.
Nutrients
- 6-8% protein and iron rich. However, it doesn't have a wide range of amino acids, so do not feed as a primary food supply.
- Give it as a treat once or twice per week.
Live form :
- Available as live food in sealed plastic bags from pet and fish shops.
- Some aquarists wash this food with tap water using a fine tea strainer or coffee filter.
water the blood worm is kept in as you can. This is
recommended due to the possibility of the water being
diseased.
Frozen form :
- Available in frozen cube format in the freezer section of a pet or fish shop.
- Easy and convenient to use, as it comes in tin foil sheets.
- Do not keep frozen blood worm in the freezer for more than 6 months or it will go bad.
Dried form :
- Available as dried food packaged in small tubs.
- Please note that this form tends to be the least nutritional. Plus as you use it up you'll find it turning to dust as you get near the bottom of the tub.
- This food is only suitable for top feeders as it is nearly impossible for it to sink.
Jelly or gel form :
- Tetra sells this in a jelly form in small 3g sachets.
- Has extra vitamins added to the gel.
# Watch out for sales gimmicks
- With some low quality frozen bloodworm the suppliers will add in their
ingredient list extra vitamins so the food looks more nutritious. This can be a
sales gimmick rather than any benefit to your fish. These vitamins are usually
added in the water they are frozen with and these will break down in minutes
when exposed to the aquarium. You can often tell if your supplier does this by
examining the ingredients list. If the list has the vitamins in brackets i.e. 'Blood
worms (vitamin B12, C)' then these are inside the worm. If the items are listed
after the blood worm with a comma then they're in the water.