A lot of people don’t know this, but bloodworms are a great habitat for your pet betta fish. These worms will thrive in the water and provide a sense of security for your little friend, which is beneficial to their mental health. Not only do these worms help with betta’s emotional well-being, they also improve the quality of water by eating up any excess food or waste particles that may be floating around in it. This blog post goes over all of the benefits you get from adding bloodworms to your tank and how easy it can be to maintain them.
What Are Bloodworms?
Bloodworms are the larvae of chironomid midges. This means that these worms spend their time in freshwater ponds and lakes all over the world, feeding on algae or small bits of organic debris that they can find. The name “bloodworm” comes from its red appearance when it has just recently hatched – however, as it ages, this color disappears. These worms have a high protein content, making them popular food for some fish, such as betta fish.
However, there are many more options out there if you want to give your pet bloodworms once in a while. Some great choices include daphnia (a water flea) and brine shrimp (which also need saltwater). With any choice, though, make sure to look up the species to buy betta fish online to see what they would prefer and whether or not bloodworms might be dangerous for them.
Why Are Bloodworms Good For Betta Fish?
Betta fish are carnivores by nature, so having a protein-rich food source is always good. This also means that you won’t have to feed your pet as much since it will fill them up faster with these worms than vegetable-based foods. When deciding on which types of food are best for your pet, there are many different factors you need to consider, including cost, ease in preparing/feeding, nutritional value etc., but if all else fails, just remember this simple rule: go with what got your betta into the store.
This means if they were fed bloodworms in the store where you bought them, then feeding your pet those same worms is a great idea. You should also look at what kind of environment their natural food source lives in. In this case, it’s freshwater ponds and lakes – so as long as you have a betta fish aquarium with clean water to maintain, these worms are an excellent choice for your little friend.
How To Maintain Bloodworms?
Maintaining bloodworms isn’t too difficult because all that’s required from you is simply throwing out any dead ones, changing 20% of the tank water weekly (staggering 25% every other week), and adding new bloodworm larvae once or twice a month. The first step in maintaining your bloodworm habitat is to get yourself a vial of live larvae and some ziplock bags. Then, fill the plastic bag with about four liters of water from your betta tank (make sure it’s dechlorinated.) and add in one tablespoon of aquarium salt for every gallon/four liters of water.
Don’t worry if there isn’t enough room at the top since these worms don’t need much space – just make sure that they are completely covered by the liquid when sealed up, or else they will suffocate. Once this is done, all that’s left to do is put them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to feed them in three weeks (they won’t die in cold temperatures).
Once this time has passed, you’ll notice that the larvae have grown from a few millimeters to centimeters long. So now it’s finally feeding time. Just drop them into your betta tank and watch as they start swimming around looking for something tasty to eat – which means your job is done.
