With bloodworms usually being considered one of the best live food options available and a great dried food option for most types of fish, its easy to understand why we see so many people in the fish keeping space reaching out and asking questions about getting the most out of their bloodworms.
One of the most common questions that we have noticed people asking recently is how to keep bloodworms alive for as long as possible to feed them to their fish.
With bloodworms blowing tubifex worms and other live food options out of the water in our tubifex vs bloodworm comparison, it is easy to see why so many people are wanting to get the most out of any live bloodworms that they purchase for their fish.
Thankfully, there are two great options aimed at slightly different types of fish keepers that you are able to take advantage of.
Both have been proven to work countless times with both ensuring that the live bloodworms that you keep will last for as long as possible while maintaining a large amount of their nutrients.
Either option can work but both options are definitely better suited to different types of fish keepers with different sized operations but we will cover it all in our article below.
How To Keep Bloodworms Alive For As Long As Possible!
The two best ways to keep bloodworms alive for as long as possible is to either set up your own bloodworm tank if you maintain a large number of aquariums or to store your live bloodworms in the refrigerator if you only keep a single tank.
Both work well, both keep your bloodworms alive longer, and both are usually very easy to set up.
Just because you are able to keep your bloodworm alive for longer than they would live if you kept them in their bag, does not necessarily mean that you should as they do start to lose their nutrients rapidly unless you feed them.
This is why freeze dried bloodworms are such a great option due to containing almost as much nutrients as live bloodworms but not dropping off in nutrient values after a couple of days.
If you do have the time to setup a bloodworm tank and you have a number of aquariums to feed them keeping your own dedicated bloodworms tank can be a great option.
We would imagine that most of our readers would be better off just going with freeze dried bloodworms for their fish though as it really is the easiest option by far and only has a tiny amount less vitamins and minerals than the live bloodworms.
Make A Bloodworm Tank!
Taking a small, cheap tank and converting it into a suitable bloodworm tank is usually much easier than the majority of people realize.
Just keep in mind that bloodworms are the larvae form of midge flies so you are not able to breed them in the tank, you are just able to keep the bloodworm alive for as long as possible before they start to turn into midge flies.
Once you have a small tank, you simply add water, put your live bloodworm into the small tank and add various types of decaying live plants from your main tank for them to feed on.
Bloodworms are detritivores and will happily eat a large amount of decaying plant life making them very cheap and easy to feed and the more you feed your bloodworms, the more nutrients they have when you feed them to your fish.
It generally is that easy to set up your own bloodworm tank and there usually is very little that can go wrong.
Some people try to add random leaves that they find in their yard or garden as detritus for their bloodworm to eat but many of these leaves are actually toxic or not valid food sources so regular live plants from your aquarium or pond is usually the best option.
Use The Refrigeration Trick!
In most cases, you are also able to keep your bloodworms alive much longer than you would be able to by simply putting them into the fridge to keep cool.
Some people will replace the water that they some in and add some decaying plant to their bag so they can feed and top their nutrient levels up but this can keep your bloodworms good for as much as two weeks longer than you would be able to otherwise.
Just keep in mind that many people don’t like the idea of having a bag or bowl of bloodworms in their fridge so your partner may not be too happy if you just randomly set this system up.
On top of this, we have also seen a bunch of people having accidents by knocking the bloodworms in their fridge over and spilling them onto other things.
If you are in a pinch then this can be a quick and easy way to keep your bloodworms alive for longer than they would stay alive otherwise but a dedicated bloodworms tank or using freeze dried bloodworms is usually the better option for most people.
They are just easier and provided you have enough aquariums with plenty of fish in, having your own bloodworm tank can be a great way to keep the live bloodworm supply going.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over how to keep bloodworms alive for as long as possible to an end. Keeping your bloodworms alive and full of vitamins and minerals is usually easier than most people realise but often will not be worth the time, effort, and cost for many people due to freeze dried bloodworms being so much easier. Still, both of the options featured in our article are able to help you keep your bloodworms alive and ensure that they will retain their nutrients for your pet fish.
