chromis Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 I got a "serving" of Bloodworms from the LPS, with instructions to keep them in the fridge and change their water daily, which I've done. How long can they last this way? I keep them in a small glass jar with a lid (the jar used to contain some sort of sardines), and change their water with either aquarium or bottled still water. They seem to be alive and moving around in a tangled up sort of way, and the water stays mostly clean, except for some pale bits that float up. I've had them for about 4 days now. Is that too long? Are they safe for feeding my Betta and Cory? [i hope I posted this in the correct section ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 bloodworms or blackworms??? and they'll be fine for about a week as long as you keep the water fresh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chromis Posted January 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 bloodworms or blackworms??? Um.... They look dark red? Gah, I really don't remember! I think they are bloodworms, but now that you mention it, they could quite possibly be blackworms. Hmm. Does it make a big difference in looking after them and feeding my fish? I'll check back at the shop tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 well, it's just that i dunno how long you can keep bloodworms as they are a larvae, but blackworms stay as they are :dontknow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Ok now we are talking about bloodworms. If you buy frozen bloodworms by the slabs it might just be a good idea that you buy a exrta one as the Australian QT has put a stop to one brand from entering the country.But there is still one other brand thats ok but they may run out!! If they do run out it would be about 6 weeks for them to restock. (told by my LFS) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 chromis I think you must blackworms. They range in colour from pinkish, dark red, brown, dark brown. I've rarely seen them actually black. Blackworms look like worms. Bloodworms look a bit like mosquito larvae, they're less than 1cm in length and don't get tangled. Flush the jar with water every day and they should keep for at least a week, maybe even longer. I think I may have kept some for about 2 weeks once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chromis Posted January 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 I looked up some pictures, and they are definitely Blackworms now. Sorry for the confusion. Thank you for the replies, I'll see what they are like in a week, and maybe keep them for about 10 days if they look okay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 You can keep blackworms for months!! I have done this on many occasions. I was even breeding them at one stage, though not at the rate I was feeding them to my fish Trick is to keep them in a 10L bucket with around 2L of aged water and have an airstone running all the time. Change water daily or after two days max - this gets rid of any dead ones that may foul the water. In summer, make sure they are in a cool room. My house is air conditioned, so I have no idea how they would go in a hot house probably not so well I'd imagine - hence why some keep them in the fridge! Feed daily, a pinch of flakes (after the water change). You can have two buckets on the go - a QT bucket plus a feeding bucket. It is best if you can QT the blackworms too. I would wait a week at least if you are concerned. If they die within a few days, then you know they are yucky. Just don't buy ones in murky water as they are either off or not looked after by the LFS - which you really don't want to feed to your fish. If your LFS gets them in on a Wednesday buy them the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chromis Posted January 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Wow, thank you! I'll try that...probably will have to get a new batch then, since I don't have too many left from this one. Problem is, I can't really keep an airstone in the fridge....hmm. And I doubt my stepfather will react well to a bucket of worms in his cold study Is it okay to just keep them in a bigger container in the fridge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren MacFish Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 If you keep them in the fridge, keep a bottle of aged water in there too, and just rinse the worms through a fish net everyday and change the water... they'll last for weeks that way. Just if you have people over, you'll need to warn them if they open your fridge. If bloodworms are larvae... which makes sense because they keep appearing in the oddest places... what are they larvae for? :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chromis Posted January 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Okay, thank you! I think bloodworms are mosquito larvae....not 100% sure though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Bloodworms are the larvae of a species of non-biting midge. Some species have haemoglobin in their bodies hence the name bloodworms. Mosquito larvae are usually black or dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chromis Posted January 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Bloodworms are the larvae of a species of non-biting midge. Some species have haemoglobin in their bodies hence the name bloodworms. Mosquito larvae are usually black or dark grey. Aaah, okay. I got some frozen bloodworms and freeze-dried shrimp as well. Now my Betta is going to be super-spoiled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 A spoilt betta is a happy betta. I like your avatar btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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