Breeding Blood Worms?

[s050399b]

Hi,

Has anyone breed blood worms sucessfully? Thanks!



Blood Worms
By Jim E. Quarles.
Few people really know that what is referred to, as bloodworms are really not
worms at all. They are from the family Chironomidae, in the order Diptera. Class Insecta.
The are larvae of the non-biting midges. In Singapore over fifty species have
been recorded. Not all the chironomid larvae are red in color. The surface types
are greenish others are white, only those that contain hemoglobin are red this
is where they get their name bloodworms.
The chiromid larvae and pupae are highly nutritious and nourishing and are one
of the staple food items in the ration of many fishes in the natural
environment. The importance of chironomid larvae as live food for tropical fish
culture is well known in Asia. All carnivorous fishes, such as Oscar’s, discus,
Siamese fighting fish and most all the cichlids will greedily devour them when
they are offered as part of their diet.
In studies done by hatcheries in Asia discus have been shown to grow
Faster and spawn earlier when fed with bloodworms. With bloodworms as a
supplementary food they gain better weight and the growth rate is more uniform.
The supplies of chironomid larvae are mainly imported and this is partially true
for the United States. The natural breeding sites for chironmid midges are
diminishing due to the rapid urbanization and modernization of wetlands. Also it
should be noted that supplies of bloodworms have at times been unreliable and
seasonal as the larvae are subjected to the fluctuation of the populations.
CULTURING CHIRONOMID LARVAE
As long as a half-century ago attempts to propagate the bloodworm under
laboratory conditions have been carried out in many countries. The chief
difficulty is the inability to induce swarming and mating of the chironomid
midges in captivity.
The life history of bloodworms involves four stages: Egg, larva, pupa, and the
adult midge. The eggs are laid in amass which is enveloped by transparent
mucilage. Each egg mass contains between fifty and seven hundred eggs.
Under tropical conditions incubations periods varies from 24 to 48 hours. The
newly hatched larvae are not more then 1mm long but they measure up to 10-=16 mm
when they reach the last stage of the larva period. They molt four times before
it reaches the pupae stage. Then after two days it comes to the surface of the
water and emerges as an adult.
As adults they live only three to five days and mating and oviposition takes
during this period.
The Nutritive Value.
The nutritional value of bloodworms is considered to be very good. Chemical
analysis shows that bloodworms contain about 9% dry matter and of this about 65%
is crude protein, ten percent is crude fat and about 10 percent is ash. They
contain 15. % Nitrogen free extract. They are also a good source of iron for
fish since they contain hemoglobin in their blood.
Culturing Blood Worms
In Hong Kong, chironomid larvae are grown on chicken manure. But to produce
blood worms in large quantities the cost must be taken into consideration. Such
a project is not practical on a limited scale and most hobbyist would find it
far cheaper to by the frozen product.
Are They Safe For Discus?
The answer seems to be yes frozen, but it is not recommend that live bloodworms
be fed if you are not sure of the media on which they were cultured.

[Nicky]

Interesting article. I have only comment for the last part.

Quote'
The answer seems to be yes frozen, but it is not recommend that live bloodworms
be fed if you are not sure of the media on which they were cultured.
Unquote.

So is it implied that undesirable stuff (disease, dirt, etc) are destroyed with the freezing process? I read that good quality frozen blood worm actually has their internal organs clean out before they are frozen.

[s050399b]

I'm with this brand, not sure the name, which cost $0.70 per slab (32x). Or $6 for 12 slabs.

Another is Hikari, which is $1.40 per slab. twice as expensive!!

what r u using?

[15 Sierra]

well, i did found a lot of bloodworms in one of my tanks housing wild guppies one day. i do believe it was because i didn't really change the water, etc... so i can't attribute what was the cause of the bloodworms being inside. but it was just an one-off affair.