Can Cherry Red Shrimp Eat Bloodworms?

Written by Noa in Cherry Shrimps

Like all shrimp, Cherry Red shrimp are scavengers. They are bottom feeders that will eat almost anything they come across, be it dead or living plants and animals, even other shrimp! But what about bloodworms—can the Cherry Red shrimp eat these slimy creatures?

Cherry Red Shrimp can eat bloodworms. Generally, they’re not fussy about what they eat. However, you should avoid adding bloodworms to your Cherry Red shrimps’ daily diet. Bloodworms are more like a treat than everyday food and should be given sparingly; once a week is fine. 

In this article, I’ll discuss bloodworms, what they are, and why they’re essentially junk food for Cherry Red shrimp. Read on to learn more!

Can Cherry Red Shrimp Eat Bloodworms
Can Cherry Red Shrimp Eat Bloodworms

You Can Give Bloodworms to Cherry Red Shrimp As Treats 

“Bloodworm” is an umbrella term for many different types of worms. In the fishkeeping world, the term refers to the two types of worms popularly used to feed fish: 

  • Glycera worms (usually found in the ocean)
  • Red larvae (from midge flies)

The worms most commonly sold to feed fish are midge fly larvae that technically aren’t even worms. They’re likely more popular than the Glycera genus because the Glycera genus will bite. The bite of a Glycera is so awful that it can cause a strong reaction in humans, similar to the swelling from bee stings!

With that said, if you choose to feed your shrimp live Glycera, always wear gloves. No wonder shrimp enthusiasts prefer frozen Glycera!

You can buy these worms live, frozen, or freeze-dried. Shrimp enthusiasts typically feed their shrimp frozen bloodworms. Freeze-dried bloodworms are so light that they’ll float to the top of the water, where the shrimp can’t even reach them.

When feeding your shrimp frozen bloodworms, note the following: 

  1. Allow the bloodworms to thaw. Shrimp are not used to eating cold food. Doing so could put their fragile bodies into shock and even kill them.
  2. Cut the bloodworms in half while they’re still frozen. You want to make the worms easily distributable among your shrimp.

Bloodworms Are a Good Source of Protein 

Though bloodworms are considered a light snack, they’re still a good source of protein for your Cherry Red shrimp. Think of them as beef jerky for shrimp: human bodybuilders might eat beef jerky every once in a while for the added protein, but they won’t eat it every day due to the salt content.

The more protein you give your shrimp, the more they’ll grow and bulk up. If you’re tight on space and don’t want your shrimp growing and breeding too quickly, keep this in mind.

Breeding Bloodworms Is Not Ideal

If you’re an aspiring shrimp breeder, you may decide that life would be easier if you just bred your own bloodworms. No more ordering off the internet and waiting for shipments, right? 

But the thing is, breeding bloodworms from midge flies is a little difficult. Even more difficult than breeding fish! The difficulty lies in their life stages.

There are four life stages for bloodworms:

  • Egg
  • Larva
  • Pupa
  • Adult midge

Bloodworms need a place to mature into flies, and because flies can, well, fly, they can easily escape their enclosure. What’s worse, an escaped fly might lay its eggs in your drain, and before you know it, your house will be overrun with flies!

Even if you’re curious to learn or simply looking for a challenge, attempting to breed bloodworms will amount to a lot of spending and frustration. You’ll have to figure out how to get the blood flies to spawn where you want because their escape is inevitable. 

Owning a pond is probably the easiest way to lure midge flies into laying their eggs where you can collect them. Of course, the downside is that you may also lure mosquitoes!

One question that is asked a lot about cherry shrimps is https://shrimpplanet.com/are-sakura-shrimp-the-same-as-cherry-shrimp/

Bloodworms Need To Feed on Blood

Another setback when it comes to breeding bloodworms is having to feed them. Adult midge flies rely on blood to survive. This is how the nickname “bloodworm” applies to them. So if kept in captivity, they’ll need a source of fresh blood.

Most people don’t consider feeding hundreds of tiny parasites a fun pastime. As a result, most shrimp breeders will just purchase bloodworms frozen and skip the entire mess of breeding them. Kudos to the brave folks out there who breed midge flies, though. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, you can feed your Cherry Red shrimp bloodworms. But you should avoid feeding them bloodworms every day to avoid overcrowding and constipation in your colony. Once a week or even every other day is a safer option and will help you on your way to maintaining healthy, happy shrimp!

Helpfull posts

Sources

Recent Posts