Rainbow fish are some of the most magnificent creatures you can get for your aquarium – they liven up your tank with their bright colors and unique shapes.
You may already have these beautiful fish in your aquarium or looking to acquire them – either way, it is vital to answer this all-important question: what do rainbow fish eat?
Specifically, you want to know whether the rainbow fish diet can include bloodworms for fish, which is a highly popular aquarium food.
Read on and find out the answer. Also, learn what to feed rainbow fish so that you can have healthy and happy fish in your aquarium.
Why Bloodworms for Fish?
Bloodworms are actually insect larvae that are usually found in freshwater. They get their name from their crimson-red color, which is due to the hemoglobin they absorb from their diet.
They are popular fish food, owing to the fact that they are highly nutritious and easily available.
Can all fish eat bloodworms? Excluding herbivores, almost all fish can eat them, which adds to their popularity.
Besides being food for your aquatic buddies, bloodworms have other uses too. For one, they act as laxatives to fish. The live ones can also eat algae, so they can clean up your tank (until they get eaten that is).
Do Rainbow Fish Eat Bloodworms?
The answer is yes; your rainbow fish will gobble up bloodworms in the boatload.
We’ve said that bloodworms are tantalizing to almost all fish. Being omnivores, rainbow fish will relish the taste of bloodworms.
However, feeding just bloodworms to your rainbow fish, or any other fish for that matter, is not advisable.
Continue reading and learn all about the right food for rainbow fish.
What’s the Best Rainbow Fish Food?
You’d know this if you have ever kept these wonderful fish: rainbow fish are voracious eaters. And there is a reason for that.
You see, in the wild, rainbow fish are subject to seasonal famines where food is hard to come by. In order to survive, rainbow fish should swallow every morsel.
Despite their large appetite, they have small mouths relative to their body size; this means you can’t feed them something that is too big.
What you should know is that rainbow fish is not just one species, but rather a diverse family of fish. Within that family, you have the Melanotaeniids (large active fish) and the Pseudomugilids (small docile fish).
While Melanotaeniids can be perfectly happy with regular fish food such as flakes, Pseudomugilids additionally require frozen or live fish food.
For rainbow fish, you can go with the standard pellets, flakes, or granules, depending on whether they would fit in their mouths.
Since they are surface feeders, the best food for rainbow fish should float at the surface.
Like most fish, rainbow fish would love some live fish food, such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, and daphnia.
Not only are they full of nutrition, especially protein, but also your fish would relish hunting live prey. Your aquarium is not exactly a highly stimulating environment for your fish, so a bit of sport will be good for them.
Whatever you feed your fish, the bottom line is that you should aim for a balanced diet to keep them healthy.
That means, in the case of rainbow fish, you shouldn’t forget the veggies (remember, rainbow fish are omnivores). Since they eat algae and plant matter, you can feed them plant-based feed such as spirulina.
How to Feed Rainbow Fish Bloodworms?
First, you should determine the frequency of feeding.
Remember when we said that rainbowfish are voracious eaters? That means they run the risk of overeating should you overfeed them.
Eating too much can cause fatty liver disease as well as gill problems. Yes, your aquatic friends can get obese too.
Therefore, in addition to their usual food, you should not feed them bloodworms more than twice per week.
Overfeeding your fish also tends to make the tank dirtier – uneaten fish food can decay and cause an ammonia spike.
As for the ideal amount you should feed, it depends largely on the number of fish you have and the size of your tank. The rule of thumb is to feed them what they can completely eat in under 2-3 minutes.
If there are too many leftovers, it is a sign that you are overfeeding them.
Next, you should determine in what form you are going to feed the bloodworms. Your options are live, freeze-dried, or frozen.
How to Feed Frozen Bloodworms
Frozen bloodworms for fish are a good way to feed your aquatic buddies. Freezing the bloodworms will lock in its aroma, so your fish will have a savory treat when you put it in the water.
Another advantage is that freezing also kills most bacteria, so you don’t introduce any unwanted occupants into your tank.
Although some just throw the frozen pieces into their tank, it is recommended that you thaw it beforehand.
If you don’t thaw it, the frozen food could reduce the temperature of your tank. Moreover, food that is too cold will be harsh on the digestive tract of your fish.
You could also wash and strain the bloodworms once they are thawed to get rid of the accompanying juice which can’t be eaten but can add to your tank’s organic waste.
Once thawed, the bloodworms should be stored in the fridge for no more than 4 or 5 days.
How to Feed Live Bloodworms
There’s nothing more exciting than live fish food for your aquarium; it will be quite the spectacle to watch your fish hunt down the wriggling bloodworms.
Not only that, they are also the most nutritious food you can get for your fish, carrying more nutrition than frozen or freeze-dried bloodworms.
The only issue with feeding live bloodworms for aquarium fish is that these worms are actually larvae, which means sooner or later they will metamorphose into their adult form, the midge fly.
The process takes about 2 weeks, but you can extend it by keeping the bloodworms in a refrigerator.
Another issue is that live bloodworms tend to carry bacteria and parasites, so it is a good idea to wash them thoroughly in a strainer before you toss them into the tank.
Conclusion
All in all, bloodworms make excellent rainbow fish food. There’s hardly any fish out there that can resist these tasty treats.
Good as they are, you should not feed just bloodworms to your fish – the rainbow fish diet should be well-balanced and varied.
The most nutritious way to feed bloodworms to your fish is live, but since that is not always available, you can do it either frozen or freeze-dried.
That’s it. Feed your rainbowfish well and they will be happy and healthy, adorning your aquarium with their beautiful colors and shapes.
Thanks for reading.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycera_(annelid)
