Guppies can eat bloodworms, just not for every meal. Bloodworms are nutritious and packed full of protein. Just be sure to limit bloodworms as treats to a couple of times a week maximum.
The guppy, also known as the million fish or the rainbow fish, is a popular freshwater aquarium fish species that belongs to the Poeciliidae family.
Guppies are popular because of their vibrant colors and engaging nature. They’re also easy to breed and make wonderful pets!
Guppies are omnivorous fish that have a pretty good appetite. They’ll consume anything from fish flakes and veggie pellets to live or freeze-dried food, insects, veggies, and meat.
But can guppies eat bloodworms? Let’s talk about it!
Can Guppies Eat Bloodworms?
Guppies can eat bloodworms, just not for every meal. Bloodworms are nutritious and packed full of protein. Just be sure to limit bloodworms as treats to a couple of times a week maximum.
Overfeeding bloodworms to your guppies can result in constipation.
How Many Bloodworms Should You Feed Guppies?
The amount of bloodworms your guppies should consume is determined by a few things:
- The size of your tank
- The quality of the water
- The temperature of the water
- How many guppies are in the tank
If you’re wondering how many bloodworms you should be feeding your guppies, you can try this fun little experiment.
Drop some bloodworms in your tank and watch your guppies closely. If it takes them three to four minutes to finish eating, chances are you’ve fed them too many bloodworms.
On the other hand, if they finish the bloodworms in a matter of seconds, you should probably feed them more.
The ideal time that your guppies should take to finish eating is about two minutes. Of course, this all depends on how many guppies you have in your tank!
How Often Should You Feed Guppies Bloodworms?
Bloodworms are high in protein but lack the amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that guppies need to reproduce. This is why it’s not a good idea for guppies to rely only on bloodworms as their daily meal.
Therefore, we recommend using them as treats. Only feed your guppies bloodworms once or twice a week.
Not only can overfeeding lead to constipation and various gastrointestinal illnesses, but your guppies can also get addicted and might not want to eat anything else!
Ways to Feed Your Guppies Bloodworms
Now that you know it’s safe to feed your guppies bloodworms, let’s check out the three different ways you can feed them to your fish!
Live Bloodworms
Live bloodworms usually come in little plastic bags or cups and you can find them in your local fish store.
One thing you need to do before purchasing a bag of live bloodworms is to gently shake the bag to ensure that all the bloodworms are alive and moving in the bag.
If you notice that a large amount of them are dead, don’t put them in your aquarium. If they’re not wiggling, they will not grab your guppies’ attention!
Pros
- The remaining uneaten bloodworms will live in the aquarium until the guppies eat them
- Healthier and richer in essential nutrients than frozen or freeze-dried bloodworms
Cons
- They don’t last very long, usually a day or two
Freeze-Dried Bloodworms
If you don’t want to feed your guppies live bloodworms, freeze-dried bloodworms are a great alternative!
Freeze-dried bloodworms are usually packaged in small plastic tubs. You can find them in your local pet store. Some of them come in Grade A and Grade B.
Grade A is somewhat more expensive, but it’s worth it because Grade B isn’t the best quality and may contain non-bloodworm particles.
Pros
- Freeze-dried worms last for months and maybe even years if properly preserved
- If your guppies are sick, you can soak freeze-dried bloodworms in a vitamin supplement before feeding them
Cons
- Freeze-dried bloodworms must be rehydrated before being fed to your guppies or they’ll bloat up in their stomach
Frozen Bloodworms
Guppies can also eat frozen bloodworms. In fact, they’re a great option because they don’t carry any harmful parasites or bacteria.
Frozen bloodworms are usually packaged in two ways: a slab of frozen bloodworms or a blister pack of individual cubes.
There are two ways you can feed them to your guppies. You can drop the frozen bloodworm cubes straight into the tank where they’ll float and the guppies will eat them, or you can defrost them in a cup and then pour it into the tank.
Pros
- Can be stored in the freezer for a long time until you’re ready to feed them to your guppies
- Only need to be defrosted before use
Cons
- Because they’re frozen, you can’t really assess their quality
Can Guppy Fry Eat Bloodworms?
If you’re wondering whether your young guppies can eat bloodworms, the answer is yes. However, you must ensure that you only give them bloodworms that are small enough to fit in their little mouths.
It’s undeniable that guppies can and do consume bloodworms, but it’s not the case when it comes to tiny newborn guppies. Because bloodworms aren’t quite large compared to a baby guppy, it may be tough for guppy fry to consume them.
You can either wait until they’ve grown big enough to eat them, or you can select smaller bloodworms and maybe chop them into small edible pieces before feeding them to your guppy fry.
Final Thoughts
Bloodworms are a great food to add to your guppies’ diet. Not only are they high in protein and nutrients, but they’re also a wonderful substitute for flakes or pellets!
You can feed your guppies live, frozen, and freeze-dried bloodworms. There’s no significant difference between the three. However, frozen bloodworms have a smaller chance of containing harmless parasites and bacteria.
Remember, although bloodworms are a nutritious addition to your guppy’s diet, you shouldn’t give them too much!