n00b question - betta food

[kathrynwyles]

I've had my Siamese fighting fish for almost a week now. Now that he's finally eating, it all seems good. I'm just wondering if I'm feeding the right amount. So far he's getting half a frozen brine shrimp block and a couple of Betta pellets (that have been allowed to melt and soften in a cup of tank water for a few hours) morning and night. The dude at the aquarium didn't really say how much he should get, so I'm a bit confused.

Thanks muchly, any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[QTOFFER]

Welcome to AA!!!!!!

I think you're feeding way too much frozen brine shrimp. They're like potato chips in terms of nutrition, and too much can cause constipation. I only offer protein-rich frozen foods to my betta once a week and in very small amounts. I break off a small chip of frozen food about the size of 1/2 a pea. Also, once a week, I offer a partially boiled, shelled, squished pea. This helps prevent constipation.

My regular betta feeding consists of about 6 - 8 betta pellets every morning. You could certainly split this up between two daily feedings if you'd prefer.

Bettas will eat frozen bloodworms and mysis shrimp as well as finely crushed flake foods. Variety is good for them, but they are very finicky eaters, like cats. It may take a few attempts before they'll try a new food. You have to be patient and persistent when trying to get them to try new foods.

 

[An t-iasg]

In addition to the excellent advice from QTOFFER -- I noticed that you said you're soaking the betta pellets for a few hours. It is a good idea to soak dry food in some tank water. The pellets absorb the water in the cup and not the fluid in the betta's stomach, which would cause bloat. You don't need to soak for a few hours - a few minutes is fine. I soak my betta pellets anywhere from 3-5 minutes. I soak the pellets in a cup of tank water, and then I go around to all my tanks with my little vials of pre-measured plant fertilizer. While I'm doing that, the pellets soak. They seem to be plenty softened up by that time. I have used Hikari and Attison brands of betta pellets and 3-5 minutes for soaking seems to work out well.

About the peas - it's also a good idea to feed peas once a week as a constipation/bloat preventative. I feed peas on Saturday, and then fast the bettas on Sunday. A day of rest for their digestive system is good for them too. I cut up the peas with a paring knife into pieces as small as their betta pellets. It's tedious to cut up a pea, but they eat it!

 

[courtnee]

my betta only likes flake food LOL I feed him one flake at lights on and one flake right before bedtime. It works for us. I tried the pellets and he refused to eat them.

A spec of a pea once a week, I feed my 55gl tank with the pea hogs in it once a week and just take over a sliver for the betta. He doesnt like the much though. Once in awhile I give him a blood worm and he likes that.

 

[jinmon]

I'm thinking of getting a betta - is betta food very different from regular tropical flake/pellets?

 

[severum mama]

WELCOME to AA, kathryn!

I agree that you need to cut back on the brine shrimp. As mentioned, they don't have much nutritional value, but you can certainly feed them sparingly as a treat. My betta also likes bloodworms a LOT, but again, only as a treat. His staple diet is Omega One Betta Pellets, and the rasboras in his tank really like them too. Sometimes they get Omega One Veggie Flakes instead, and sometimes it's New Life Spectrum tiny pellets. I'm lucky- my betta is not at all picky.

jinmon- As far as I can tell, betta food is not too different from regular flakes or pellets. I really only buy it because my betta likes it, and because it is an appropriate size for his mouth. As I said, I still vary his diet even though the other foods are not made specifically for bettas. They are great fish with a lot of personality, and I highly recommend getting one as long as you have an appropriate setup. And don't forget about the females, they are cool too.

 

[kathrynwyles]

Thanks so much for your great advice. It seems that bettas don't eat quite so much as I thought they did. I'll definitely be cutting back on the food - I might just give him half a pea tonight and see how he feels.

I guess the other question about food is, what does betta poo look like? How will I be able to tell if he's constipated?

 

[An t-iasg]

A half a pea is too much! I cut up little tiny pieces for two bettas and don't use up the half of the pea.

Betta poop is black and very small. Usually you won't be able to see it as you look in the tank. You'll see it as you siphon your water out and vaccuum your gravel. Bettas are not like some messy fish (goldfish) and usually you'll never really see them "go to the bathroom".

If a betta is constipated, he'll have a long black string of waste hanging from his body, right behind the pelvic fins (the long, skinny fins). That area of his body can look swollen too. The string can remain there for a few days or more if the betta is constipated. If the poop is whitish or clear, it may signal a parasitic infection.