How Often Do You Feed a Baby Betta Fish

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If yous're wondering what betta fish food, or how much and how oft, you lot're not alone. Surprisingly this is one of the most frequent questions when it comes to first-time betta keeping, and overfeeding is very common! To further complicate things, it's non e'er wise to rely on the information from pet stores or on the food product labels either.

Bettas can exist downright picky eaters too and tend to adopt eating food on the surface of the water instead of on the substrate of a tank. Bettas crave a well-balanced diet that is rich in protein because they are primarily carnivores. It's a myth that bettas can survive simply by feeding on the roots of plants.

Most betta keepers decide to feed pellets because they are elementary and constructive. Pellets create less mess and you can easily portion them out for feedings. Live, freeze-stale, or frozen foods can exist used as treats or implemented into their daily feeding routine too.

To keep your betta happy and healthy delight follow each food and feeding guideline beneath every bit these tips could literally save your fish'south life:

Best Betta Fish Food: Dietary Requirements

Betta fish are classified as carnivores, and eat insects in the wild. The best betta food replicates these specific dietary needs without a lot of added and indigestible fillers. For nigh betta keepers it may non be possible to source or provide live foods every bit a betta fish'southward main diet. It's best so, to provide a diversity of high-quality pellets, flakes, freeze stale, frozen and live foods. Each is covered below.

Providing the all-time nutritional value focuses on a betta'south need of protein, fat, fiber, phosphorus, carbohydrates, calcium, and vitamins (A, D3, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, H, G). Make sure your betta nutrient is natural and contains protein as the first ingredient. Do not purchase or feed flakes fabricated for goldfish or other tropical fish.

Betta fish accept very short digestive tracts and exercise not process fillers similar corn and wheat very well. These fillers are often found in many pellet and flake foods and tin can atomic number 82 to excess bloat and digestive issues (e.g. constipation). Betta'south receive no nutritional benefit from fillers and just laissez passer them off as waste. It's very important you provide foods high in protein to satisfy their carnivorous needs. Fiber and moisture are also of import to aid their digestion.

Betta Fish Pellets

Pellets are the most mutual betta fish food on the market, with quality varying greatly beyond each. The best pellets for betta fish volition have fewer fillers and more high-quality ingredients that aid fish thrive. Some betta fish pellets aggrandize significantly after they are exposed to h2o.

This can cause bloating and digestive issues if yous're non careful equally they'll expand in your betta's stomach. For pellets that expand once wet, soak them in tank water before feeding to hydrate them, especially if your betta attacks food instantly.

Picture	Name	Assay	Pros	Cons	Price	Rating
	NorthFin Betta Bits	-Crude Protein (min): 45% -Crude Fatty (min): 16% -Crude Fiber (min): 4% -Moisture (max): 9% -Ash (max): 10%	-No fillers or hormones -No dyes or bogus coloring -Platonic 1mm size	- May exist hard to detect, except online	$$$$	five.0
	New Life Spectrum Betta Formula	-Crude Poly peptide (min): 37% -Crude Fat (min): five% -Crude Fiber (max): 4% -Moisture (max): ten% -Ash (max): 8%	-Color enhancing ingredients -Doesn't expand -High-quality ingredients -Almost no fillers -Does non cloud water	-Semi-floating may easily sink -Inconsistent pellet sizing	$$	four.seven
	Bounding main Nutrition Betta Pellets	Crude Protein (min): 36% Crude Fat (min): 4.5% Rough Cobweb (max): 5% Moisture (max): 8% Ash (max): 15%	-High in vitamins and poly peptide -Pocket-size size and piece of cake to assimilate -Does non cloud water -Colour enhancing	-Large quantity -Freshness may expire earlier using -May not bladder for very long	$$$	4.4
	Hikari Betta Bio-Gilded	-Rough Protein (min): 38% -Crude Fat (min): 4% -Rough Cobweb (min): iii% -Moisture (max): 10% -Ash (max): 12%	-Color enhancing ingredients -Small-sized pellets	-Fillers and artificial coloring -Difficulty dispensing	$$$	4.ane
	Omega One Betta Cafe Pellets	-Crude Protein (min): 40% -Crude Fat (min): 5% -Crude Fiber (min): 2% -Moisture (max): eight.5% -Ash (max): 8%	-High in crude protein -Primary ingredient is salmon -Low in ash -Smaller pellet size	-Does non bladder for very long -Fillers and artificial colors -Pellet size may be inconsistent	$$	iii.8
	Aqueon Betta Food	-Crude Protein (min): 38% -Crude Fat (min): seven% -Crude Cobweb (max): vii% -Moisture (max): viii% -Phosphorous (min): 1%	-Small pellet size -Comes in colour enhancing blend -Inexpensive	-A lot of fillers -Does non bladder very long -Tiny pellets	$	three.4

Freeze-Dried Betta Food

Freeze dried food is a smashing option to introduce some of the betta's natural food into their diet, simply information technology does non replace the quality of live or frozen foods. Freeze stale foods have been stripped of their moisture and have added fillers to continue them stable.

Information technology's recommended that y'all soak them in tank h2o before feeding to rehydrate them, increasing the moisture content. Feeding only freeze dried food can atomic number 82 to bloating and constipation issues.

One large benefit to freeze dried foods, withal, is they are complimentary of leaner and parasites.They are too easy to find at local fish stores and online and are relatively inexpensive. They store well and often come in your typical fish food containers.

Flick	Name	Analysis	Price	Rating
	Omega One Freeze-Dried Bloodworms	-Rough Poly peptide (min): 55% -Rough Fat (min): 3% -Crude Fiber (max): 5% -Moisture (max): v%	$$$	4.v
	Omega One Freeze-Stale Brine Shrimp	-Crude Poly peptide (min): 48% -Crude Fat (min): six% -Crude Fiber (max): ii.v% -Moisture (max): five%	$$$	4.2
	San Francisco Bay Brands Freeze-Dried Mysis Shrimp	-Rough Protein (min): 67.3% -Crude Fat (min): five% -Crude Fiber (max): ii.8% -Moisture (max): 8.4% -Ash (max): ten.8%	$$$	4.8
	Hikari Freeze-Dried Daphnia	-Crude Protein (min): 66% -Crude Fatty (min): ix% -Crude Fiber (max): 5% -Wet (max): 7%	$$$$	5.0
	Hikari Freeze-Dried Tubifex Worms	-Crude Protein (min): 60% -Rough Fat (min): 6.5% -Rough Fiber (max): 0.three% -Moisture (max): 6%	$$$	4.3

Betta Fish Flakes

There are specific flakes made specifically for betta fish. Do not feed your betta other tropical fish flakes considering they lack the protein requirements bettas need. Betta flakes tin be a staple in regular feedings, but they tin can also exist very messy. Excess or sunken flakes should exist removed immediately afterwards feeding. Betta fish oftentimes pass up to eat flakes besides.

Picture	Name	Analysis	Price	Rating
	Omega Ane Betta Flakes	-Crude Poly peptide (min): 43% -Crude Fat (min): 12% -Crude Fiber (max): 2% -Moisture (max): 8.5% -Ash (max): 8%	$$	three.i
	Tetra BettaMin	-Rough Protein (min): 48% -Crude Fatty (min): 8.v% -Crude Fiber (max): 1.five% -Moisture (max): 7% -Phosphorus (min): i.ane%	$$	2.5

Alive & Frozen Betta Food

If you've never fed your betta anything other than pellets then you and your betta are missing out. Betta fish are carnivores and they get increasingly aggressive during feedings when they have to stalk their prey. This is besides the best way to replicate their natural habitat and food sources.

Some are harder to source than others simply make for a counterbalanced diet. Be careful of where you source your live and frozen foods from, as they may carry parasites and other diseases. Never feed your betta something you defenseless outdoors either.

Frozen foods come in many of the aforementioned options. It's a corking culling to keeping live food. Frozen betta food may be kept in your freezer until you're gear up to defrost and feed them to your betta. Just take as much equally y'all need placing the residue back into the freezer to prevent thawing. Never refreeze whatever nutrient that has been thawed as information technology could have been exposed to bacteria.

These options below are a betta's favorites:

1. Live/Frozen Mosquito Larvae

A staple in their natural habitat, musquito larvae are an first-class betta nutrient pick. While they may be hard to source during the wintertime months, mosquitos and their larvae are very active and abundant during spring and summer and in warmer climates. Purchase a starter culture and harvest them yourself, or find a reputable local or online store that carries them.

2. Live/Frozen Brine Shrimp

Brine shrimp are an aquatic crustacean that betta fish love. The photo above is zoomed in, from the University of Utah, they only abound up to i centimeter as adults. Brine shrimp are packed with the nutritional needs that betta fish need to thrive on (proteins, vitamins, and amino acids), and they're piece of cake to heighten too. They can also be found at virtually local fish stores, making them a skillful option for varying up your betta'due south diet.

three. Live/Frozen Bloodworms

Bloodworms or Glycera are the larvae of the midge fly and tin can exist found in pools and ponds of water. Betta fish commonly gorge on them in the wild, making them ideal variations for even the pickiest of eaters. Betta's put on a big show when going after these guys, simply they shouldn't exist used as the sectional source of food because they lack amino acids. They are high in iron content, resulting in their vivid reddish coloring. If yous tin't handle the live option (they are pretty gross looking), they besides come up in a gel or freeze-dried option.

4. Live/Frozen Wingless Fruit Flies

Also known equally the vinegar fly, the common fruit fly is something you are probably very familiar with. Have you ever left bananas, apples or other fruit out in your kitchen, and of a sudden there's swarms of little bugs flying around them? Those are fruit flies and betta fish love them considering they are insectivores. While you lot can technically driblet them in for feeding, you don't know what diseases they may have and they may fly out. Instead, there is a wingless and flightless diversity that is ideal for feeding betta fish and can even exist bred and harvested in a small container inexpensively.

5. Live/Frozen Mysis Shrimp

Mysis shrimp, or opossum shrimp, are another great selection for betta fish because of their exoskeleton. This outside is rich in fiber, which aids the digestion of protein-rich foods. If your betta fish is a picky eater, these guys might do the play a trick on for some diversity. They are packed with betta-loving nutrients, more then than brine shrimp, and are also high in moisture and amino acids.

How Much & How Often to Feed a Betta Fish?

Pay no attention to the amount and instructions on the side of the betta fish food can. These directions are oftentimes very misleading and tin can cause problems with your betta and the water quality in your tank. Typical feeding instructions say to feed as much as your fish will swallow in 5 minutes, or to feed several times daily in amounts that tin exist consumed in 3 minutes. This is not recommended and will pb to overfeeding and backlog waste.

• Betta fish pellets (ii-4 pellets, ane-two times daily)
• Live, frozen, or freeze-stale (2-3 pieces, 1-2 times daily)

Developed bettas can be fed once per twenty-four hour period, and babies (fry) can be fed twice per mean solar day. It might not seem like enough, but many pellets expand to more than 2X their size once they get wet. To put this into further perspective, a betta fish's stomach is roughly the size of their centre! Additional feedings may be necessary depending on the activity level and personality of your betta.

Bettas will overeat if you let them. Overfeeding and overeating can pb to constipation, bloating, obesity (that'due south right betta fish can get fat), swim float problems, contracting diseases because of the bacteria feeding on the backlog nutrient breaking down, and fifty-fifty death.

Ideal Feeding Schedule:

• Monday: Betta fish pellets (2-4 pellets, 1-2 times daily)
• Tuesday: Live, frozen, or freeze-dried (two-3 pieces, 1-2 times daily)
• Wednesday: Betta fish pellets (2-iv pellets, 1-2 times daily)
• Thursday: Betta fish pellets (ii-4 pellets, ane-2 times daily)
• Friday: Alive, frozen, or freeze-stale (two-3 pieces, 1-2 times daily)
• Saturday: Betta fish pellets (2-iv pellets, 1-2 times daily)
• Sunday: Fast to keep digestive regularity

Always clean up any excess food that falls to the lesser of the tank with an aquarium designated turkey baster. This will prevent ammonia buildup and the potential for harmful diseases existence nowadays from food disuse.

It's also a good idea to not feed your betta 1 solar day per week, this gives their digestive tract fourth dimension to fully process nutrient and information technology limits problems associated with overeating. If you lot're going to be gone for a solar day or two, or on vacation, don't cascade extra betta food in either.

Actress feeding volition pb to overeating or they may non eat the backlog at all. If you lot desire to know how long betta fish tin can go without food also, it's actually 14 days. Therefore, it'south always better not to feed your betta over the weekend or for a day or ii than it is to feed them extra.

What If Your Betta Fish Won't Eat?

If your betta fish won't eat or seems completely uninterested in food don't worry. A lack of appetite may mean that they are not hungry or have recently undergone some blazon of stress (due east.m. tank cleaning, new abode, precipitous h2o temperature changes). Again, don't worry about a couple days because bettas tin survive up to fourteen days without food.

Cold water that is exterior of the recommended range of 76-81 degrees Fahrenheit may also cause your betta to human action lethargic and will deadening their metabolism. A lower metabolism means they will demand fewer feedings. Every bit betta fish go older they will also be less active and may eat less oft, this is normal.

If your betta isn't eating it may also be a sign of disease. But like when we are sick, betta fish also won't have big appetites while they are ill. Make sure to monitor for signs of illness and affliction, and initiate the proper treatments equally soon every bit possible.

In one case a betta recovers, their appetite will too begin to come back too. Every bit mentioned above bettas can be picky besides. If you observe your betta fish spitting out his or her food, or turns away from it, you may need to endeavour a different kind or brand.

Recap

That'due south a lot of information to digest, but every bit a betta keeper, information technology is our responsibility to make sure they have a well-counterbalanced diet for optimal wellness. Myths exist regarding alive foods causing constipation and bloating. This can happen, simply it's normally from a lack of fiber in the betta's diet, or overfeeding.

Remember, betta fish may swallow even if they are not hungry. In the wild, betta fish may not know when their next repast is, so their instinct is to proceed eating while food is available.

Ranked in lodge, the best betta food is live, frozen, freeze-dried, pellets, and flakes. Feeding a variety of different foods volition provide the array of nutrients a betta fish needs to thrive.

How much to feed your betta fish can depend on their individual activeness level, but 2-3 pellets i-2 times daily is a safe amount. Make it the habit of sticking to a regular feeding schedule and then that you don't forget whether or not you fed them.

Please inquire any questions you lot may still have virtually specific betta fish food and feeding procedures in the comments below.

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Source: https://bettafish.org/care/food-feeding/