Can Betta Fish Eat Tropical Flakes?

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Although Bettas are considered tropical fish, tropical flakes are not exactly made for them. This species is not like most of the other tropical fish, because bettas require a different diet.

Your betta fish might accept tropical flakes occasionally, but most of the time won’t even touch it. Betta fish are carnivorous, so you need to feed them flakes and pellets that are specially made for bettas, live or frozen food.

The rule of thumb is to try and feed them foods that wild Bettas would eat in nature. In their natural habitat, they usually eat mosquito larvae, daphnia, bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Also, try to mix it up a bit because feeding them the same type of food over and over is not exciting nor it is healthy.

Why Won’t My Betta Fish Eat Flakes?

If you are offering them plant-based flakes, the thing is that Bettas are simply not developed to eat foods made for herbivores. Since they don’t have the appetite for it, they are not going to eat flakes that contain vegetables. Their digestive system is not developed in a way to easily process plant-based elements.

There are other flakes in the pet store, however, that are made for carnivorous fish species. If you buy those, then it is more than likely that your Betta is going to eat it. Usually, Bettas have a huge appetite and they are willing to eat a lot of things, especially when they are hungry.

What to Feed Betta Fish When Out of Food?

When you run out of food, you should rather look for meat-based foods at home than plant-based ones. If all you have at home is tropical flakes, then it is just not going to work. There is a very slim chance that your Betta is going to accept it but you should look for a healthier alternative anyway.

If you can find some chicken meat at home, then it is going to be great for your Betta fish. All you need to do is boil it thoroughly and drop some tiny pieces into the water. Make sure not to add any salt or other flavoring.

Other alternatives that you might find at home include tuna, pork and beef. These all can be prepared at home for your precious little pet. However, make sure that the tuna is not packed in oil because that is simply too fatty for your Betta.

For How Long Can Betta Fish Go Without Food?

If you are leaving your home for a while and there is no one to take care of your Betta fish, then what is the best thing to do? One thing that might come to mind is to feed your pet one last time before you leave and hope it will be okay.

It turns out that Bettas can survive without food for about 10-14 days, which is quite a long time. However, we don’t recommend you to skip more than 5-6 days when it comes to feeding. It is simply unhealthy, as the immune system of your Betta would suffer from it a lot, which leads to diseases on the long term.

Best Commercial Food for Betta Fish

In your typical pet store, there are numerous Betta fish foods to choose from. But which are the ones that are actually good? Below, we are about to show you three of the best commercial foods for Bettas. These don’t contain any preservatives, artificial colors or bad-quality ingredients.

– Tetra BettaMin Floating Mini Pellets

These pellets called BettaMin are introduced to the market by Tetra and it offers an all-round nutrition bomb for your Betta fish. As you can see in its packaging, this food is specifically made for this species. When compared to other pellets, this one contains much less additives than your typical package in the market.

Even those additives are nutritious, as they mostly add crude protein and fat to the food. There is obviously less fat in it than protein because that is not even healthy for an adult Betta. Among other ingredients, they have also included carotenoids, which will further bring out the colors of your fish.

– Tetra Freeze-Dried BloodWorms

You can never go wrong with bloodworms, as it is one of the main sources of food for a wild Betta fish. The freeze-dried BloodWorms treat by Tetra is going to be a great addition to the diet of your little pet. Bettas absolutely love the taste of these worms, and will tear them apart in seconds with their small teeth, not to mention that they contain a lot of valuable protein.

Besides the main ingredient which is bloodworm, they also added some crude protein to the mix. What they ended up with is a huge protein bomb that you can feed to your Betta as an occasional treat. You can also use it as a protein supplement if it is the type of nutrition that is missing from your Betta’s diet.

– Bug Bites Fish Food by Fluval

This tropical formula is mainly made of black soldier fly larvae, which contains plenty of useful nutrition for Bettas. Besides that, there are other high-quality ingredients included in the mix such as salmon, minerals, amino acids and vitamins.

The best thing about salmon is that it contains both Omega 6 and Omega 3, which are incredibly healthy fatty acids. If you want your Bettas to have healthy scales and fins, then you are not going to be disappointed in this product by Fluval.

Wrapping Up

Fortunately, there are plenty of commercial foods to choose from for your Betta fish. Many beginners fall into the mistake of thinking that tropical flakes are great for any tropical fish. After all, the packaging won’t tell you that you are wrong.

Bettas are carnivores and they need plenty of protein, and that of the meat-based kind. If you run out of fish food, you can even find some meat at home and prepare it for your little pet.

Next time you visit the pet store or shop for fish food online, consider buying the ones I mentioned. You are not going to regret it and your fish will love it also.

Author Image Fabian
I’m Fabian, aquarium fish breeder and founder of this website. I’ve been keeping fish, since I was a kid. On this blog, I share a lot of information about the aquarium hobby and various fish species that I like. Please leave a comment if you have any question.
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