How to Feed Betta Fish? Beginner’s Guide
Diet is one of the most important things when it comes to keeping a betta fish in your aquarium.
In essence, the betta fish are omnivores, but they prefer a slightly more carnivorous diet.
Feeding your high-quality fish foods can do a lot of good for the fish; not only will it keep them happy, but they will also remain healthy for longer.
A good betta fish diet should contain plenty of proper nutrients and a mixture of them. A right combination of proteins, fats and beneficial vitamins and minerals works wonders for your bettas.
Luckily, some delicious all-in-one foods contain many of these nutrients.
Another essential thing to take care of is to keep the variety. Don’t only feed your bettas pellets, for example; instead, you can keep the variety with various live or frozen foods, which can also be seen as treats.
Here, we will take a complete look at how to feed your betta fish, from what to feed them to when to feed them, how to feed them, and some food recommendations that will make it easier for you.
What do Betta Fish Eat?
Bettas are often seen as quite greedy fish that will feed on everything they have at their disposal. This means that you have to remain moderate when you feed your betta, or else it will lead to overfeeding the fish.
Primarily, the bettas can feed on carnivorous foods. The best thing you can do (or the most convenient) is to buy some high-quality pellets or flakes and feed your bettas that.
Pellets or flakes can be the staple of a betta’s diet, but that doesn’t mean it should be the only source of food you use. Try to combine pellets or flakes with live foods, frozen, and dried foods.
To make life easier for you, there are plenty of high-quality pellets available that are made specifically with the betta fish in mind. Here are some of our recommendations for the best betta fish foods.
1. New Life Spectrum Betta
This is undoubtedly one of the best recommendations for betta fish food. The great thing is that these pellets contain everything that a betta fish needs.
It is full of beneficial nutrients – proteins and fats, but also some beneficial minerals and vitamins. Also, this food is delicious for the bettas, as even the pickiest fish will happily eat it.
It is a fantastic way to feed your fish because these foods can be bought in bulk and then you can feed these pellets to the bettas over time.
Don’t forget to add some variety to the diet, and this should not be the only source of food, but it can be used as the primary source of food.
2. Hikari Betta BioGold Baby Pellet
Your bettas will love these pellets. These will last you for quite a long time, and you won’t need to add too much except for maybe some foods to keep a variety.
Feed the bettas 8 to 10 pellets in one go, and that should be more than enough for a good meal.
These are high-quality pellets that are on the smaller side of the spectrum, but enough to keep your bettas satiated for a long time.
These are floating pellets, which means that they will slowly sink towards the bottom as time passes by, and they absorb water, which allows the bettas to eat these pellets with ease.
3. Tetra Blood Worms Freeze Dried Treat
What you do need to keep in mind with these freeze-dried bloodworms is that it should be used as a supplement and not as the primary source of food.
It is the ideal supplement to use in addition to the pellets or flakes that you can buy. These freeze-dried bloodworms will give your bettas plenty of much-needed energy.
Tetra is a very reputable company that produces high-quality foods and supplements for fish. This product is excellent because it is a high-quality source of food.
These bloodworms are scientifically tested to provide your fish with as much energy as possible. Get these along with the pellets, and it should be more than enough to keep the bettas healthy and happy.
Avoid Overfeeding Your Betta Fish
The most critical thing is to avoid overfeeding your bettas. While some people, especially beginners, get easily distracted by the size of the fish and the amounts of food that are fed.
Sometimes, the pellets or flakes that you supply to your bettas might not seem much, but the truth is that bettas don’t require too much food to keep going.
The truth is that an abundance of food can cause your bettas to obesity, which can deteriorate their health massively.
Bettas are very adaptable when it comes to food and feeding patterns so that they can last to up to 2 weeks without food. That is because sometimes there is a lack of food in nature, which has caused them to adapt to this shortage of food.
The best thing is to feed your bettas once or twice a day with moderate amounts of food.
They don’t require too much food; it is better to feed them a bit less rather than overfeed them, as it can cause all sorts of health problems and also, the waste produced will be increased.
How Often to Feed Your Betta Fish?
When it comes to the frequency of feeding, the best thing you can do is feed your bettas once or twice a day at the most. Anything more than that is just too much, and it can lead to overfeeding and obesity. The consensus is that you should feed your betta fish twice a day, maybe even less than that.
If you want to keep them healthy for a long time, then you should avoid overfeeding at all costs. To do that, make sure that you feed them once or twice a day with moderate portions.
Some people are proponents of feeding them once a day with a more substantial portion, while others prefer to feed the bettas twice a day. Whatever your choice is, you can always avoid feeding them for a couple of days if they have had too much to eat at some point.
As for the timing of the feeding, or the feeding windows, that can be totally up to you. The best thing is to feed them once in the morning and once in the evening, but you can tailor that to your needs and your schedule. There should be about 5 to 10 hours between the two meals.
How Long can Betta Fish go Without Feeding?
Betta fish is known as an excellent pet to have if you travel a lot. A reason for that is that they are quite adaptable in terms of diet and can go long periods without eating any food. The longest they can go without eating is about two weeks.
If you do travel, that is a good thing. However, you should still make sure there is a way to feed them, regardless of whether you are moving.
You can even get automatic feeders, or you can ask someone to feed them for you. That is especially important if you are going for more extended periods, like more than two weeks.
They can hold on for a couple of days, though. In the worst case, they will possibly feed on the greenery in your tank.
Why is Your Betta Fish Eating so Much?
The truth about bettas is that they are quite greedy eaters; they don’t know the limit as to how much they should eat, and they will eat just about anything you put in the tank. It should be you who should regulate how much you feed them.
Another thing you should keep in mind is that bettas might eat the food that is meant for other fish in the tank (if you have some).
This is why you should try to regulate the amount of food you do put into the aquarium. If you think your betta is overeating, try to control the amount of food you feed them. Also, make sure that you don’t overfeed.
Why Your Betta Fish is Not Eating?
Your betta fish not eating might be a sign of a disease, or it is just not hungry at the moment. If it is not eating, you should check other vital signs – check for coloration, for the behavior of the fish and the overall appearance.
If your betta appears unwell and it is not eating, then you should visit your local vet. Otherwise, it might just be a result of overfeeding, or it is just not in the mood for eating.
Conclusion
Betta fish diet is one of the most important aspects of keeping them healthy. Make sure that you buy high-quality foods and feed them correctly.
That can lead to healthy betta fish, and they will also be much happier. Feed them the right foods and at the correct times and you are on an excellent way to having healthy and happy fish in your tank.
