How much food to feed a baby betta fish

What Betta Fish Eat & How Often to Feed Them

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Reviewed by Kathleen Claussen, DVM on July 07, 2021

Betta Fish Diet

Betta fish are natural carnivores, and in the wild would be found subsisting on a diet of insects and insect larvae. Understanding your betta's natural dietary habits will help you provide a healthy diet for your new pet.

What betta fish eat. Because betta fish are natural carnivores, they eat a diet that is high in protein. Some people believe that bettas can survive in a small tank just by munching on the roots of plants. This is not true and can be harmful to your betta fish.

High protein betta pellets sold in pet stores should be the mainstay of your betta fish's diet. It is important to select a pellet formula made for bettas. Those designed for other fish, such as tropical fish, will not be healthy. Actual betta pellets and flakes contain the correct level of nutrients for your betta fish. They are easy to portion to protect your fish from over and underfeeding.

As special treats, your betta fish can enjoy high protein freeze-dried and frozen foods. These are things like brine shrimp and bloodworms. These treats should not make up the bulk of your betta fish's diet. They should be fed to your betta in moderation.

How to feed your betta fish. It is recommended to feed your betta fish two to four pellets, once or twice per day. Pellets expand when placed in water and are very filling for your betta fish. Freeze-dried or fresh food can be substituted for their pellet feeding 1 to 2 days per week.

Experts recommend ridding your tank of any excess food that your betta fish does not eat. This food falls to the bottom of the tank and will degrade water quality if not removed.

Cost of feeding a betta fish. The cost of betta fish pellets and freeze-dried food can vary greatly by brand. Expect to pay between 4 and 8 dollars for a container of betta fish pellets. Your pet supplier may provide options for buying food in bulk.

Common Concerns Feeding Betta Fish

The two common concerns when it comes to feeding your betta fish are overeating or undereating.

What to do if your betta fish will not eat. Betta fish can survive for 14 days without eating. If your betta fish skips a meal or two, there is no need for immediate concern. There are several reasons why your betta fish may not be eating.

Stress from a recent water temperature change, tank cleaning, or significant environmental change, may cause a change in your betta fish's appetite as they adjust. The ideal water temperature for a betta fish is between 71 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Betta fish are often seen in bowls that are too small for them. This can make them unhappy and unwilling to eat. Be sure that your betta fish has room to swim and explore. If you notice your fish turning away or spitting out food, you may want to experiment with different pellet brands. Finally, as betta fish age, they will become less active and consume less food.

If your betta fish still will not eat, they may be ill. Consult a veterinarian or another expert in case of illness.

How to prevent your betta fish from overeating. Betta fish in the wild will eat food whenever they can find it. This makes it very easy for your betta fish to overeat when extra food is available. Overeating can lead to bloating, digestive distress, and obesity. Too much uneaten food can also result in your fish's water becoming dirty and unhealthy.

To prevent your betta fish from overeating, only feed your betta fish the recommended daily amount. Clean out excess food regularly with a net or a turkey baster. Some experts also recommend not feeding your betta fish for 1 day per week to allow their digestive system time to catch up.

How Many Pellets To Feed A Betta? (& Why You Shouldn't Overfeed Them)

Feed your betta fish two to four pellets at least once per day. Depending on your Betta’s diet, feedings may happen up to three times per day at six hours apart. However, every fish will have a different schedule.

Typically, Betta eats 2-4 food pellets once or twice per day. Because of the Betta’s small stomach, the food Betta’s consume should not be larger than their eyeballs.

Betta Fish Losing Scales – Overvi...

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Betta Fish Losing Scales – Overview

You can reduce your Betta’s daily feedings according to the amount of food these fish intake. Depending on the amount they have eaten, owners may need to feed some Bettas every other day. On the other hand, never overfeed your Betta. This fish will eat until they drop, literally!

Contents

1 How Many Pellets To Feed A Betta?
2 How Many Pellets To Feed A Baby Betta?
3 What Happens If You Overfeed Pellets To A Betta
4 Signs You Are Overfeeding
5 Check Out The E-Books!
6 How Do I Know If I Am Feeding My Betta Enough?
7 Recap

You should feed your Betta fish between 2 and 4 pellets, once or twice each day. The size of each of the pellets should be no larger than the Betta fish’s eyeball. Spread your Betta’s feedings at least six hours apart throughout the day. Separating your fish’s feeding times gives them enough time to digest their food.

The amount of food your Betta consumes varies depending on their stomach size. Generally, a Betta is an opportunistic eater and will eat until there is no longer anything to consume. Avoid feeding your Betta directly, or they will convince you they are still hungry and continue to beg for food.

How Many Pellets To Feed A Baby Betta?

Baby Bettas (also called fries) need to eat a meal of pellets and fresh or freeze-dried food once or twice daily. Their meal should be full of adequate proteins and nutrients to help the fry grow. Similar to in adulthood, these pellets should be no larger than their eyes.

The diet of a baby Betta should contain more protein than an adult Betta because of the nutrients required to make your Betta fully grow. Your Betta fry’s menu should be as diverse as possible so your fish can gain sufficient nutrients, proteins, and minerals to grow.

Many fish owners suggest that a diverse menu in Betta’s fryhood is even more important than adulthood. Some of the best ingredients to add to your Betta fry menu include bloodworms, blackworms, and mosquitos. These proteins assist the baby Betta in maturing at a healthy and rapid rate.

For the best growth and intellectual development, feed your fish food intended for a Betta fry. These commercial food pellets are full of added proteins. They have no unessential additives that cause digestive issues or other problems. Pay careful attention if you are the owner of a baby Betta that your baby is continuing to grow.

What Happens If You Overfeed Pellets To A Betta

Several negatives can come from overfeeding your Betta fish. These negative outcomes can include digestive issues, stomach expansion, and much worse.

Many fish will continue eating until they can no longer eat. Considering this, you must avoid overfeeding your Betta fish to prevent endangering its health.

Stomach Expansion

Overfeeding your Betta is dangerous because of the way the pellets expand in the water. Similarly, if your Betta eats pellets when they are dry, then they may expand in your Betta’s stomach up to two or three times when they eat.

Naturally, consuming more calories than a Betta is capable of burning off results in weight gain. Weight gain is dangerous for a Betta fish. Eventually, it results in obesity if the Betta does not engage in exercise. Obesity is problematic for the small Betta and can be extremely gruesome on the fish’s spine.

The combination of stomach expansion and obesity together are just some pieces of evidence that indicate how overfeeding can lead to fatality.

Digestive Issues

Overfeeding can cause severe digestive issues for your beloved Betta fish. Depending on the kind of food you feed your Betta, there may be additives that are difficult for your fish to digest.

Check the expiration of your Betta’s food frequently to guarantee freshness. Feeding a fish out of date food is one of the main ways that you cause digestive issues. Expired food can even cause fatality in some cases.

Stress

Bettas can become anxious when they are overfed. After becoming obese or ill from stomach expansion or poor tank conditions, your Betta will become stressed. Their personality will change, and eventually, the toll of being overfed may end in death.

Signs You Are Overfeeding

If there are pellets leftover at the top of your fish’s tank, that is a sign that your fish is not eating all their food. Leaving leftover food in their tank can be dangerous and lead to overeating or fatality.

Food that accumulates at the top of the tank may eventually rot and become dangerous for your Betta to ingest. You must remove these pellets immediately after the feeding and not let them settle at the top. Otherwise, you risk your Betta catching deadly infections.

A fish showing physical signs of weight gain like bulkiness in their abdomen might indicate that you are overfeeding them. Abdomen swelling can also be a sign of other major illnesses like dropsy.

Mastering the art of Betta fish care can be tricky, but not at all impossible. Click here to read everything you need to know about it!

How Do I Know If I Am Feeding My Betta Enough?

When there is no food left at the top of your tank, that is a direct sign that your Betta is consuming enough food. However, never continue feeding them until they are full. Bettas will eat as long as there is food in front of them. If you continue feeding them, they will continue eating.

Use your best judgment when deciding how much to feed your Betta fish. Never hand-feed them continuously, or they will eat until their stomachs explode. Betta eats when you place food in front of them. Continuing to place bloodworms or live food in front of your Betta encourages them to continue eating. Be mindful of the live food you feed them so they do not overfill themselves.

One common mistake for many Betta fish owners is forgetting to adjust their Betta’s food routine as they grow. Be conscious of a growing Betta fish and adjust their feeding routine as they mature from fry to adult. This way, you give your Betta the correct amount of food, and they are not malnourished.

Recap

Betta fish do not have large stomachs, so you must be considerate of how much you feed your fish. Feed an adult Betta only 2-4 food pellets, once or twice per day. Every fish has a varying diet, so you may adjust their feeding schedule to every other day if needed. When food begins to collect at the top of the water, avoid feeding them more.

Adjusting your Betta’s feeding routine can make a major difference in their well-being. A Betta fish fed the correct amount of food each day will have a longer and healthier life than an overfed fish. This is because these fish are less exposed to harmful bacteria, potential disease and are being cared for better overall!

Feed your Betta fish around 2 to 4 food pellets each day. These food pellets are roughly the size of your fish’s eye and can easily cause multiple issues if fed incorrectly. Managing the amount of food and minding the food you feed your fish is important in avoiding overfeeding your Betta.

If you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website! And if you have any more questions you can ask them in the Q&A Section!

How to properly feed cockerels

Cockerels are the favorite fish of beginner aquarists. Undemanding, but at the same time colorful, with magnificent fins, the length of which exceeds the length of the body. Usually males are kept individually. They do not get along well with representatives of other species, and with each other. What, how and how much to feed these fish so that they are full and healthy?

To answer this question, let's look at the features of these wonderful fish: nine0003

Cockerels are predators, in nature they feed on small invertebrates. Like all carnivores, they need an increased amount of high-quality animal protein in their diet. This will ensure proper digestion, harmonious growth and development.

Cockerels have an upper mouth. This means that they feed mainly from the surface of the water and ignore food that has fallen to the bottom. Especially if the fish is not hungry. So choose sterns that float on the surface for a long time.

Cockerels are fish with a bright color. The natural color of the cockerel is inconspicuous, however, breeders have bred breeds of red, blue, turquoise, yellow, white, black colors and their combinations. The intensity of red-yellow shades depends on the content of special pigments, carotenoids, in the muscles and skin of the fish.

They are not synthesized in the body and are supplied with food . Natural sources of carotenoids are small crustaceans that feed on phytoplankton (krill, gamarrus), algae, yeast. Their high content in stern provides intense reds, yellows and oranges. In addition, carotenoids are a natural antioxidant and have an anti-inflammatory effect, due to which microtraumas heal faster. The skin acquires a healthy look and shine, so the fish of any color look spectacular.

Many betta breeds have long fins. The fins require extra attention. Improper feeding, lack of certain nutrients, vitamins and minerals leads to a deterioration in the condition of the fins, they are excised, become "torn". Fin injuries heal worse. nine0012 Foods rich in high-quality animal protein, vitamins, minerals and carotenoids provide active fin growth and rapid recovery after injuries.

Cockerels have relatively small mouths. Compared to fish of similar size, the betta has a small mouth. An incorrectly selected size of food will lead to the fact that the fish will not be able to swallow it, the food will settle in the ground and in the filter sponge, spoil the water, while the pet will remain hungry. nine0003

From the foregoing, we can conclude that the betta needs floating food of small diameter with a high content of animal protein and carotenoids. Tetra Betta meets these requirements. This is a complete food in the form of flakes for bettas and other labyrinth fish with a high content of carotenoids to enhance the color. We recommend feeding the betta 1-2 times a day.

Make sure that the fish eats the offered feed in 2-3 minutes. If the food settles to the bottom, remove it with a siphon, and reduce the portion at the next feeding. A rounded but not bloated belly, activity, even fins, bright color and healthy luster are evidence that the fish is healthy and eating properly.

Proper feeding of fish | Tail News

Contents

one What fish food to choose 2 How to store fish food 3 How many times to feed the fish 4 How much food to feed the fish five How to feed your fish with dry food and supplements nine0003

5 minutes

estimated reading time

Experienced aquarist Vera Dudina explained what food to choose for different fish, how to store it properly and how many times to feed tailed pets.

We want to provide the very best for new pets. Fish are no exception. They need proper care and proper feeding. However, all fish are different, and there is so much information on food that it is very difficult to understand it - especially for a beginner. In this article I will answer the most common questions about feeding fish that beginner aquarists have. I have been asked these questions frequently in my 20 years of practice. nine0003

Which fish food to choose

Fish are carnivorous, herbivorous and omnivorous. And depending on the species, they need a different diet. If you are the owner of a species aquarium, picking up food is easy: just take into account the needs of a single species.

Another thing is if there are several fish of different species in the aquarium. Then it is necessary to take into account the needs of each of them. In this case, I recommend choosing a universal dry food as the basis of the diet - for example, TetraMin. This food is suitable for almost all tropical fish. nine0003

The main thing is to make sure that the size of the food corresponds to the size of the fish.

If you keep large and small fish at the same time in the aquarium, try flakes or chips.

Which food for aquarium fish to choose so that everyone is full

If the size of the fish is about the same, select the appropriate pellets. For bottom fish, I recommend purchasing food in the form of tablets. Otherwise, they will not have time to eat food along with other fish and will remain hungry. nine0003

Remember that feeding the fish should be varied. Therefore, in addition to the main diet, I recommend introducing feed additives.

Predatory fish can be given live or frozen bloodworms, tubifex, coretra, daphnia.
Herbivorous fish benefit from duckweed.
Bottom dwellers love cucumbers, lettuce and zucchini. nine0003

Feeding bottom fish is easy. It is enough to put a piece of food on the bottom and fix it - for example, with a pebble. In a few minutes, catfish and snails will gather around him. The main thing is to remove the leftover food after two hours so that they do not pollute the water.

How to store fish food

A large package of feed is cheaper, so many tend to immediately take "in reserve". However, food oxidizes over time. Keep food tightly closed in a dark and dry place. But even if you do everything right, I do not recommend storing dry food for more than three months. nine0003

With live food, too, there are nuances. I recommend storing bloodworms, coretra, tubifex in the refrigerator at a temperature of 4-8 ° C. It is better to spread the food in a thin layer on a damp canvas and wrap it around. I will say right away: it is difficult to monitor its quality. It is necessary to wash it daily and remove dead individuals. Otherwise, the food will spoil and may cause poisoning in the fish.

If you feel a characteristic putrid smell from the feed, it should not be given to the fish. nine0003

Frozen food is practically not inferior in quality and nutritional value to live food, while it is much easier to store: just put it in the freezer. The main thing here is to prevent defrosting: both at home and on the way from the store. After defrosting, re-freezing is unacceptable - the food will have to be disposed of.

How many times to feed the fish

« Fasting day is useful, because a hungry fish is a healthy fish ". I think every beginner aquarist has heard about it. But this is a myth, moreover, a dangerous one, since the immunity of hungry fish suffers greatly. The unloading day was really relevant when there was no high-quality equipment for water purification and aeration. But even then it was a necessary measure.

In a modern aquarium, underfeeding is just as dangerous as overfeeding. It just does not appear immediately, but with a delayed effect. How much to feed the fish per day depends on their type and age. nine0003

It is optimal to give food 2 times a day. Minimum - 1 time per day. I recommend feeding fry and teenagers more often.

Every other day it is permissible to feed only adult predatory fish. These are, for example, Aravans, Astronotuses, Polypteruses, Calamoichts. But be careful not to confuse a predatory fish with an aggressive one. Often the aggressors just turn out to be herbivores. Among them are barbs, many African cichlids and even some piranhas.

nine0002 Starvation in herbivorous fish can cause disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, as their long intestines are adapted to the constant digestion of food. If you have goldfish, loricaria catfish, mollies and methinnis, forget about “fasting days”.

The first feeding is best done an hour after the lights are turned on, and the second - a couple of hours before turning off.

I recommend alternating types of food. For example, at the first feeding, give dry food, and at the second feeding, feed supplements. Or feed a complete dry food both times. nine0003

How much food to feed the fish

Deciding on the amount of food can be difficult even for experienced aquarists. There is no universal rule on how to calculate the exact amount of food for all fish. But my four recommendations will help determine how much food to feed the fishermen in your aquarium.

Watch how the fish eat. She should actively look for food, not swim past. If the fish is ignoring food, they are probably overfed. nine0003
Watch how fast the fish eats food. A serving should be eaten within a maximum of 5 minutes. If the food has been lying for a longer time, it must be collected from the bottom with a siphon and the filter sponges rinsed. Reduce the amount of food next time.
Keep your water clean. A slight, barely noticeable whitishness some time after feeding may also indicate overfeeding. But only on condition that you do not have overpopulation, and the equipment corresponds to the volume of the aquarium. nine0003
Monitor the condition of the fish. After feeding, the stomach should not strongly bulge or fall. In a healthy and well-fed fish, it is slightly rounded.

Aquarium fish often hide - what does this mean

How to properly feed your fish with dry food and supplements

All fish have different personalities. Among them there are leaders and outsiders, strong and weak, fast and slow, fearful and aggressive. It happens that strong and active fish prevent more shy ones from eating. Sometimes the fish are so shy that they constantly hide and come out to eat only after the lights are turned off. All this must be taken into account. Don't worry, there are simple but effective rules here too: nine0003

Spread food over the entire surface of the aquarium. Do not use feeders that limit the feeding area. The feeder is easy to protect, and strong fish will do just fine: just keep others from eating. But they will not be able to control the entire surface of the water. Don't worry about the food spreading out and settling on the bottom or in the filter. If you do not overfeed the fish, they will find it and collect it. The fish have a wonderful scent.
Feed the fish at the same time. They get used to the regime and are more willing to go out to eat "by the hour." If you can’t always be at home at the right time, the process can be automated using an automatic feeder. nine0104
Feed shy night catfish separately, half an hour to an hour after turning off the light. Throw pills or records at the scenery where other inhabitants can't get them. Then the catfish will also get their dinner and be full.