What to Feed Bettas [ May 9th, 2011 ] Posted in » Bettas

Trying to figure out what to feed your bettas?  Today I came across this article by Mischa which talks about the best types of foods to feed betta fish.  She discusses both how much to feed betas as well as what to feed betta fish.

She very much stresses the importance of feeding your bettas a variety of different types of foods.  Right now in my tank I don’t have any bettas as the female ones I had died a while ago and right now I’ve got an oscar in my tank which would have bettas for breakfast, but when I did have bettas I mostly just fed them flakes.  Mischa’s advice is to offer bettas a bigger variety of food.

Here’s the article she wrote:

Feeding Betta Fish

By Mischa Hill

If you are new to Betta fish keeping, feeding them might present a challenge at first. There are so many choices out there and so much conflicting information!

People present all kinds of theories on how often to feed Betta fish, what to feed them, etc. But once you start listening to those with many years of experience, some common themes begin to emerge.

Here are some basic tips for you:

First of all, you need to know that feeding Betta fish the best and most varied diet possible will have a profound effect on its health and longevity. In fact, next to the quality of tank water, it’s the second most important factor in caring for your Betta fish. And the two are very much connected. You will see in a minute, why.

The first question is: How much should I be feeding Betta fish?

Be careful not to overfeed it! That’s the most important thing. We can be very eager to make our Betta happy and full and we often go overboard. Remember, they are tiny creatures, with tiny stomachs (about the size of their eyes) and huge appetites. And they don’t have much will power when it comes to food. Yes, they can be finicky, but they will also eat until their stomachs are bulging, if left to their own devices.

So learn these quick rules:

  • Feed it only what your Betta will consume right away (in 2 minutes)
  • Do not leave any uneaten food in the tank (it can be a challenge to pick it all out…)

There are many theories out there, but it’s enough to feed your Betta fish once a day. Pick a time that is convenient for you and stick to it. Bettas like consistency when it comes to feeding time. It’s also perfectly fine to skip a day. In fact, regular “fasts” can do your Betta much good.

Here is a not-so-well-known feeding tip: the best time for feeding your Betta fish is an hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset. In the wild, this is the time when the insects swarm and land in the water for the Bettas to scoop them up.

The second question is: What should I be feeding my Betta fish?

We already mentioned the fact that Bettas are carnivores. A vegetarian diet will not sustain them. The healthiest food for them is called Hikari Bio-Gold. It’s imported from Japan and used by many breeders. Another very good choice for every day is BettaMin.

Since your Bettas need a varied diet, here are some other elements of their weekly menu:

  • Blood worms – give infrequently
  • Daphnia (water fleas) – twice per week at the most
  • White chicken meat
  • A tiny piece of steak
  • Vegetables – a cooked and peeled pea, for example

Variety will contribute to a strong immune system in your Betta.

And once again – whatever is not eaten right away, needs to be removed from the tank. Leftover food will rot and produce bacteria and ammonia, making the environment dangerous if not deadly for your Betta.

Bettas make wonderful pets because of the way they tend to bond and interact with their owners. Use your feeding routine to spend time with your Betta and cultivate that bond. You will soon find it most enjoyable!

Mischa Hill is a Betta fish enthusiast. He likes to contribute to the well-being and health of all Bettas by providing information and resources on Betta fish care and breeding Betta fish to Betta fish owners at http://www.betta-fish-care.net/

Find good Betta fish food prices on his site as well.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mischa_Hill

http://EzineArticles.com/?Feeding-Betta-Fish&id=2755954

As you can see she stresses feeding betas a variety of food, not just one type of food.  The female bettas I had died from being attacked by other fish, not from a lack of food variety so I can’t really comment on how valid Mischa’s recommendations are.

What do you think?

Do you have bettas?  Are you thinking of just sticking with one type of daily food, or are you going to feed them a variety?  Leave your comments below and let me know what you think.

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High Ammonia Levels in 55 Gallon Aquarium Tank

It’s really interesting to watch the difference in the natural Aquarium Cycle between my 20 Gallon tank and my 55 Gallon tank.  In the 20 Gallon tank the Ammonia levels began climbing starting on the fifth day after setting up my Aquarium and putting in my first set of fish.  The ammonia levels first went to 0.25 ppm for a few days, then climbed to 0.50 ppm for a few days and then went as high as 1.00 ppm for a period of 4 days before going back down to 0.50 ppm and now slowly dropping down to 0.25 ppm and less over the last few days.

Obviously the Cycle in my 20 Gallon Aquarium is well under way.  As for the 55 Gallon, it seems like the same thing is happening except much slower.  It took almost 10 days from setup and putting in fish to get the Ammonia levels to start going up.  They first climbed to 0.25 ppm for a few days, then 0.50 ppm for a few days and now have been at 1.00 ppm for about three or four days.

I’m keeping an eye on the Ammonia levels every day to make sure they don’t end up going any higher than 1.00 ppm.  I’ve also been adding in a few cap fulls (5-15ml) of Cycle into the tank on a daily basis to help establish a healthy population of beneficial bacteria.  My tests also show that my Nitrate levels have started going up as well in the last few days which means that the bacteria that convert Ammonia into Nitrate are starting to form nicely.

I did also do a 20% water change today in hopes that it will help to lower the Ammonia levels a bit.  I’ll test the water again tomorrow to see what’s happening.  So far the fish seem to be doing fine at the 1.00 ppm levels of Ammonia but I don’t want to stress them out too much so if the levels go up any higher than that I’ll do another partial water change while I wait for the biological filter Cycle to establish itself.

I also picked up a school of 8 Baby Cardinal Tetras for my 20 Gallon tank the other day and they seem to be doing very well in that tank so far.  I may end up either putting them in my 55 Gallon once it finishes Cycling, or I may move the one adult Cardinal Tetra I have in the 55 Gallon right now into the 20 Gallon tank.  I don’t like it being there by itself.  Tetras prefer to live in schools so I think the single one I have in the 55 Gallon is lonely right now.

November 16th, 2008 | Comments Off

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