Betta - Too Fat Or Constipated/bloated?

[Sahrynar]

I've probably been overfeeding him so I wouldn't be surprised one way or the other...([emoji20] I've learned my lesson & will be feeding him less as well as switching his food (to New Life Spectrum Betta) but would also like to know how much of that I should be feeding him & how many times a day)

If he's bloated, what should I do? Someone said the "pea method" is outdated and no good & said to use daphinia (sp?) instead.
If he's just too fat, do I go immediately to a smaller diet (& how small) or sleekly slowly lower the number of pellets over time?

Thank you in advance for your help!! [emoji4]

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[NickAu]

A little over fed maybe, How much are you feeding him
 

 
(to New Life Spectrum Betta) but would also like to know how much of that I should be feeding him & how many times a day)

2 pellets 2 times a day

 

[betta fish]

I would fast him for a couple of days at least until his belly goes down, older bettas such as he is are prone to constipation more so, what is the tank temp/size and also any tank mates?

 

[FroFro]

 

 

 

 
DO NOT listen to NickAu and feed your betta two pellets a day. Betta fish have a stomach about the size of their eye. That is a SMALL stomach. I suggest varying his diet, pellets are not exactly the best food. I'd supplement with some blood worms, flakes now and again, and even some sinking shrimp pellets (broke in half of course!). Betta's are omnivores and require a varied diet. Fish are used to going DAYS without food in the wild so you are not starving him. The reason fish gorge when you feed them is because it is instinct to eat whenever possible since food in the wild isn't always a constant everyday thing for some fish. I feed my betta half of a bloodworm every day. ONE blood worm. He will randomly get a shrimp pellet broken in half once a week and sometimes a very tiny pinch of flakes for a varied diet. He is healthy and thriving. Remember, DO NOT over feed your fish. Older bettas are prone to constipation and dietary issues brought on by this. Make sure to keep an eye on his swelling as in the worst case scenario it could be a sign of dropsy. You will be able to tell if its dropsy as his scales will flare out into a sort of "pinecone" look. Best of luck. Let your fish go a few days without food and start feeding him SMALL amounts once a day or once every 2 days. He won't starve if you do this.

A little over fed maybe, How much are you feeding him
 

 
(to New Life Spectrum Betta) but would also like to know how much of that I should be feeding him & how many times a day)

2 pellets 2 times a day

Bettas have very small stomachs two pellets a day is overfeeding.

 

[NickAu]

 
DO NOT listen to NickAu and feed your betta two pellets a day.

Really?
 

 
pellets are not exactly the best food.

Are you sure?
 

 
, flakes now and again

Flakes you say?
 
Well I will follow your great advice and rush out and get some flakes, I will throw the Atisons Betta Food and Pro out because they are rubbish.
 
Will plain old tropical flakes do?

 

[cowgirluntamed]

 
DO NOT listen to NickAu and feed your betta two pellets a day.
Bettas have very small stomachs two pellets a day is overfeeding.

I disagree with FroFro. Do you even know the size of pellet Nick is talking about? I've never used that variety but omega one and I fed my betta three pellets twice a day. Sometimes between 5-6 once a day at times and never had any problems from feeding him like that. It really depends on the size of the pellet. The reason only that many IS because of the small stomach.

And just because Bettas in the wild can go without food for that long doesn't mean they should. They wouldn't choose not to eat if they had food right there. One day is one thing. Maybe two. It really depends on the situation. That said, the pellets we are talking about are also made for Bettas. Though with any food you have to look at the ingredients. You also have to feed what your betta will eat. Some may want pellets over flakes and vice versa. Each betta and case is different. Nick takes very good care of his Bettas and his are thriving.

 

[NickAu]

My Bettas get 5 pellets of Atisons 2 times a day, Atisons are the same size as Omega.  Plus they can eat all the red cherry shrimp they can catch.
 
When fed correctly a Bettas stomach should be slightly rounded, and the amount of food will also depend on the individual fish the tank size and how active it is.
 
I fed this guy just before I took the photo, See how his stomach is just slightly rounded? That means its full.

 
 

 
Betta's are omnivores

Just FYI
 
Bettas are carnivores/insectivores.

 

[Sahrynar]

Hmm...I used to feed him 8 Aqueon pellets 2X day and although I now know that was WAAAAY too much, he's never had a problem until the other day. I plan to feed him New Life Spectrum betta food, 3 pellets 2X day from now on.
I'd also like to give him frozen daphnia but can't find it anywhere. I've found frozen spirulina brine shrimp - is that good for him? If so, how much and how often do I give it to him? Or can I soak the freeze-dried daphnia I have in dechlorinated water and feed him that? (Again how much & how often?)
He's actually looking a lot less bloated than just yesterday - maybe all that flaring had him pooping with a vengeance ;D
He's not being cooroperative of course & actually flares at the back of my shiny phone case, so the picture's not that good - I'll try to take a better one later - but here he is today:

Do you think he's less fat today?

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Oh current tank is 2.5 gal (going into a community 10 soon once I get it set up) and around 79-80° F.

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[LyraGuppi]

It does look like his stomach has gone down quite a bit. He looks like he's at a healthy size right now, I'd just feed him a little less than normal for a few days to give his digestive system a rest.

 

[NickAu]

 
It does look like his stomach has gone down quite a bit. He looks like he's at a healthy size right now, I'd just feed him a little less than normal for a few days to give his digestive system a rest.

I agree with Miss Lyra.
 
Like I said earlier he looked like he was just a little over fed.

 

[squidneh]

I think he looks to be at a good weight now, maybe slightly overweight but nothing to really worry about. 
 
I feed my bettas a varied diet - they get Attisons as the staple, with bloodworms and brine shrimp a few times a week. When I do water changes on my big tank (once a week) I scoop out a few RCS and give them each 1-2 to hunt, they're usually gone withing a day or two. 
 
I personally fast my bettas for 2 days every 10 days. I feel it's a more natural way to feed them, and I even fast my dogs for a day every 10 days (my dogs are fed a raw, natural diet). There is more harm in over feeding than there is in skipping a few feedings. 
 
I've raised 3 out of my 4 bettas from fry this way and they all are healthy, vibrant, and a good size for their age/type. My youngest is 3 years old, eldest is 5. 

 

[FroFro]

 

 
DO NOT listen to NickAu and feed your betta two pellets a day.

Really?
 

 
pellets are not exactly the best food.

Are you sure?
 

 
, flakes now and again

Flakes you say?
 
Well I will follow your great advice and rush out and get some flakes, I will throw the Atisons Betta Food and Pro out because they are rubbish.
 
Will plain old tropical flakes do?
 


I did not tell you to throw out your food. I did not tell you to follow my great advice. The advice I gave was to the original OP, not you. A varied diet for bettas as well as ANY fish is beneficial to their over all health. I feed my betta a mixture of Blood worms, Aqueon Tropical Flake food (very little as I said, betta fish have small stomachs) HALF of a presoaked shrimp pellet and on occasion I've had my fish even peck at some deshelled peas. The ADVICE I gave to the OP is because they were having an issue due to inexperience of keeping bettas. You may keep your own food if you want, as I never said to throw out your food. 

 

[FroFro]

 

 
DO NOT listen to NickAu and feed your betta two pellets a day.
Bettas have very small stomachs two pellets a day is overfeeding.

I disagree with FroFro. Do you even know the size of pellet Nick is talking about? I've never used that variety but omega one and I fed my betta three pellets twice a day. Sometimes between 5-6 once a day at times and never had any problems from feeding him like that. It really depends on the size of the pellet. The reason only that many IS because of the small stomach.

And just because Bettas in the wild can go without food for that long doesn't mean they should. They wouldn't choose not to eat if they had food right there. One day is one thing. Maybe two. It really depends on the situation. That said, the pellets we are talking about are also made for Bettas. Though with any food you have to look at the ingredients. You also have to feed what your betta will eat. Some may want pellets over flakes and vice versa. Each betta and case is different. Nick takes very good care of his Bettas and his are thriving.
 

Bettas in the wild can go without long periods of food and are by nature used to it. I never said to starve a betta and throw a pellet in their once a week. I simply used that as testimony to how easy it is to overfeed a betta or any fish in general because they are opportunistic eaters. So to new aquarium owners they may seem "always hungry" as they will eat all they can (unless already ill). I feed my betta once a day. His diet is varied and he even gets excited when he gets a different "treat" each day. However he only pecks on deshelled half- peas, I can't get him to nibble on any other greens like zucchini or cucumber like the fish in my main tank do. In conclusion it is very easy to overfeed a fish and get them constipated/produce large amounts of waste/lead to a dirtier tank/and by extension change the quality of the environment the fish lives in. Nick takes fine care of his bettas, but for all we know those pellets the OP used were those large orange ones that large pet stores sell that my betta spits right out and ignores if I should ever try to feed him one. I did not mean to offend Nick and I hope I responded well enough to both of you in a nuetral manner as Nick did seem to take offense. I won't be responding to either of these posts again as I feel I've explained why I said the things I said well enough for both of you to at least understand where I am coming from, as I understand your statement that I quoted. I hope you have a nice day and that your fish keep on swimming 

 

[NickAu]

 
However he only pecks on deshelled half- peas, I can't get him to nibble on any other greens like zucchini or cucumber

This tells me everything I need to know, Like I said Bettas are carnivores,  and you are trying to feed them vegetables.

 

[FroFro]

 

 
However he only pecks on deshelled half- peas, I can't get him to nibble on any other greens like zucchini or cucumber

This tells me everything I need to know, Like I said Bettas are carnivores,  and you are trying to feed them vegetables.
 

Do you wish me to link you articles on how a bit of roughage in their diet can be beneficial? Bettas are actually omnivores to an extent, while in the wild they mainly eat of insects and insect larvae, they also can and will eat plant life, its simply not a preference for most bettas. I give him the deshelled half pea because it is good for his digestion, ever since I've done this he has not had a single issue with constipation or any dietary otherwise. And before you can say anything, I fed him just blood worms for one week and even those nasty little pellets for another to see if the flaked food was causing him harm or even just the blood worms. He still had constipation. A few days of fasting and one deshelled pea later and voila, good as new and no nasty chemicals or long periods of fasting to get over the issue. 
 
I apologize if I hurt your ego/feelings Nick, I clearly explained my reasoning above when I quoted you and the other fellow, but it seems you are still offended by me, so I apologize. Now I'd appreciate it if you wish to quote me further you keep the snark out of your replies, but I suppose that also is too much to expect. Please have a pleasant evening and I hope your fish keep on swimming