What is everyone feeding their bettas?

[thrujenseyes]

Hey all,
I haven't had a betta in a little while, so I'm wondering what the thing to feed would be.
Of course I'm hoping he won't eat all of the shrimp in the tank but one never knows.
I'd rather not feed live things as to not nurture the hunting and killing but I'd love for him to get what he needs and likes...if possible thru pellets.
It's a 6 gallon heavily planted tank with tons of cherry shrimp and one nerite snail who's got to be about 10 now.
Thanks guys!

 

[Innesfan]

I feed frozen foods--brine shrimp, bloodworms, mysis, daphnia etc--and some pellets, especially bug bites. Do NOT feed freeze dried foods especially FD bloodworms. That's the express lane to constipation, bloat and dropsy symptoms.

 

[Back in the fold]

I culture live wingless fruit flies . Drosophila melanogaster . Betta’s like to hunt them on the water’s surface . It’s a job culturing enough of them for a lot of fish but for one lone Betta it’s easy .

 

[thrujenseyes]

I feed frozen foods--brine shrimp, bloodworms, mysis, daphnia etc--and some pellets, especially bug bites. Do NOT feed freeze dried foods especially FD bloodworms. That's the express lane to constipation, bloat and dropsy symptoms.

Oh good to know on the fd bloodworms!! Yikes!! I've read about bug bites! I think I'll start there! Thank you!

 

[thrujenseyes]

I culture live wingless fruit flies . Drosophila melanogaster . Betta’s like to hunt them on the water’s surface . It’s a job culturing enough of them for a lot of fish but for one lone Betta it’s easy .

omgoodness you "culture them"?! I'll have to google that!...even though it sounds pretty gross! ha

 

[GaryE]

Check the fiber content on whatever brands you see. A lot of us are in different countries with different brands, but the nutritional breakdown needs are the same.
Wild Bettas hunt insects, and eat them whole. Wings, shells and all. Their guts are evolved to handle such roughage, as is the case with all insectivores. A lot of prepared foods are soft on fiber, and that can lead to problems. Most "Betta pellets" sold seem to be regular cheap food rolled into a ball.
I no longer keep Bettas, but have had good results with bug bites (fluval or northfin here) for fish with similar needs.

I don't remember if bug bites pellets float. That's important for Bettas. When I buy pellets they go right into a grinder as I have small fish.

 

[thrujenseyes]

Check the fiber content on whatever brands you see. A lot of us are in different countries with different brands, but the nutritional breakdown needs are the same.
Wild Bettas hunt insects, and eat them whole. Wings, shells and all. Their guts are evolved to handle such roughage, as is the case with all insectivores. A lot of prepared foods are soft on fiber, and that can lead to problems. Most "Betta pellets" sold seem to be regular cheap food rolled into a ball.
I no longer keep Bettas, but have had good results with bug bites (fluval or northfin here) for fish with similar needs.

I don't remember if bug bites pellets float. That's important for Bettas. When I buy pellets they go right into a grinder as I have small fish.

Love this information! Thank you. I got the Fluval Bites (for Bettas) yesterday!

 

[Back in the fold]

omgoodness you "culture them"?! I'll have to google that!...even though it sounds pretty gross! ha

Nothing to it . There’s a plastic container with a breathable lid , some culture medium and perching material . The flies do all the work . Once the culture takes off you sprinkle them in your aquarium . When the culture naturally dies down you make up a new one and seed it with some flies from the old culture .

 

[thrujenseyes]

Nothing to it . There’s a plastic container with a breathable lid , some culture medium and perching material . The flies do all the work . Once the culture takes off you sprinkle them in your aquarium . When the culture naturally dies down you make up a new one and seed it with some flies from the old culture . View attachment 378570

Dear Lord! This makes me queasy and I'm a die hard horror fan.
haha

 

[thrujenseyes]

Just wanted to say thank you for the help and show you my guy eating his new Fluval Bug Bites (for Betttas).

 

[sharkweek178]

omgoodness you "culture them"?! I'll have to google that!...even though it sounds pretty gross! ha

Wingless Fruit Flies

I'm taking the plunge. I just ordered deli cups, excelsior and fruit fly medium (I got the Repashy brand). I know my betta and honey gourami will like them. I hope I can get my neon tetras and upcoming harlequin rasboras to eat them too. Seems pretty easy and straightforward to culture...

www.fishforums.net

Bettas love live foods. When I had one I fed him fruit flies too. Since they float on the surface that's especially well suited for a betta. They have up turned mouths to feed from the surface. Grindal worms are another easy culture. But the absolute best live food for bettas is mosquito larvae. If you can set up a bucket to culture those, your betta will love it. And it's fun watching the fish chase them around.

 

[sharkweek178]

Dear Lord! This makes me queasy and I'm a die hard horror fan.
haha

Cleaning out the old cultures is kind of a horror story. But you get used to it.

 

[sharkweek178]

Check the fiber content on whatever brands you see. A lot of us are in different countries with different brands, but the nutritional breakdown needs are the same.
Wild Bettas hunt insects, and eat them whole. Wings, shells and all. Their guts are evolved to handle such roughage, as is the case with all insectivores. A lot of prepared foods are soft on fiber, and that can lead to problems. Most "Betta pellets" sold seem to be regular cheap food rolled into a ball.
I no longer keep Bettas, but have had good results with bug bites (fluval or northfin here) for fish with similar needs.

I don't remember if bug bites pellets float. That's important for Bettas. When I buy pellets they go right into a grinder as I have small fish.

The betta formula of Bug Bites seemed a little more buoyant than regular ones.

 

[thrujenseyes]

Wingless Fruit Flies

I'm taking the plunge. I just ordered deli cups, excelsior and fruit fly medium (I got the Repashy brand). I know my betta and honey gourami will like them. I hope I can get my neon tetras and upcoming harlequin rasboras to eat them too. Seems pretty easy and straightforward to culture...

www.fishforums.net

Bettas love live foods. When I had one I fed him fruit flies too. Since they float on the surface that's especially well suited for a betta. They have up turned mouths to feed from the surface. Grindal worms are another easy culture. But the absolute best live food for bettas is mosquito larvae. If you can set up a bucket to culture those, your betta will love it. And it's fun watching the fish chase them around.

Thanks for the link. I'll read about it....can't promise anything though! ha

 

[thrujenseyes]

The betta formula of Bug Bites seemed a little more buoyant than regular ones.

that's what I read so I got them. They do float and he loves them!