# Baby Betta care



## TaraJets (Mar 9, 2011)

My friend bought a baby betta from petco but then decided she didn't want it... :roll: She knew I had a betta before and pretty much insisted I have it. I'm happy about having this little guy, but I have no idea how to take care of him! 

Currently, he (or she) is in a 2.5g tank with a heater. I fed him some crushed pellet because I didn't know what else to do... I have some frozen bloodworms and I can catch fruit flies. Should I feed him these for protein?? I'm just really lost right now. Thanks for any help.


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## hawkraven (Mar 26, 2012)

live foods are good for him..


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## Canis (Apr 15, 2013)

Just make sure you do water changes frequently, so his/her growth isn't stunted. Frozen bloodworms should be okay, just make sure they are small enough that the baby doesn't choke. Not sure about the fruit flies. Live foods are the best, but of course not everyone has access to them.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

You can also mix it up and use your flakes as well if they are a good brand. I put a little in a baggie and grind it up to a powder almost and feed that to my babies once they were big enough :-D

Also, feeding 3-5 times a day is best to promote a healthy growth and a water change every 3-4 days is necessary so that they're growth isn't stunted as Canis pointed out. I'd do a 50% and a 100% every 3-4 days for him/her.

And I think that's really the only "special" care for babies, well all that I can think of at the moment.

I'd like to see a picture! I've gotten decent at telling gender as long as it's old enough :-D So maybe I can help you out there ^^


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## Viva (Oct 18, 2012)

Hi Tara. Sounds like you are doing great already. Feed the baby every 3 - 4 hours and feed frozen bloodworms and crushed pellets. They really love the frozen bloodworms. They have high protein content while the pellets give them necessary vitamins and minerals. Do frequent water changes, I'd do 50% daily or every other day because babies release a growth-stunting hormone that will make him/her not grow. Feeding frequently, keeping a constant temp, and doing water changes are needed for baby bettas. They grow up fast, its pretty amazing!


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## TaraJets (Mar 9, 2011)

Thank you guys! I just fed him/ her some crushed bloodworm and pellet before going to sleep. Here are picturesssss! I'm sorry they suck... my dslr is out of battery so I had to use my cell phone.


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## logisticsguy (Sep 7, 2012)

NLS Grow is an excellent pellet for juvenile betta. Just the right size and protein rich. This is jmho but stores should not be selling betta under 10 wks old minimum. They require a level of care that is higher than adults and are being sold to many people who are not as diligent as you to do the research. Most stores that do sell baby betta do not give the new owner enough info to be successful. Yes they are cute like all young things so they sell easy. When I saw babies being sold at a lfs near me I asked the staff about care for the baby and they were clueless, so of no use to the new pet owner and I spent the next 15 minutes educating them on how to care for them as they were very malnourished. Good luck with the baby and nice work learning how to care for it.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Congratulations, it's a boy!

Lol, he is cute ^^ looks like you've been doing well feeding him. What kind of bloodworms are you using? Frozen? Freeze-dried?


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## Fishy Mom (Feb 11, 2013)

I don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but if you're in a pinch getting more food you can use the egg yolk of a boiled egg in addition to the crushed pellets. I did this for my first baby when I got her and she grew like a weed. She couldn't have been more than a few weeks old when I got her. I could still see right through her body poor thing.


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## TaraJets (Mar 9, 2011)

Thank you everyone! He seems to be doing very well. Call me crazy, but I think I'm already seeing some new fin growth and it's been one day. 

@lil, I'm using frozen bloodworms, crushed by mua for his tiny mouth. ^.^

@Fishy Mom, That egg yolk thing will come in handy! I love boiled eggs but I never eat the yellows for health reasons.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Oh great! That's good :-D I wish I could have frozen BW's for my babies lol, none of our stores around here sell them though >.<

Oh and you could totally be seeing new growth in a day, they grow fast when fed well!!


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## Fishy Mom (Feb 11, 2013)

I don't eat the yellows just because I don't like the taste, lol. All my fish still get a little piece sometimes as a treat.


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## Viva (Oct 18, 2012)

Fishy Mom said:


> I don't eat the yellows just because I don't like the taste, lol. All my fish still get a little piece sometimes as a treat.


I never knew fish could eat egg yolks, I only eat half of them and give the rest to my cats when I make hard boiled eggs. Good to know!


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## TaraJets (Mar 9, 2011)

If anyone wanted to see Fluffy (that's what I decided to name him) I posted a video of him  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhQr9J-m9EA


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## Fishy Mom (Feb 11, 2013)

TaraJets said:


> If anyone wanted to see Fluffy (that's what I decided to name him) I posted a video of him  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhQr9J-m9EA


That's one hyper fish! Does she ever stop moving, lol.


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## TaraJets (Mar 9, 2011)

oh my gosh!! he's crazy!!! That's why I had to post a video because even with my good camera, pictures weren't really working out.


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## JamieL (Jun 4, 2013)

I'm glad to see this thread. I just registered, earlier today I was in petco with my daughter buying cat food, and my daughter mooned over the fish forever (like usual), and I saw the baby bettas. I thought it would be great, rewarding for her to help care for it and watch it grow...until I got home and did some research online. Now I'm in a panic over this poor little guy. I went back to the store and got a heater, but I'm worried the water is too wam, so tomorrow I'll get a thermometer, and different food. I asked the staff at both pet stores, but got basically zero (or bad) info from both, but I really want to learn more and help this little fish flourish, both for my daughter and for my own motherly instinct. From my research it seems he's 7-8 weeks old. My husband is mocking me because Ive been hovering and doting on this fish all day. :|


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## TaraJets (Mar 9, 2011)

Good luck with your new baby! I'm no expert but what I've picked up on so far for babies is feed frequent, small meals and make sure to change the water often enough. You should post a picture


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## Mohankrish99 (Jun 3, 2013)

My crown tail Betta is about 4 months old..it is eating too much.I read in many websites that we should feed our fish every thing it eat within 2 minutes...but my fish is eating way too much in that 2 minutes...
please any one tell me is it the good way of feeding..


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## JamieL (Jun 4, 2013)

I got up early to check on Bubblefishy before my daughter got up, just in case. He was kind of just hanging in the same spot as the night before, near the bottom, behind a decoration. He would swim up for air then back down to that spot. Is that normal behavior? I was a little worried, but now my daughters up and he's swimming all over the place! She says "he loves me!' Maybe he does.


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## Fishy Mom (Feb 11, 2013)

JamieL said:


> I got up early to check on Bubblefishy before my daughter got up, just in case. He was kind of just hanging in the same spot as the night before, near the bottom, behind a decoration. He would swim up for air then back down to that spot. Is that normal behavior? I was a little worried, but now my daughters up and he's swimming all over the place! She says "he loves me!' Maybe he does.


Bettas do recognize people & have incredible eyesight for a fish. They also sleep at night. So, your little one may have just been a bit groggy if he was just waking up...maybe he's not a morning fish, lol. 

Congrats on the new baby. It's so easy to fall in love with them & at their age they really bond with their care takers.


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## JamieL (Jun 4, 2013)

Fishy Mom said:


> Bettas do recognize people & have incredible eyesight for a fish. They also sleep at night. So, your little one may have just been a bit groggy if he was just waking up...maybe he's not a morning fish, lol.
> 
> Congrats on the new baby. It's so easy to fall in love with them & at their age they really bond with their care takers.


Thanks! He was active all day, and now that it's dark out he's hanging out in that same spot again...must be a good spot to sleep. I feel a lot better about him, I think he'll be fine.


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