# best pellets?



## orphansparrow (Apr 30, 2011)

hi there,

my boy eats hikari betta bio gold pellets, and seems to love them.

however, i notice the first ingredient is wheat. :-?

i'd like to try another pellet.

what brand is best in your opinion, and why?

(i'm asking what is best nutritionally, not necessarily what your betta likes the best)

thanks so much!!


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## denaliwind (Feb 27, 2011)

There are many good brands out there. I recommend pellets that have fish ingredient listed first. In addition I recommend 45% protein or more (at the very least 42%), there are even higher protein ones!


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## orphansparrow (Apr 30, 2011)

thanks denaliwind! seems very logical. ^_^ i'll keep my eye out for that.


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## denaliwind (Feb 27, 2011)

Not to confuse... I myself don't understand how it works, but high quality food such as New Life Spectrum only has 37% protein (?) however the first two ingredients are "Whole Antarctic Krill Meal, Whole Herring Meal..." Apparently something such as this with the right proteins, the low protein content is ok... Perhaps in comparison to the Nature Artisan Betta Crumble with a high protein content of 48% but with the first two ingredients of "Fish meal, soybean meal..." I would think if the majority of the protein is coming from soybean like in the Betta Crumble, then the low protein New Life Spectrum food would be better, or something like that, lol. XD


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## Canuck Fins (Oct 5, 2010)

My betta gets Topfin pellets for most of his feedings although I substitute in frozen bloodworms on Sunday morning and don't feed at all on Fridays. (Fasting one day a week is good for your betta.)

Orphansparrow, your instinct is right. You want a betta food that doesn't have wheat as the first two ingredients. Fish first!


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## gmd1800 (Feb 19, 2011)

Sounds good! I feed Hikari as well, and I'm a bit disappointed in how my bettas look. They look okay, but I feel like they could look better.

Are the other pellets small enough for bettas to eat? I used to have Waldens, and they were HUGE. I was worried my fish would choke on them.


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

I feed New Life Spectrum Growth Formula with 50% protein & 9% fat. The pellets are TINY so nobody has a problem eating them & they seem to LOVE them.


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

My boy gets omega one pellets and frozen bloodworms. The pellets are 42% protein, and the first three ingredients are fish


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## iheartmybettas (Jan 31, 2011)

I prefer Atison's betta food. They float nicely and have good ingredients. I have hikari bio gold also which I feed in the morning and then Atison's for dinner. The pellets are also pretty small. I have NLS betta formula but the pellets sink fast which is irritating.


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## BlueHaven (Jul 17, 2010)

What is wrong with wheat?
o.o


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## gmd1800 (Feb 19, 2011)

^ Since bettas are carnivores, it's better to feed them food that have protein for the first ingredient so they're getting all the nutrients they need.


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## DarkMoon17 (Apr 16, 2011)

Pellets high in wheat also tend to expand more and can cause bloating/impaction. 

I love Atison's betta pellets. They only have 40% protein but they have great ingredients. They are also tiny and don't expand much compared to other pellets. I give Atison's pellets in the AM and frozen blood worms (brine shrimp or glassworms) in the PM to support their diet


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## orphansparrow (Apr 30, 2011)

thanks all, i bought him some aquarian brand color enhancing pellets. (for the high protein content) the first time he ate one, i could tell he was having trouble with it. he kept doing that little "chewing" thing that they do, over and over. and then he looked sort of dazed for a while, and kept opening and closing his mouth a lot. finally, he sort of spit up, and little gooey parts of food came out of his mouth.

i think it may be because i didn't soak them first.  i'll do that for sure next time.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

I use new life spectrum betta formula..I wanted to get the growth formula since my one guy has bad tailbiting issues... but nowhere around here was selling it


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

You can find the Growth Formula on Ebay if you shop on-line. 

I do!


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## LeroyTheBetta (Dec 18, 2010)

denaliwind said:


> Not to confuse... I myself don't understand how it works, but high quality food such as New Life Spectrum only has 37% protein (?)


Not all of the NLS formulae have the same % of protein. There are a few that have 45 to 50%.

This chart shows the nutritional values of NLS's different types of food:

http://www.tqtf.com.au/pdf's/techSheetA4.pdf


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## Larsa (May 6, 2011)

I highly recondmend New Life Spectrum Betta formula. The ingredients are great -made with fruits, and give amazing noticeable resaults. They sink, but bettas should be able to eat them before they sink. My water babies vigorously eat these and om nom nom them instantly ( they beg for more too) the pellet sizes are kinda mixed so you get tiny pieces and large pieces in a container. Pricey but worth the price. If you reeeaaallly want them Petco has no cameras ; P I PROMISE these pellets work when they say they inhance coloration, my bettas are soooooooo much more vibrant ( i need to take new gallery pics )

Id stay away from pellets with a lot of wheat ( normally these are floating pellets ) They are junk and too much wheat+ overfeeding= fat bettas. Hikari pellets have lots of wheat :'(


*** I honetly ate some different brands to see for myself what tastes better and Hikari Bio Gold taste like bread and NLS actually taste better than any other pellet.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

So far my bettas really love the new life spectrum betta pellets..I let a few sink last night and my corydoras love them too! haha.My corydoras are babies and I think the sinking shrimp pellets are too big sometimes. I will look for the growth formula online for my bettas..that is a pretty good idea!


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## Lion Mom (Jun 14, 2010)

"Not to confuse... I myself don't understand how it works, but high quality food such as New Life Spectrum only has 37% protein (?)"

I wondered about that also so I contacted the company last year. They told me it isn't the % of protein that is as important as the QUALITY of protein. 

Be that as it may, I still like a higher protein % for my boys so that is why I feed the Growth Formula with 50% protein. Teeny, tiny size also so nobody has any trouble eating it. Heck, even my brandy new guppy fry can eat it!!!


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Wheat is bad for bettas because bettas are carnivores. Feeding wheat to bettas is like feeding toast to a tiger or a lion lol. The wheat is a cheap way to get more product with out spending money on fish. 


Quality > Quantity


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## derpmeister (Jul 26, 2010)

I switched from Hikari Bio-Gold to Omega One Betta Buffet Pellets a few days ago. I'm amazed at the results... Toki's fins had started to fade in color on the Hikari but now the color is coming back! I've also noticed an increase in his activity level. 

The first 3 ingredients in them are seafood, and they're cheaper than Hikari's pellets. Good stuff.  I had to soak it beforehand though, they absorb quite a bit of water.


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## rogue619 (May 28, 2010)

I just ordered a bunch of stuff from Kensfish.com. Seems great so far. I got the Betta Micro Crumble and man it will last forever! Only $3 for a half pound! Only 42% crude protein, but it has lots of meat in it, vitamins, and is completely all natural, and if you mix it with higher protein stuff to provide variety, it should be awesome. Got some other stuff from the site also, and was sent a sample of their new premium color enhancing flakes for free. The sample alone will last a few months! You guys should check the site out. They have betta specific crumble, pellets and a ton of "home-made" flakes for every occasion, as well as selling NLS foods and some aquarium equipment.


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## LeroyTheBetta (Dec 18, 2010)

Great site! And the money I'd save if I lived back in the US! UGH!!! Just on 3 types of NLS food I have I'd have saved about $50 if I got it on Ken's site!!! Almost $20 savings on each type. Grrrrrr

:frustrated::BIGweepy::BIGcha-ching::sob::doh!:


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