# My Betta Ate A Fly



## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

I dont know why he swallowed the fly...I hope he wont die.



Haha. Sorry bad joke! It was the first thing that came to mind  (Nursery Rhyme)

No but seriously he did eat a fly. Will this do anything to him? It was a common housefly that landed in the tank and I guess I was a bit too late to remove it. I heard of bettas eating mosquito larvae, but that's completely different. I'm a little unsure about this.

Thanks.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Since all my tanks are open tops...my fish eats lots of different critters that fall in the water and have never died, choked, got sick....etc the moths do leave some oily type dust on the water surface but that has never caused any problems.....common house fly shouldn't cause any problems as long as it wasn't contaminated by any toxic substance....most insects are the normal part of their diet....its just any toxic substance that can be problematic....


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Ah, I see. Thanks OFL! That was solved faster than I thought lol.

I know that bettas eat various insects (in the wild), but they are splendens and I didn't know if a fly would be on the "able to eat" list.


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## potter (Jun 8, 2009)

I am from Asia and we have mosquitoes and flies all year round. I used to smack mosquitoes or small flies to the point that they are dead but not flattened, wash it and give it to the bettas. They love them.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

potter said:


> I am from Asia and we have mosquitoes and flies all year round. I used to smack mosquitoes or small flies to the point that they are dead but not flattened, wash it and give it to the bettas. They love them.


Thank you! Heh, my bettas seem to love them as well. It was just a few flies that we had in the house. I am glad that the out break is finally done.


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## potter (Jun 8, 2009)

bettalover2033 said:


> Thank you! Heh, my bettas seem to love them as well. It was just a few flies that we had in the house. I am glad that the out break is finally done.


 
Lol your bettas are probably dissapointed though. Flies are considered a delicacy to them lol.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Lol most likely because they would (especially the females) get almost the whole fly in its mouth. I never saw them eat the wings. They always, seemed to get them off it was pretty cool. My sister came up to me one time, looked directly at my fish that was eating and literally said "That's Nasty!"...and walks away. Not many people understand that to us eating bugs (usually in the US) is something VERY few people do, but in countries like Japan and China for example, they eat hissing cockroaches, centipedes, pray mantis, ect...My science teacher was one who ate Chocolate covered Grasshoppers. I personally think that a stomach is the place where a thing like a bug should be, but if someone enjoys something in a different way, I would just leave them be because it is kind of rude to tell someone their food is nasty.


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## ChibiShishou (Dec 9, 2011)

My little Ichiru slammed himself into the side and top of the tank trying to catch a fly...I have no idea how but he was beyond ambitious trying to get that thing. Ill have to try and catch one for him some day. But Im glad you posted this now I know my little boy isn't just a tad odd.:-D


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Sid scared the heck out me the other day - he was thrashing around at the top of the tank, I thought he was having some kind of fish fit. :shock:

Turned out one of the bajillion little black flies that swarm my house every summer managed to get through the lid slots and Sid was attacking it. He demolished its whole back end in about ten seconds and left the rest for me to clean up. 

Yuck. ><

I imagine bettas might leap out of the water to catch bugs in the wild. They're such fierce little things.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Bettas can be REALLY determined to do certain things. Sometimes it can be very dangerous for them. Jumping out of the take is what I'm deathly afraid of a betta doing!


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## ChibiShishou (Dec 9, 2011)

I know what you mean about tank jumping! Im always worried my Ichiru is going to find out theres a hole in the top part of the tank (no matter how small) and jump through it ! And hes so impatient hes jumped and tried to eat my finger while Im feeding him!2 inches my eye my boy can jump a good 3-4 inches out of the water and hes not afraid to do it! XD

I am considering getting him some meat though, do they sell bugs at a pet shop for fish food? Or should I catch my own>


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Well i have had this happen mostly with the females though. One female died because she dried up before i noticed she was out of her tank.

I dont think it is suggested to feed fish meat...i dont think they sell bugs for fish.


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

You can easily raise your own mosquito larvae, just leave a bucket of water out covered enough to stop leaves and other stuff falling in it, and voila - mozzie wrigglers. Unless you have neighbours who spray chemical garden stuffs (sprays drift) it ought to be okay. 

My fish loves brine shrimp, which you can buy live or as a 'kit' (sea monkeys!) to raise your own. He loves chasing them around, though the shrimp never manage to get very far... I froze half and defrost one now and then for a snack. In my house, we don't eat the pink ice cubes. :lol:

Other live food that I see a lot of folks recommend is blood worms or blackworms. 

I'm a bit cautious about feeding my fish just any old bugs, even though wild bettas must eat a pile of whatever's hanging around near the water. The fly he ate wasn't my choice of snack for him! he did enjoy it though. :lol:


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## ChibiShishou (Dec 9, 2011)

Sea Monkeys. Now THAT is interesting!!!! Thank you I may have to try that! Yeah I wouldnt give him anythung unhealthy/ unsafe. Although how safe are sea monkeys for bettas to eat?


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Aus said:


> You can easily raise your own mosquito larvae, just leave a bucket of water out covered enough to stop leaves and other stuff falling in it, and voila - mozzie wrigglers. Unless you have neighbours who spray chemical garden stuffs (sprays drift) it ought to be okay.
> 
> My fish loves brine shrimp, which you can buy live or as a 'kit' (sea monkeys!) to raise your own. He loves chasing them around, though the shrimp never manage to get very far... I froze half and defrost one now and then for a snack. In my house, we don't eat the pink ice cubes. :lol:
> 
> ...


Well what we all have to understand is these are Betta *Splendens*. They are entirely different than a wild betta. Some wild bettas can live together with no real aggression, while other will chew the heads off of their type in seconds.

I would recommend bloodworms because they are VERY high quality food and bettas love them! They seem to be their favorite kind of food.

Also you should not buy a kit of "sea monkeys" because you can just get a Brine Shrimp egg vial that holds SO much more than a kit would and are less expensive.

I would say that it is safe for bettas to eat flies and since I know nothing about infections that a betta can get FROM eating flies, I will keep a metal cover with the tank hood on it.


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

bettalover2033 said:


> Well what we all have to understand is these are Betta *Splendens*.


Hence : *"I'm a bit cautious.."*


Chibi, 'sea monkeys' is a silly name for brine shrimp. Which you can buy live at the local aquarium shop, or apparently as eggs in a vial. Though I have not seen such a thing, only the sea monkey kits. Learn something new every day!

I learned about brine shrimp as a live food through recommendations here. I believe they make a good occasional snack, but perhaps are not best as a main food over balanced pellets.

Do correct me, somebody, if I have that wrong.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Aus said:


> Hence : *"I'm a bit cautious.."*
> 
> 
> Chibi, 'sea monkeys' is a silly name for brine shrimp. Which you can buy live at the local aquarium shop, or apparently as eggs in a vial. Though I have not seen such a thing, only the sea monkey kits. Learn something new every day!
> ...


This is where the term BBS comes intl play. BBS is simply Baby Brine Shrimp. I have never heard of live brine shrimp being sold T pet stores though so it is true that you do learn something everyday!.


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## ChibiShishou (Dec 9, 2011)

Im definitely taking notes! ^^ My betta does enjoy his blood worms so getting his diet more varied would be nice.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

You might find wingless fruit flies at your LFS; certainly online. And there are instructions for raising your own, so you don't ever have to buy them again. 

My fish liked them, until I stopped maintaining them. May have to do it again.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

@hallyx: how would me raise wingless flies?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Ha ha...Somebody already did that. You buy them that way (mine came in a glass tube) and feed them vinegar and oatmeal (IIRC). They can't fly away, so they're easy for the fish to catch. Good natural nourishment without too much trouble.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Haha I see.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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