# What are your Betta's favourite foods?



## KristinM (Jun 7, 2011)

Im new to this Betta world...and in one day i Have had my eyes opened! 

I researched what they like to eat besides the normal flakes and pellets. Our local store only sells frozen Bloodworms. In order to get anything else such as Daphnia and shrimp you have to buy the eggs and spawn them yourself which I have never done but may have to try!

What do you find your Bettas like to eat the most? and are Bloodworms good for them? 

Are there any easier alternatives that they enjoy and are good for them? On one site I saw Beef Heart mentioned????? I plan on digging up some small earthworms which we have a lot of in the garden. would they eat the live if they were really small? and mosquito larvae from the stream running through the property which is now not flowing due to it being winter and contains stagnant water. 

Is any of this advisable? Am I on the right track?!


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

Welcome to the site

Read the nutrition label and ingredients of foods. Betta's are carnivores so need protein in their diet. Anything close to 50pct or higher in protein value is fine.

Healthy betta's are always hungry. Mine try to devour anything, including a taste of my finger.


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## Tisia (Mar 15, 2011)

I wouldn't do beef heart, not really part of their natural diet
the mosquito larva is great, there are several people on here that put out water buckets in order to harvest them for their bettas. just use a brine shrimp net to scoop them up, then rinse them off really well before you dump them in. I've got some wingless fruit flies I feed mine as well. they might be in the reptile section of the pet store


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

Mosq larva, IMO is best for them - perfect size, give the betta a bit of exercise chasing them, etc. 

B. worms are good but all worms are too fatty. So alternate them with other food. Earthworms ..... they would eat them if the worm is small enough. .... Too much of a hassle. 

I heard that beef heart brightens their color so does shrimp (both need to be chopped up). But sometimes you need to fast them before feeding such food (or any food they're not used to).

Basically any small critter (specially water critters) can be fed to them - fruit fly/larva, small dragonfly larva, very young (still white) ant/termite or eggs, daphnia, small shrimps. There are tons of alternatives. Just remember not to feed them something that's hard to digest like beef.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

It's very easy to grow baby brine shrimp yourself so if you want to, it shouldn't be a problem. Mosquito larvae are also very easy. Here is a link that tells you how to get started.
http://www.wikihow.com/Raise-Mosquito-Larvae-for-Fish-Food
Just be sure to harvest your mosquito larvae before they become actual mosquitoes.

And welcome to the forum, KristinM.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

mine will go for anything it can fit in its mouth. pellets, flakes, frozen blood worms and frozen brine shrimp and the occasional toothpick tips once in a while. my fish was rather agressive when i was feeding it with a toothpick it actually jumped to bite it and attacked any food i put in. :shock:


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Whoa, your betta is a feeding frenzy. Might wanna blunt the toothpick or something before he impales his little mouth (lip piercing!).


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## Punki (Apr 30, 2011)

Mine will both eat the aqueon betta pellets, they are tiny pellets but they get mosquito larvae daily also, they LOVE that, hunting them down and slurping them up, and getting so angry when a larvae wedges itself between the gravel and the glass. They are easy to grow as said above and after a few days of them the fish seem more active, colorful and excited


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> Whoa, your betta is a feeding frenzy. Might wanna blunt the toothpick or something before he impales his little mouth (lip piercing!).


that'll be a good idea , its the first time he's like that for the full session (1 flake and 2 pellets a day). before he'd only do it once in a feeding session. not sure if im under feeding him to be that agressive for this session. how blunt should the toothpick be? i think renaming him toro would be a good idea :lol: but i still prefer the name nel for him.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Better to underfeed than overfeed, I think. As long as he's not emaciated. Although you could probably go to 1 flake and 3 pellets a day or 2 and 2. As for the toothpick, just snap off the tip and make sure the tip isn't jagged. Some people use those little plastic spoons you can get when you sample ice cream at Baskin Robbins or a frozen yogurt place.

Hey, why not just call him Nel Toro? Even a betta can have a middle name.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> Better to underfeed than overfeed, I think. As long as he's not emaciated. Although you could probably go to 1 flake and 3 pellets a day or 2 and 2. As for the toothpick, just snap off the tip and make sure the tip isn't jagged. Some people use those little plastic spoons you can get when you sample ice cream at Baskin Robbins or a frozen yogurt place.
> 
> Hey, why not just call him Nel Toro? Even a betta can have a middle name.


ty, maybe a plastic fork could do also if i remove all but 1 finger? Nel Toro isnt too bad. it might sound better if he doesnt calm down during feeding sessions. its rather funny to see him this agressive but its worrying me a bit if he decides to jump out the tank whe i feed him. btw what is a good level of water below the top of the tank that limits the fish from jumping over?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Sure, I'd think a plastic fork would be okay too if the tips were fairly blunt. And if you're worried he might jump you can always try feeding him more in the middle of the tank than near the edge. You can lower the water but I think the only way to guarantee he doesn't jump out is to lower the water to about half. Most fish can jump really high. So you're probably better off just keeping a close eye on him.

If he ever does jump out, don't put him back into the tank. Instead, get a small container like a bowl and scoop some of the tank water into that. Put him in there. This way, you won't get dirt and other floor gunk in your tank. Plus, it will make it easier for him to recover from the shock of his jump. Bettas who've jumped tend to rest on the bottom for a while so a small bowl will make it easier for him to rise to the surface to breath without having to swim so much. Once he seems like he's back to himself, you can then put him back in his tank.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> Sure, I'd think a plastic fork would be okay too if the tips were fairly blunt. And if you're worried he might jump you can always try feeding him more in the middle of the tank than near the edge. You can lower the water but I think the only way to guarantee he doesn't jump out is to lower the water to about half. Most fish can jump really high. So you're probably better off just keeping a close eye on him.
> 
> If he ever does jump out, don't put him back into the tank. Instead, get a small container like a bowl and scoop some of the tank water into that. Put him in there. This way, you won't get dirt and other floor gunk in your tank. Plus, it will make it easier for him to recover from the shock of his jump. Bettas who've jumped tend to rest on the bottom for a while so a small bowl will make it easier for him to rise to the surface to breath without having to swim so much. Once he seems like he's back to himself, you can then put him back in his tank.


ty Sakura, for some reason i think its extra agressive due to the goldfish conditioner i put in last water change so an experiment is needed to confirm it. looks like they really show how fragile the are once they've jumped.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Fish are fragile all right and yet incredibly hardy at the same time. One thing to remember is if you ever find that your fish has jumped while you're gone and you come home to find this little shriveled up thing on the floor, try resuscitating it anyway. It's always worth a try and some fish have come back to life almost like they were zombies or something. Because bettas have the labyrinth organ which allows them to breathe air, they can survive a little longer out of water. In fact, what will kill a fish out of water is that their slime coat dries up.


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## KristinM (Jun 7, 2011)

Thanks for all the advice! 

I must say he LOVED the bloodworms! pity they are dead though and dont give him some sport in chasing them. I have 3 small guppies in with him and they also seemed to like them! im not sure if they should be eating them! 

The bucket idea outside is a great idea. Will get that started soon


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## Wyvern (May 19, 2011)

The guppies can eat them so dont worry about that!


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## KristinM (Jun 7, 2011)

well! last night it poured with rain and it just so happened that i have a big bucket standing outside which is now full of rain water and ready to start growing some larvae! My fiance is appalled at the idea of me ALLOWING mosquitos to breed outside but i have assured him they will be long gone before they hatch  so i am hoping this is successful! 

If anything my guppies are thriving on all the extra food they get instead of ordinary flakes!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

KristinM said:


> well! last night it poured with rain and it just so happened that i have a big bucket standing outside which is now full of rain water and ready to start growing some larvae! My fiance is appalled at the idea of me ALLOWING mosquitos to breed outside but i have assured him they will be long gone before they hatch  so i am hoping this is successful!
> 
> If anything my guppies are thriving on all the extra food they get instead of ordinary flakes!


You can scoop up extra larvae and freeze them in ice cube trays, too. Your guppies are probably going to be breeding like crazy with all this live food so you may want to get them their own tank - your betta will eat the eggs and/or fry. If they do breed in the tank with your betta, just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get too fat. Chances are you won't have to feed him much while there are guppy fry in the tank.


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## Wyvern (May 19, 2011)

My boys get fed once a day after I get home from work, I feed them Tetra Prima 47,5% proteien. They get bloodworms 2 - 4 of them once a week, Ocean Nutrition Formula 1 flakes once a week and Mysis (they are like Brine shrimps).

They love all their foods, bloodworms is the obvious favourite and my red boy loves the mysis as well.


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## pinksnowme (May 31, 2011)

Kristin M
Can you post a picture of your tank with the Guppies and Betta?
I love Guppies too and would like to add 2 with my Betta. How did you introduce them? Do you feed the Guppies and the Betta the same foods?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You do have to be careful with guppies - some more aggressive bettas see them as rivals and will try and beat the tar out of 'em. Try and get guppies that are not similar in color to your betta (no red guppies in a tank with a red betta). I think it's that long guppy tail that does it. They see it and think it's another male betta.


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## KristinM (Jun 7, 2011)

I only got them last weekend but I got them all at the same time. I had 2 male and 2 female guppies but I came home to find the one male guppy dead the other day. I looked it up and apparently male guppies can be very aggressive towards each other especially over females and i had noticed this one was hiding a lot and being chased. The other male guppy has a very large bright orange tail and he has been fine and i have not seen my Betta be aggressive towards them at all. This male is very active with the females and im sure it's only a matter of time before the fry arrive. 

To be honest they dont really worry each other. The guppies stay out of his way at meal times and if they get in his space I have noticed he sort of turns towards them and they move away. But I have never seen him chase them aggressively. The shop I bought them from said i should be careful that the Betta does not nip their fins because of the bright colours, i thought it would be the other way around! 

In the past I had the same mix of a Betta with guppies and the fry didnt last long! I planned on removing him if there are fry but i have also read that the guppies will also eat their own fry. My tank is too small for a breeding net  I plan on an upgrade soon! Only had them a week and im already wanting a bigger set up! I have missed having fish!


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## KristinM (Jun 7, 2011)

I will take photos over the weekend and post on monday  Unfortunately the Betta in my Avatar is not my own  but the colours are similar and im hoping as he grows his fins are that attractive!


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## Arashi Takamine (Mar 3, 2011)

Akira's favorite food ever is his brine shrimp. He will go wild after getting some. He always needs a big piece. (Keeps him busy as he refuses to let any sink.) Kai's favorite food is his NLS pellets and his betta min flake however brine shrimp is like betta crack: They canNOT get without it after giving it to them. Now it's their special treat after waterchanges so they can de-stress easier from being in their cups.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

KristinM said:


> I only got them last weekend but I got them all at the same time. I had 2 male and 2 female guppies but I came home to find the one male guppy dead the other day. I looked it up and apparently male guppies can be very aggressive towards each other especially over females and i had noticed this one was hiding a lot and being chased. The other male guppy has a very large bright orange tail and he has been fine and i have not seen my Betta be aggressive towards them at all. This male is very active with the females and im sure it's only a matter of time before the fry arrive.
> 
> To be honest they dont really worry each other. The guppies stay out of his way at meal times and if they get in his space I have noticed he sort of turns towards them and they move away. But I have never seen him chase them aggressively. The shop I bought them from said i should be careful that the Betta does not nip their fins because of the bright colours, i thought it would be the other way around!
> 
> In the past I had the same mix of a Betta with guppies and the fry didnt last long! I planned on removing him if there are fry but i have also read that the guppies will also eat their own fry. My tank is too small for a breeding net  I plan on an upgrade soon! Only had them a week and im already wanting a bigger set up! I have missed having fish!



Haha, sounds like you've done your research.  It's good, I think your betta is a more docile type. There are some bettas who won't tolerate anyone in their tank, no matter what it is. They'll even attack snails and ghost shrimp. 

You could always put Java Moss in there - the fry can hide in it. Another option is a homemade spawning mop. Get some acrylic yarn that you know to be absolutely colorfast and tie it into a long tassel. Hang that in the tank so the ends are in the water. The fry can hide in that as well. Google "spawning mop" and you can find pics and info on them.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Arashi Takamine said:


> Akira's favorite food ever is his brine shrimp. He will go wild after getting some. He always needs a big piece. (Keeps him busy as he refuses to let any sink.) Kai's favorite food is his NLS pellets and his betta min flake however brine shrimp is like betta crack: They canNOT get without it after giving it to them. Now it's their special treat after waterchanges so they can de-stress easier from being in their cups.


That's a good idea to give them their favorite treat after a water change. Like rewarding your kid for cleaning their room, only you're the one cleaning. ;-)


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## KristinM (Jun 7, 2011)

Thanks for the ideas  My little piggie is definitely eating like a king! as are his guppy friends! 

I've just googled Java Moss and Spawning mops and i see what you mean, great plan! i think the one guppy was bought pregnant, she looks larger than the other one. So either we have more babies or a Take-Away meal for the King! ha ha!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

One guppy mating can produce several batches of fry so if a male and female guppy are kept together, then the female is pregnant almost all the time. Your betta's going to have a lot of live foods so he'll be a big and healthy (and maybe a litttle fat) guy.


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## KristinM (Jun 7, 2011)

I find the blood worms can make the water really dirty  I have cut back his food a lot now so there is no wastage and nothing left to rot the water. And I have taken out all pretty marbles which trapped extra leftovers. the guppies clean the gravel quite well as they search for leftover bits. Im used to a large 3 foot tank so i am adjusting to now only having this small one  

Yesterday I decided to try the earthworm idea because I dont want to keep feeding too many blood worms. It took time and patience and I got a few weird looks from the neighbour as to why i was digging in an empty pot, but I was lucky enough to find REALLY small ones in an old pot plant. they were a little on the long side though so i sadisically had to chop them in half  However it worked out for the best because they were still wriggling and I think he enjoyed the hunt! 

I had 3 little guppies waiting in the wings for a tidbit but he didnt leave any! 

We are still waiting for the larvae experiment to get going!


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## KristinM (Jun 7, 2011)

For those of you who wanted to see the Betta with the guppies and what they looked like here are some pictures as best i could get! I hope this works - I havent uploaded photos on this forum before.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Kristin, you have some stunning guppies.  I especially like the flashy markings of the one with the orange tail. They're gorgeous!


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## KristinM (Jun 7, 2011)

Thanks Sakura  Im quite fond of them!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I can see why. Those aren't fancy guppies, those are extra-fancy guppies.


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