# Feeding Baby Bettas (pics)



## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

So I have had two of beat2020s babies since Tuesday. They are about 17-19 weeks old I think, but from looking at the fry growth chart on bettatalk.com they look more like they are seven or eight weeks old. I tried feeding them the NLS betta pellets but they were too big. So they have been eating them crushed. They eat when the girls too, which is about 2-3 times a day. Each baby gets about 1 and a half crushed pellets at each feeding time. Today I also gave them each a treat of freeze dried brine shrimp, probably the equivalent of one NLS pellet. Is this too much/ not enough? I feel like an idiot for not asking before they got here!

Here are some new photos of them taken last night and then this morning during a water change. Check out the very last picture, the little MG blew a bubble for the shot!

First group of shots is of the Multi halfmoon with one ventral, the second group of of the Mustard Gas halfmoon.

First:

































Second:


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## monroe0704 (Nov 17, 2010)

Aww what cuties! I can't wait to get my little one


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## TwilightNite (Mar 3, 2011)

They are so cute! 
Did you breed them????


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

TwilightNite said:


> They are so cute!
> Did you breed them????


No, if you had read the thread you would see that I got them from beat2020


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

adorable


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## Pekemom (Jan 27, 2011)

They're soooo cute!!!


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

I think with fry, it is better to feed them a few 'tiny' meals a day... this helps prevent SBD-like symptoms due to overfeeding/constipation...


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Okay I will do that. I went out and bought some NLS tiny pellets for tropical fish. Is this okay? I know bettas are tropical but I wasn't sure if the food is okay since it doesn't specifically say betta anywhere.


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

turtle10,

I can't imagine it would hurt your fry, but to know if it will really _help_ them, check out the ingrediants.

Bettas are carnivores, so the protein content should be 40-50%; the ingrediants should list a lot of 'fish meat' sources at the top of the ingrediant list.

An 'all tropical fish' mix may be too 'middle of the road' - it has to accomodate the omnivores and plant eaters too. 

There's nothing wrong with crushing up the betta pellets, until the little one can handle them. Put a few in a tough ziplock baggie, whack it with a hammer... tada! Your done.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

These are the first five ingredients in order of the tropical small fish food by NLS: Whole Antarctic Krill Meal, Whole Herring Meal, Whole Wheat Flower, Algae Meal, and Soybean Isolate. It says the crude protein is at minimum 48%. This should be fine right? They do also get tiny microworms every other day and occasionally I would be feeding them a bit of crushed freeze dried brine shrimp.


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

"These are the first five ingredients in order of the tropical small fish food by NLS: Whole Antarctic Krill Meal, Whole Herring Meal, Whole Wheat Flower, Algae Meal, and Soybean Isolate. It says the crude protein is at minimum 48%."

Krill - yup, that's a 'meat' - protein
Herring - Yup, that's a 'meat' - protein
Whole Wheat flour - ummm, not a fish food - found in a lot of fish food, however.
I suspect it's the 'glue' that's used to hold the pellets and flakes together.
Algae meal - veggies
Soybean Isolate - veggie protein source

That doesn't sound bad, betta-wise. I note that my two favorite brands, Omega One and Hakari betta pellets also include wheat products and a veggie.

There are other options to feed your betta. The are the 'natural' sources like frozen and freezed dried worms, daphina and such... or live - you can raise your own brine shrimp, for example.

It's good to feed a mix of foods... a little bit of something different each day, so your betta gets a well rounded diet.

I personally have not fed my bettas anything but flakes and pellets (and ghost shrimp - but that's another story for another day). I'm worried about the frozen foods being spoiled - from partially thawing/re-freezing on its way to me. Live critters (worms, etc.) can harbor parasites and bacterias. So, my betta's diet is restricted in that sense - by my paranoia, lol!

My bettas get food from five different sources (including the low protein food I put in for the bottom feeders, which is more plant oriented). They are colorful and growing, so I'm not too worried about them.

You'll find other betta keepers here on the forum have different food sources they swear by... so ask around, and see what they are using. 

Also, one last thing... after about 6 months, any opened dry fish food may lose signifigant nutritional value... something to keep in mind...


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Ok thank you!


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

lmao tito the fat tabby sorry that's just too cute... makes me wish I were allowed to have cats.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Haha he is really fat and old, like 14 years. I love cats, they are so crazy. My boyfriend has one that sort of talks/chirps.


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

I have a cat that never shuts up... just like her owner! 

She's a barnyard calico shorthair, but she talks as much as a siamese. We think it is because she had kittens, and so had to be vocal to call to them...


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

growing up I had an orange american short hair... named him salemn he was the best had him until I moved to college then he was killed... mom said he got hit by a car she left him in the basement to suffer until I got home... poor thing tried to come to me with a broken back I cried and spent the whole night with him... gave him some pain killers and he slowly drifted away... he didn't need to suffer like that...


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## Here Fishy Fishy Fishy (Oct 29, 2010)

OMG, that's so sad! :*(


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Oh my that is so horrible! She could have taken him to the vet :/


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

she didn't care enough too he suffered like that for 2 weeks until I came home


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

That is so sad, I am sorry that happened, but I'm glad you were with him at the end.


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

thanks  I like to think that he waited for me since he held on for that long


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

That is probably what happened, he wanted to leave the earth peacefully with you there.


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## MelKurtonic (Feb 16, 2011)

:'( I miss him he was 8 when he left me


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

I'm so sorry. It is so hard losing pets, in my experience those are some of the memories that really stick with you :/


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

You might want to try Hikari micro pellets. They're pretty tiny. I think Jackie's babies are around the same age. She told me I could feed mine some micro pellets.


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