Betta Diet

[ishar]

I have one male betta in a 20G tank with an Amano shrimp and 5 fancy guppies. When he first moved in I tried to get him to eat tropical fish flakes, but he wouldn't eat them. Then I went out and bought him some HBH "Betta Bites" and he ate them for a while, but soon he wouldn't eat more than two tiny pellets a day. Then I put some flakes round him and he loved them! Is this normal, for a betta to switch appetites like that?

 

[Butterfly Effect]

Hi Ishar...i was also wondering with the same...i had a similar issue with me...any comments from experts!

 

[ishar]

awww no one wants to answer this thread

 

[fishnewbie]

Ishar,
I mix my bettas diet up a bit. Three days a week he gets the betta pellets, one day he gets a couple Hikari micro algae wafers(he loves them) and two days a week he gets freeze dried bloodworms or mysis shrimp. There is also one day a week that I don't feed him, this is suppose to help him clean out his system(at least that is what I have read). So to answer your question, bettas can be kind of picky, mine wouldn't eat the betta pellets for about a week until he got use to it. They may have fed your betta something different where you bought him, you could ask them and then feed him that and see if he eats more consistently.

Justin

 

[Wind_Danzer]

Mine seems to be enjoying my minnows on a nightly basis. *ALL*

 

[Dino]

All fish need a varied diet.
Switch out several different foods to keep the fish from getting used to having only one type of food to eat.

The fish here get fed veggie flake in the afternoon and I switch off what I feed in the evening between 3-4 types of flakes and pellets.
As well as live 2-3 times a week.

 

[ishar]

ok- that sounds good. I keep him with some fancy guppies, so shoudl I do the same for them? I mean, the foods are compatible? Sounds like a stupid question but I don't want to buy food that will harm my fish.

 

[Dino]

Pretty much all fish can eat all foods.
Some fish ( certain African cichlids, livebearers, plecos) do need more veggie based food in their diets.

 

[ishar]

awesome- thank you.

 

[jusdeb]

I have my bettas and then I have my community tank . Each and evry one has a rotating diet of betta pellet/bloodworm/brine shrimp/cichlid wafer/flake/dried tubifex/dried krill and a mushy pea .No one turns their nose up and if they did they would only have to wait 12 hours for the next item on the menu.No worries.Variety variety variety.