Betta Fish Food

Proper diets requirements for betta fish are often misunderstood. This leads to obesity and swim bladder disorder when overfed or other illnesses due to a lack of nutrition and variety. So let's start with proportions.

How often should I feed my betta?

In the wild, betta fish will eat whatever they can when they can. This instinct causes us to believe the betta is still hungry which leads us to over feed them. In a betta's natural habitat random insects land on the water surface at completely random times. So feeding two pellets at the same time of day, twice a day, every day is not a very stable feeding schedule. A random piece of food at random times is the best way to kick off a healthy diet. Try feeding one pellet in the morning the first day, then two pellets at night the following day or just randomly when you can think of it. The more random it is the more natural it will feel to your betta. Also be sure to skip a day of feeding once a week. This helps clean out the digestive tract to prevent constipation.

Now that you've learned when to feed a betta, let's talk about your food options.

Not only can you vary feeding times, but you also have a variety of foods to choose from. Local pet stores carry a wide variety of options to feed your betta.

Here are the four types of food you can choose from:

Live Live food is one of the best options for betta fish. The down side is that it is also the most expensive alternative. Natural instincts kick in when live food is presented. It also provides amusement for your fish. Available at pet stores are: brine shrimp, white worms, grindal worms, daphnia, bloodworms, black worms, and wingless fruit flies.

Frozen If you do not wish to handle live food you can purchase bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and tubifex worms in a frozen state. This option is also available to you at pet stores. You will need to be careful in keeping your frozen foods. Frozen food can become tainted if left out too long. Your betta will enjoy a nutrient enriched diet through frozen foods.

Freeze-dried Easy to find freeze-dried food can be found more places than just pet shops. Freeze-dried foods are safe to use and considerably cheaper. Though it is a dry food it is still nutrient rich and can be easily re-hydrated for proper digestion. Blood worms, baby shrimp, and brine shrine are the most common items you will find. I recommend soaking the food for a minute before feeding to prevent constipation.

Pellets/flakes - The most common and lowest priced food on the market. The benefit of a pellet is the balanced level of nutrients. However, pellets and flakes are packed with fillers such as wheat gluten and oat meal. These fillers can cause major digestive problems in some fish. Also because they are so dense, they nearly double in size once they finally become re-hydrated. This could explain why so many of us deal with beta fish who are constipated.

So in my recommendation, I urge you to purchase a wide variety of insects and skip the pellets/flakes. Each insect is beneficial in its own way so for a balanced diet try switching between different foods. A random and sporadic diet will keep your betta fish healthy with a longer life.