Bettas are beautiful tropical fish with unique blue and yellow coloring. They’re also known as fighting fish, because of their aggressive disposition. In the wild, bettas live in shallow streams or ponds. Because of their small habitat range, bettas must be kept in smaller tanks with little to no decorations. Fancy betta fish are fairly easy to take care of once you know what they need. Feeding and housing them properly is the trick to keeping them happy and healthy. There are many potential betta foods but not all of them are good for them. That’s why we’ve put together this guide on everything you need to know about feeding your Betta!
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What Are the Best Foods for a Betta?
Betta fish are carnivores, so their diet should consist of mostly plant-based proteins, veggies, and some live insects for extra nutrients or vitamins. Meat-based proteins, like worms, crickets, and other small, living creatures, are excellent food sources for bettas. Plants are not very nutritious for bettas and should be balanced with some protein sources, like worms or brine shrimp, to make them more balanced.
How Much and How Often to Feed Your Betta?
Fancy betta fish are carnivores and should be fed twice a day. Young bettas (5 months) should be fed 4-5 times per day. Older bettas (over 5 months) can eat larger quantities of food at one time and can eat up to 80% of their body weight per day. If your betta isn’t taking in enough food, it could indicate poor health. If your betta is overeating, this can lead to obesity and unhealthy conditions.
Recommended Foods for Bettas
Betta fish are carnivores, so feeding your Betta meat-based proteins is a good place to start. Crickets, worms, and other small, living creatures are great food sources. Betta fish can eat most types of insects, but watch out for ones that are high in vitamin A or sodium. Some insects or worms can also be too big for your betta to eat. Feeding your Betta fish with protein-rich foods will help them thrive.
These include brine shrimp, bloodworms, krill, or any live or freshly killed insects. These foods are rich in nutrition but break down quickly, so they don’t sit in the water and go bad. Betta fish also enjoy a variety of greens and vegetables, such as zucchini, lettuce, or spirulina.
Frozen Foods for Bettas
Some Betta owners choose to feed their fish frozen foods to save money. When choosing frozen foods, ensure that they are not high in vitamin A or protein to prevent killing your fish. Betta fish can eat frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, or other insect foods as these are a good source of vitamins and protein. You should thaw frozen food before feeding it to your betta.
Conclusion
Bettas are popular fighting fish that live in shallow streams or ponds in the wild. They are easy to care for once you know what they need. Feeding and housing them is the trick to keeping them happy and healthy. There are many potential foods for bettas but not all of them are good for them, so be careful what you feed them.
