Betta fish are a great choice for a home or office aquarium. They are easy to care for, more beautiful than most pet fish species, and extremely popular. However, they require special care regarding their diet. You should create a schedule for how often to feed betta fish so that they receive the right amount of food at the right time.
This article is intended to cover betta food and feeding thoroughly based on my experience with keeping betta fish. Although I am writing this to provide a guide for beginners, I hope that anyone can read it and increase their level of experience.
How Often to Feed Betta Fish
When it comes to feeding frequency and schedule, I try to be consistent so that my betta fish know when to expect their food. I feed my betta fish the amount of food they can eat in a day in two portions, twice a day. I give the first portion every morning as soon as the betta fish tank light comes on and the second portion in the afternoon.
Bettas are very intelligent compared to other fish, so they remember when to eat. I feed them six days a week, with Sundays being a fasting day. Fasting once a week helps improve digestion and prevents constipation.
If you keep a betta in the office, you can feed it five days a week. Fasting two days a week will not harm the betta fish. It takes about two weeks for a betta fish to starve to death, so don’t panic if your fish doesn’t eat for a few days due to illness or adjusting to a new home.
How Much to Feed a Betta Fish
Amount According to Age
The amount of food a betta fish eats depends on its size and age. Young bettas will need less food, older bettas will need more, and as they age, some bettas will start eating less due to their loss of appetite.
My bettas can eat about 1.8 grams of food per day in 5-8 minutes as adults, but sometimes they can’t eat this much because their stomachs are full. So, I feed my betta fish by checking whether their stomachs are full. If their stomachs are full, I feed them once a day.
Signs of a Full Stomach
If your betta fish’s stomach is full, it will look a little round and slightly distended, but it won’t look bloated. A bloated betta’s stomach looks like it’s bursting at the seams. I avoid bloated fish, as this can lead to constipation and other digestive problems. If you see a bloated stomach, fast the fish for two days to ensure that the food is fully digested.
Also, when I see my betta fish gaining weight, I reduce the amount of food they are fed. On the other hand, if I notice that my betta fish is losing weight over time, I increase the amount of food they are fed.
Fish Behavior
Generally, the more active your betta fish is, the more food they will need because being active makes it harder to digest food. In my experience, many short-finned bettas, such as plants, are generally more active than long-finned bettas.
My Betta Fish Food
Betta Fish Food
Betta fish need four main nutrients: vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and protein. These help prevent disease and anemia. These nutrients are commonly found in frozen and live betta foods.
Vitamins: These help prevent disease in fish and anemia. They are commonly found in frozen and live betta foods.
Minerals: Important substances for fluid regulation. They are often found in formulated betta pellets.
Carbohydrates: Provide betta fish with energy and help prevent disease. Carbohydrates should be given in moderation, as they can cause bladder issues and constipation in betta fish. Carbohydrates are found in a variety of fish foods.
Protein: Provides energy for your fish and helps build tissue and bone. Live foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia are high in protein.
Live Food
Betta fish mainly eat insects and insect larvae. It is essential to feed my bettas a diet that is high in protein and fiber. Live food is the best option for my fish, so I feed them live food six days a week. Live food usually contains aquatic insects such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia. Live food has very high nutritional value and is eagerly eaten by bettas. This food provides at least 30%-40% protein, which goes a long way in meeting my betta’s nutritional needs.
However, along with the benefits, live food can also pose a risk, as some live foods sometimes carry diseases. When collecting live food, you need to be aware and collect food from a store that provides high-quality fish food. However, there is nothing to be afraid of here. Live food spreads very little. My betta fish only contracted tuberculosis from this food once while raising it.
Frozen Live Foods
Since live foods cannot be collected for long periods, most frozen live foods come in cube form. The cubes will vary in size depending on the manufacturer. The advantage of frozen live food is that you can take out the amount you need and feed it to the fish when required. But again, follow the rule of feeding 1.8 grams to your betta.
Leave the frozen live food on a plate for about 20-30 minutes before feeding it to the fish so that it can resemble natural food after thawing; then let the betta eat it. Sometimes this does not seem like much, but it is suitable for betta fish.
Dry Food
Dry food is not the same as live or frozen food. There are many types of dry food available in fish food stores. I use dry food as a second alternative. I feed my betta dry food one day a week so that they get a variety of food. Feeding them the same food every day can make them averse to it, so I feed them dry food only once a week. I soak it for about 15-20 minutes before feeding it. When the food expands, I give it to my betta in pieces, which they can then digest easily.
Pellets and Flakes
Although not the same as live and frozen foods, pellets and flakes play an important supporting role. Pellets and flakes come in floating and sinking varieties. I feed my fish pellets and flakes occasionally, but the pellets and flakes must be high-quality, high-protein, and low-filler. Sometimes, when I give them food occasionally, they don’t want to eat it, but it’s not surprising that they will start eating it after some time.
This is another alternative food.
I try to feed my bettas a different type of food at least once a week on Sunday or Wednesday, which is different from what they usually eat every day. This increases their food variety and meets the nutritional needs of the fish. The fish do not get other nutrients aside from the nutrients present in the food that I feed them every day, so changing the food once a week increases their intake of other nutrients, which is good for their health.
Do not feed dry food.
Freeze-dried or other dry food is not a good regular diet for bettas because it absorbs moisture in their stomachs and expands, which can cause constipation, bladder problems, and other issues when it enters the fish’s digestive system. Moreover, it does not contain enough nutrients. I feed my bettas dry food once a week. I soak it in water for about 15–20 minutes before feeding it to them. When the food expands, I feed it to my bettas in pieces, which they can then digest easily.
Note: I check the quality of the food I feed my fish. While buying, I pay attention to the company or shop that provides high-quality food, the reputation of their products, and whether their past customers are satisfied. Food is a very important issue for my beloved fish.
