How Often & How Much To Feed Betta Fish?

Bettas are one of the best fishes that you can have in a small tank. This is because of their playful personality, incredible colors, and ease of care. When properly cared for, a Betta can be a delightful little treasure in your aquarium.

But to grow a happy, healthy, and attractive Betta, you must take care of their diet.

How often do you feed a Betta fish? How much food do you give? If you’re a beginner, it’s easy to feel confused and overwhelmed about simple things like this. But don’t worry, you’re in the right place.

In the next sections, we’re going to talk about Betta diet: how often and how much you should feed your beloved pets.

Why Should You Care About Your Betta Fish Feeding?

Like every other pet, Bettas need a healthy diet to survive. You need to provide them with a healthy and balanced diet that’s aligned with their usual diet in the wild.

Unfortunately, many beginner aquarium hobbyists make the mistake of feeding their Betta fish whatever fish food they manage to buy in the store. These things are often filled with additives, aren’t specifically made to be nutritious to Bettas, and are difficult for them to eat.

More than that, they also don’t know the frequency and amount that Betta fish need to thrive.

Many people make the mistake of feeding too much, fouling up the water, and making their pets sick. On the other hand, underfeeding is just as dangerous, as your pet won’t get the amount that they need.

Thus, it’s incredibly important to learn the basics of your Betta’s diet to be a responsible owner.

How Often Do You Feed a Betta Fish?

Frequency of feeding is a critical consideration when it comes to aquarium fish diet. Both overfeeding and underfeeding carry dangers that should be avoided if you want your Betta fish to thrive.

Typically, a Betta fish should only be fed once or twice a day.

Feeding your Betta friend once a day is typically enough to sustain a fish. Feeding them twice a day is often already unnecessary, although not immediately harmful. Feeding them more than that, though, will result in terrible consequences.

How Much To Feed Betta Fish?

Now, to answer the question “how much to feed Betta fish,” you should only give your fish as much as they can finish in a minute or two – not more. Careful observation is needed for this, as you need to know your Betta’s individual personality.

It’s also worth mentioning that Bettas are opportunistic feeders, and they will overfeed when given a chance.

You need to monitor how much your Betta fish eats to prevent this from happening. When feeding, make sure to watch your fish for one to two minutes. Once it seems uninterested in eating, take out the leftover food.

What to Avoid When Feeding A Betta Fish

To summarize, here are some things you need to avoid when feeding your Betta fish.

Avoid overfeeding. Don’t give more than twice a day, and only give them food they can finish in less than two minutes. Betta fish are opportunistic feeders in the wild, which means they will eat whenever there’s food. This can easily result in overeating if you’re not careful.
Don’t trust manufacturer labels. Certain fish food will have labels placed in their containers for how much you should feed your fish. While it can serve as a rough baseline, it’s much better to trust your observation regarding feeding. Some fish food is made for general consumption, while some manufacturers simply want you to give your fish more food so that you would repurchase quickly.
Avoid giving too many treats. Don’t treat Bettas like dogs or cats that always have room for treats. Overfeeding them with tempting food such as live or frozen fish food is just as bad as overfeeding them with regular fish food. Each treat must be equivalent to a single feeding.

The Best Types Of Betta Food

Betta fish, also known as Siamese fighting fish, are omnivorous in the wild, which means they eat a wide variety of food matter.

In their natural habitat, Betta fishes love hunting for fish fry, mosquito larvae, daphnia, and small insects. However, they also eat plant roots and often graze for algae.

Keeping that in mind, here are the best types of food that you can give your Betta.

High-quality pellets. Betta fish pellets are a good staple food and can be found at most pet stores. Look for a high-quality brand that is specifically formulated for Bettas.
Frozen or freeze-dried foods. Frozen or freeze-dried bloodworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia are all good options for Bettas. These can be found at most pet stores and can be a good supplement to their diet.
Live foods. Live animals that they can hunt, such as brine shrimp, daphnia, and bloodworms, can be fed to Bettas as a treat. These can be found at some pet stores or ordered online. Only feed live foods in small quantities and remove any uneaten food to prevent pollution in the tank.
Other aquarium inhabitants. Bettas are notorious for eating other aquarium inhabitants that they can hunt, specifically fry and small shrimps.
Boiled vegetables. Some vegetables are edible to Bettas when they are soft enough. Bettas eat organic matter in the wild, so that’s not surprising. Some of the most common vegetables are peas, cucumber, and lettuce. Just ensure the veggies are soft enough by partially boiling them first.

It’s important to remember to feed your Betta a varied diet to ensure that they are getting all of the nutrients they need.

Other Factors To Think About When Feeding Your Betta

Now that you know the how often and how much to feed your Betta, here are a few other factors that you should consider, too.

Fish Food Quality

Not all Betta fish pellets are made equal. Some flakes and pellets are filled with fillers and don’t have a lot of nutritional content, making them like junk food to your pets.

To ensure that your fish is receiving the proper nutrition, only high-quality pellets from reputable manufacturers. On the other hand, you can also make your DIY fish food to have further control over what your fish are eating.

Floating vs. Sinking

Bettas have upturned mouths that make them favorable surface feeders. In the wild, they will sneak up on insects and creatures on the surface of the water and lunge on them to make the kill.

As a result, pellets that stay on top of the tank are more favorable for Bettas to eat. Slow-sinking pellets are also okay, but food that sinks too fast will probably be eaten.

Betta Feeding Speed

In the wild, Bettas are sleek and streamlined for better hunting advantages. However, selective breeding for the aquarium hobby gave them overflowing fins that are not too good for swimming.

While they still swim well, their long fins slow them down compared to other, sleeker fishes.

This is an important factor to keep in mind, especially if you have smaller fish in the tank. You need to make sure that both fish species can eat well.

One way you can do this is by giving different kinds of fish food. You can give Bettas floating pellets or flakes, while other fishes can chase down slow-sinking fish food in the middle area of the tank. This keeps them away from each other and not competing on the same food.

Food Variety

Bettas eat a wide variety of food in the wild, so you should also simulate that as much as possible in your aquarium.

Be sure to vary the food that your Bettas consume. Give them an appropriate amount of pellets, live food, and even vegetables once in a while.

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Conclusion

Bettas are wonderful and interesting creatures that are easy to take care of, as long as you know how. A big part of raising happy and healthy Bettas is giving them the proper diets, which consist of moderate, well-calibrated feeding times and amounts.

The ideal feeding pattern is to feed once a day, with just enough fish food that they can finish in a minute or two. With this in mind, you can now feed your Betta better!